New to Dwarfs...

[Blue Dragon]

Hi,
If you've just read my other posts you'll know my story. I now have four teeny tiny Russian hammies as new friends. But I've never kept any other hammies apart from Sirians, so I was hoping to get some help on how to best look after them. Firstly, they're living in a ZooZone Habitat and from what I've seen on here it's plenty big enough. I have meshed the lid, but ran out at the front so had wound some wire around the bars. But I'd done it for a Sirian, so I'm certain these little furries will be able to get free. So I haven't got anything hanging up yet till I can get some more mesh to cover the whole top. But once that's all sorted I'm planning on getting tubes for them, and maybe a small bird branch for them to climb. But as I say, I've never kept Russians, so I do have a few questions.
When Dwarf species became available as pets Russians were kinda given a bad reputation. I always got told they bite, they don't like being handled, they smell, make a big mess, are noisy, and are meant as a 'look only' pet. I suppose that stuck with me all this time, which is why I've never vetured any further with keeping hammies. But when I saw those lovely little faces, like little gremlins, I fell in love there and then. I'd already saw that a lot of people kept them and they always seems very friendly and tame. And so I suppose a part of me didn't beleive in all that anymore.

What I'd like to know is, firstly, how best do I make thier house their own? I already know they love to climb, but is there anything else? I've read they like a sand bath? Also, what kind of wheel is best? Beleive it or not P@H didn't have a single one, but my usual little petshop usualy sell the smaller flying saucers. Obviously they're to small for a Sirian, but are they OK for Russians? Or should I get a Silent Spinner, or Small Wodent Wheel?
Next, Food. At the minuet they're having my usual Sirian dry mix, which is a basic good quality hamster dry mix with puffed rice, dry pasta shapes and a few bits of dried fruit mixed in. Usualy either raisins, broken up 'nana chips or ripped up dried apple slices. Is this OK? I'm worried about the dry pasta shapes and was wondering wheather or not to take them out? I don't want them breaking their little teefs. Of course they are going to also have their wet foods, veg, chicken, fish etc.

They really are lovley little things, and I've already chosen names. Going with my apparent food theme they all have foody names. I have a little grey and white one, who minus the stripe down her back has the same colours and markings as my Cookie did. So naturraly her name is Chip : ) Then I have two fawn ones. Originaly I wanted to can one Peanut, but since they're really hard to tell apart I figured calling one Pea and the other Nut might be best. One is ever so slighty darker, but I can only tell if they sit together, so the lighter one is Pea, and the darker one is Nut (I'm sure as I get to know them I'll find out who the real nut is ). Last, but not least, I have a little half and half girl. She's half fawn and half white, very pretty. I keep telling her how bonny she is and that seems to have translated into Bonbon. So I have Chip, Pea, Nut and Bonbon : )
They really do look like little gremlins-Oh, and their little furry feets! They kinda remind me of Lemings in a way 'cause they're small, round and have furry feets. Only these little things are much smaller! I am really glad I got them, so I hope I can look after them right. Any advice would be great : )

[annie81]

hey congrats to your new additions :-) you will have fun with them.

ok...wheels...you can use these flying saucers but not all hammies like them. a 6.5inch silent spinner will be great for your small furries. mine loves it. just make sure you have more than one to prevent them fighting over one wheel.

food...you have to be careful with hidden sugars in the food. the dwarfs are quite prone to diabetes. so if you use food for syrians atm make sure you pick out the peas and that kind of thing. you have to be careful with the fruit as well....there is a lot of sugar in it. maybe its better to get a dwarf hamster mix?

i am sure you will enjoy your new friends...and no...they absolutely dont smell or anything :-)

[internet_nobody]

The first thing to do is identify what kind of hamsters you have, from the colours they aren't roborovski, and aren't pure winter whites, but that doesn't mean they are pure campbells either.

For 4, you need at least 3 wheels to stop them fighting over who gets to use each one. You should get them a sleeping house with at least 2 exits so they can't block each other in. Avoid adding lots of toys at once, as this can make them fall out. Your food sounds OK, but don't add the dried fruit as pet shop "russians" have a greater risk of diabetes. You also need to check that your base mix doesn't have any added sugar (molasses, sugar beet etc).

When you clean them out, avoid washing toys at the same time as cleaning bedding. The scent is very important for them to stay bonded. Also add back some of the dirty substrate (around 20%) and a little of the used bedding. That way they don't feel like they have to re-establish their territories after every cleanout..

[wofunny]

I love the names :) I can't help you with the advise as I've never had dwarfs but they sound lovely! My friend has two and they are really tame and they hae never bitten me :)

[Hope]

Good advice there IN :-) I was under the understanding that all pet shop bought ww or russians were hybrids and a mixture of the 2?

I would like to add that you must be prepared to separete if they begin to fight, but if you give them one of everything each there is a good chance that they will be fine together!

As for wheels I use the 6.5" Silent Spinner and its really good, very quiet. I would recommend getting 2 if not more of these though to prevent fallings out.

As for food, veg chicken and fish are fine - no dried fruit though as this has a lot of sugar in. I have heard that it is best not to use a bowl to feed them but just scatter that food on the floor, as one can often become territorial over the food bowl and not let the others have a look in! There are some specialist dwarf hammie food mixes on the market it will see if I can find some links for you.

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My little Boris quite likes the odd mealworm too! :-)

Oh and just to add, they do not smell, are not overly messy, and I hardly hear Boris at night. He is a very good boy indeed! But with four of them they might make a bit more mess and noise than my one does!

Most of all though enjoy your new additions :-)

[internet_nobody]

Good advice there IN :-) I was under the understanding that all pet shop bought ww or russians were hybrids and a mixture of the 2?

