Newly adopted hams

isabeloola · 08-08-2013, 02:36 PM

Hi there, I'm a new member here so I hope it's ok for me to start a thread.

I just adopted 3 Chinese hamsters from my local pets at home (they are about 5 months old already and quite brave). I was told they are all "probably boys" but a few hours after they have been home one of them seems to be trying to mate with another. Is this something they just do or should I be concerned that one of my little guys is actually a little lady? Or would she already be knocked up if she was?

Sorry, I am new to dwarves, I have a syrian and he was most definitely a boy haha, not finding it as easy to sex the little ones! I only planned on getting two, but I couldn't not rescue these poor little adoptees!

Any advice about my little uns would be greatly appreciated

icklemunch · 08-08-2013, 02:43 PM

I don't know much about chinese sorry. But you would definitely be able to tell if a chinese was male or not the boy bits put a syrian to shame

Well done for rescuing them. Do you have any pictutes of them?

**kyrilliondaemon** · 08-08-2013, 02:49 PM

If you can get pics of the hams genital bits (underneath at the back) we can probably sex them for you

My big bit of advice is to check the sexes and then be very careful with them, chinese hams can fall out notoriously quickly sometimes

Kirsty1987 · 08-08-2013, 03:00 PM

As icklemunch has said it is easier to tell male and female chinese hamsters apart and I have seen some male chinese hams that would put my male syrian to shame haha. Have a look at the genitals of all 3 and see if they look identical. Also 2 can be difficult to keep together let alone 3 so you may run into some trouble with them fighting and they will need to be separated if this happens, hope you have some spare cages handy just in case.

isabeloola · 08-08-2013, 03:06 PM

Thanks for the advice! I will try to get pictures tomorrow (if i can upload them as a new member?) as they are a little skittish from the move! Apparently they have gotten on well in their tiny little box of a home at the shop so hopefully they won't fall out when they have more toys and space to play with

Kirsty1987 · 08-09-2013, 12:04 AM

More toys could be something that sets them off the cage layout is important when keeping a pair or more. Make sure you have 3 of everything wheels, water bottles. Scatter feed instead of a bowl, no levels or ramps but this wont mean they will stay happy. As they are young this may be why they are ok together for now but as they mature this is when things can go wrong. More people are treating chinese hams as solitary hamsters as they nearly always fight. Good luck

racinghamster · 08-09-2013, 12:37 AM

Hi. If Pets At Home allowed three Chinese hamsters to all go together, that doesn`t surprise me because they are not the best at telling potential owners of what they are taking on. Chinese hamsters, especially females, should be kept alone because they almost always fall out. Males in a trio could prove volatile, but in the meantime, you must keep a close eye on the dynamics of these three for any small signs of bullying or any chasing.

Chinese hamsters are wonderful.

A big favourite of mine. But if you are new to Chinese hamsters, there are a few pointers for you.

1. Allow them plenty of time to settle in. They are naturally shy, but bold little creatures once they get to know you.
2. because you have three living together, it`s a good idea not to have any enclosed spaces where one might be trapped or bullied. Open ended tubes and an open nest with plenty of bedding is best.
3. No levels inside the cage as levels can cause them to argue over territories.
4. Have multiple water bottles and food dishes and also scatter feed.
5. Chinese hamsters are more like mice and love to `cling` and climb.

They can be prone to diabetes, so their diet can`t have added sugars or treats that contain honey, syrup, molasses or fruit. A good mix for them would be Burgess Supahamster Harvest ( the Syrian version) and you can add a bag of canary seed to this as they love small millet seeds. Canary seed contains hemp and linseed also. Dry mealworms are a good protein treat.

Hope this has helped a little. What cage are they housed in currently?

Edited to add: Oh and, if they are already adults, the scrotal bags that males have will be visibly obvious!

icklemunch · 08-09-2013, 03:03 AM

I know this is a silly question, but are you sure they are chinese? Pets at home do get it wrong.

racinghamster · 08-09-2013, 06:18 AM

I have heard that PAH only sell Chinese hamsters in pairs and won`t sell them singly, so chances are these three were in the adoption area as they were always together? So they allowed them to go as a trio? That`s what I`m thinking happened here give their ages.

isabeloola · 08-09-2013, 12:33 PM

Thanks for all the info!

They are in the standard Duna they sell in Pets at Home, I was told it would be big enough but they also said it was enough for my syrian so I'm not sure what to trust.

I shall take the level out once they wake up cos one hamster, Ben, has already camped out in some tunnels I put in, leaving Chen and Mau a bit trapped on the upper level

(one of these is the one I think might be a lady, but maybe they are just super best friends against selfish Ben)

What age would a full grown chinese hamster be? They are 5 months, and I can't tell clearly from afar what gender they are like I could with my boy syrian.

Also, note on the three being for adoption. Apparently they were sent to pets at home after a customer had some accidental breeding, and even the girls of the litter were friendly (though I don't know what happened to them). I am quite sure they are Chinese as they have long tails and very grippy hands. Can't post a picture until I have been a member longer! (Or post more I guess?)