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Old 01-02-2018, 09:49 AM   #1
hinaichigo
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Join Date: Nov 2017
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Default information on chinese hamster

hello i was thinking of getting a chinese hamster in the near future and i would like more information about them. i would like to know:

what their personality is?
what size wheel?
would a rat/mouse cage be ok?? (if appropriate size)
what kind of toys would be good for them?
would carefresh work as a bedding? if not what kind would you recommend?

all advice is appreciated and anything else i need to know please do tell me.

thanks in advance
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Old 01-02-2018, 09:56 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: information on chinese hamster

Personalities vary a lot from one ham to another, Chinese generally can be a little timid to begin with though but with patience will soon become tame & can be lovely cuddly little pets, females tend to be a lot more active than males more often than not!
I use the 9" silent runner for mine but any wheel around 8" is fine. You do need a wheel that's easy to clean as almost all Chinese pee in the wheel, a lot!
If you use a barred cage then bar spacing needs to be no more than 1cm so do check that if you choose any barred hamster/rat/mouse cage.
They love to dig & burrow a lot so deep substrate is a must, they enjoy lots of little hideouts, tubes, cork tunnels, that kind of thing mostly & the wheel of course!
Carefresh would be ok, I use Fitch, they love it & it's very economical, a bag lasts ages. Most people go for the 10kg bag.
https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...r/bedding.html
Hope that helps a bit, if you have any other questions just ask
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Old 01-02-2018, 10:10 AM   #3
hinaichigo
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Default Re: information on chinese hamster

thank you so much for the information cypher!! if i have more questions ill message you. hope that it would be ok.
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Old 01-02-2018, 10:28 AM   #4
Fluffagrams
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Default Re: information on chinese hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by hinaichigo View Post
thank you so much for the information cypher!! if i have more questions ill message you. hope that it would be ok.
Whilst I won't answer for Cypher, I would suggest that it is preferrable for you to ask any questions on the forum so that people in the same situation can benefit from the information too.

In answer to your question though here are my thoughts...

Chinese Hamsters can make lovely pets, they can have a very charming nature about them. They're not usually as lively as Robos all the time but they can be busy little creatures and can move pretty quickly if they want to. They can have a reputation for being shy but can come out of their shells with the right sort of caging and patient handling. In my six years of caring for many Chinese Hamsters, I've only really had one who has been shy but we got there in the end with her, however most of mine have been sourced directly from good breeders in the UK where they've been tamed from a young age.

In terms of caging, mine have preferred a bin cage to more traditional wire cages and ideally you'll be looking for a bar spacing of no larger than 1cm, particularly if you have a smaller Chinese. They like a nice layer of substrate to dig and burrow in and lots of hides and tubes to play in. They climb well so some toys that allow them to do this safely would be ideal. Mine love hammocks but if you're using fabric hammocks it's better to introduce it to them whilst you can supervise them to make sure they don't start chewing it and keep an eye out for any signs of chewing to any fabric toys on a regular basis.

I've found my Chinese to be quite easy to tame and I've yet to have one that I couldn't tame but sometimes it might take a flexible approach. I prefer to tame mine in relatively small playbins to start with rather than their own cages where I'll put some substrate and a few toys. They've not always been as keen to approach you as a Syrian might so I tend to scoop them up in cupped hands, if they want to get down, I let them and I'll repeat the process a couple of times per session before returning them to their cages where I'll give them a small treat such as a couple of seeds. Mine prefer to wait to be picked up rather than stepping on to an open hand.

Chinese Hamsters can be prone to diabetes but if they're not affected by this then they can be reasonably long lived. There is also a skin issue that can affect them that not a lot is known about but basically a random split in the skin on the back of the neck can occur. It's a neat cut and there is usually some hair loss around it but the hamster is well in themselves and is not scratching excessively. They usually clear up on their own in a week or two without intervention. Most hamsters are only affected once, some can be affected twice but it's rarer for them to be affected more than this.
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Old 01-02-2018, 10:35 AM   #5
hinaichigo
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Default Re: information on chinese hamster

thank you so much for the information fluffagrams!! it really helps!
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