I know a few "show" breeders who's non-keepers from litters go to pet shops, so there are a few pure hamsters out there, but a tiny minority! Then there's people who have bought from breeders and supply pet shops.

I also use 6.5" silent spinners with my dwarfs, they like to run together. None of mine seem to like the flying saucers, and they take up a lot of floor space.

[fluffymunchkins]

yh like whats already been said, silent spinners are great, but if you wanted a mix of both maybe 2 or 3 silent spinners then a flying saucer that would be great! So then they can pick and choose what they prefer :)

It'll be best to leave foods such as chicken, vegetables etc for a bit as they are still settling and you don't want tummy upset. As they are getting used to the new food you are feeding them atm.

Like I N said scent is important. Every toy you get should have multiple hams in mind.
Also, if you don't already its best you have a spare cage at the ready in case of fights. Maybe have a look on ebay for a bargain or two :D

[Blue Dragon]

Thank you everyone for the advice : )

I have a few spare cages and smaller tanks, so if one fights then I'm ready.

I always make sure there's no added sugars in my mixes 'cause of how bad they are in general. I'm a bit of a health-freak, so I always look out for bad stuff anyway. I didn't know that they were prone to diabetes, so I'll take extra care. And I didn't know you could get special dwaft hammie mixes either, so I'll be having a look-see about that too.
I had put their food in a little bowl, but they seem to have scattered it around themslves : ) They seem to really like digging around for little bits, so I'd already thought of just scattering it.

I'll have a look to see if I can get hold of some silent spinners, but they always seem to be sold out when I can get one. I've been after a one for my ratties for ages now, but I've had no luck. But I could ask at the petshop I can go to to see if the woman in there I know can get some in, and maybe the dry mix as well. She sells a few kinds of beds, so I'll see if I can find one that has two or more exits. At the minuet they've got a hammie igloo and a little coconut house, but they're all sleeping together next to the igloo : )
At the minuet they've got a one of those wooden flexable bridges that they're loving to chew, and a wooden see-saw... that they can just about do : ) And a wooden ladder, the ones off Zooplus. They like to chew that as well. I bought a straw tunnel for them, but I'm leaving it out for now till I can re-arange everything to suit them better. What toys should I be looking out for in particular? Presumably ones that they can all get on or in together? I was thinking of getting a small bird branch for them to climb and keep thier claws nice, would this be good?

I'll remember about keeping some dirty litter and bedding back at cleanout. Should I clean them out as regular as a Sirian would need, or should I try to lenghthen the time inbetween for them? So they don't get to stressed at the 'clean' smells.

Oh, and how do I go about identifying them? I was told they were the Campbells Russians. Does it make a difference wheather or not they're pure?

[Hope]

It doesn't make a difference if they are pure or not, unless you are wanting to show them. I think that hybrids may be slightly more susceptable to illnessess, but I'm not 100% sure. If you are able to post some pictures of them we have some great on here who could tell you what colours/types they are. I think with pet shop russians they are a mixture of winter whites and campbells, and their colouring depends on which one they most like. My boris (on my sig) looks like a winter white - but he isnt pure, just happens to look very much like one!

Lots of online shops stock silent spinners - I will post some links for you at the end.

Your ideas for toys sound fine - I have not kept more than one dwarfie together, but I think that you are along the right lines with making sure that they can all fit in the toy, and all use it together. As for a bird branch - I'm not sure. I dont think that dwarfs are very good at climbing, but you could try a sand bath. Boris LOVES his. I just use chinchilla sand (or you can use kids play sand) in a small tupperware box. This helps to keep their coats nice and it also files their claws to with the digging about! If you decide to do this just make sure that they can all get in the bath, or maybe have more than one so that fighting doesnt break out.

Hope that this helps - they sound as if they are settling in really well! :-)

[Hope]

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Sorry I forget to put them at the end - hope this is useful :-)

[internet_nobody]

It does make a difference behaviour wise (more so towards each other). Campbells are quite a lot more sociable and are less likely to fall out. They also have a tendancy towards cage aggression, where they will "attack" an intruder (your hand!) but be sweet as pie outside of the cage. WW are much more laid back towards people, but often squabble amongst themselves which can then escalate. It doesn't make a difference to them being good pets!

Climbing wood doesn't really seem to keep their claws trim, they tend to need clipping every few months (to avoid the risk of them getting caught between the "rungs" on log bridges etc).

[Blue Dragon]

Thank you Hope and I N.

I've had a look on those sites you gave me, Hope, I haven't been to some of them before. I tend to use Zooplus a lot, and ECF. Those are the sites that are usualy sold out though, so it's nice to know about some more.

Thanks for the info one the differences between Campbells and Winter Whites, I didn't know there was a difference apart from one changing white in winter : ) I feel a bit clueless really, like I should know these things already. But nevermind.
Untill I manage to get some good photos I'll try to describe them better. I've already said that one is darker gray, two are fawn and one is half fawn and half white. They all have white tummies and the colour comes up round thier sides, like a over-marked berkshire (if you know about rats). They all seem to have dark underfur, looking mostly like a very dark grey. They have little white cheeks and feets, and the white from thier tummies comes up from behind and gives them little white bums : ) I don't know if that helps?

I've had teritorial hammies before, as well as rats and a very bad tempered grunty rabbit (who, as you say, was as sweet as pie once you got her out and onto your knee), so that's not new to me. I have usualy been able to get them out of the habit though, can it be done with Russians?

[fluffymunchkins]

another site i reccomend is pet planet, that where i ordered my wodent wheel from and its fab :)

[fluffymunchkins]

well apart from the missing washer ¬_¬

[Blue Dragon]

Just to let peoples know, I've put up photos in my other post : )

Maybe should of put them on this one... never mind.