Meet Margot

Crayolalaura · 12-29-2016, 02:33 PM

I just adopted a little girl who is 5 months old and such the sweetest! They said she was Russian but that was it- is she a Campbell? Im new to dwarves- though have done my research just not sure about her colour and markings
But normally I have Syrians
Her name is Margot (like Kidder or Robbie) though my 8 year old calls her Star

AmityvilleHams · 12-29-2016, 03:11 PM

She would be a hybrid.Unless you get a hamster from a breeder with a pedigree that is labelled as Russian or Campbell,you can't verify a species.This isn't necessarily the worst possible thing,but it does mean you should be extra careful with diet and treats!

Crayolalaura · 12-29-2016, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

She would be a hybrid.Unless you get a hamster from a breeder with a pedigree that is labelled as Russian or Campbell,you can't verify a species.This isn't necessarily the worst possible thing,but it does mean you should be extra careful with diet and treats!

Brilliant thank you
I'll have a look into hybrids diets
She seems fussy only really liking sunflower seeds out of the muesli food I have

AmityvilleHams · 12-29-2016, 03:37 PM

Burgess dwarf food is one of if not the best diabetic friendly mixes you'll find!It has adequate nutrition on its own,and has no added sugar or dyes.It is a very simple mix,I believe it doesn't have sunflower seeds which if I'm correct on that means you can just give them as an extra instead,along with many other extra seeds and grains as well as nuts.

A lot of "hamster" mixes end up with huge pieces which aren't very good for tiny mouths,which can make hamsters seem really picky as they'll probably only go for something that they deem worthy of effort.

chesca_27 · 12-29-2016, 06:28 PM

Like Amity says, unless you have a pedigree to prove she is a pure-bred Winter White or Campbells, you must treat her diet as that of a Russian Hybrid.

Hybrids are prone to diabetes so you must try and limit her sugar intake. This involves not feeding too many sugary vegetables (like carrot) and giving fruit as an occasional treat. Never feed any treats with honey or added sugar in and stick to more natural treats like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. I have a pure-bred Winter White and he goes crazy for pumpkin and sunflower seeds. She may like a Whimzee/Greenies chew toy. These can be found in dog dental chew section of pet shops. Pets At Home stock both but only sell massive Whimzees. You can buy the teenie and petite Greenies at Pets At Home in packs or singularly. Other safe chews are Pedigree Milky Biscuits. These are all treats Larry-Jasper goes crazy for.

I would recommend the Burgess Dwarf food if you are able to get it. You should be able to find it online and in most Pets At Homes. It is perfect for smaller mouths and diabetes-prone hamsters like Hybrids.

Good luck with your Russian - they make excellent pets and are my favourite species of hamster

Crayolalaura · 12-30-2016, 03:02 AM

Thanks so much guys!
She seems really hungry and not eaten much but the sunflower seeds
PAH said that they feed all their hamsters the PAH muesli which I already had anyway but she clearly doesn't like it!
I will try find the burgess and chew toys today
She's also desperate to get out so I'll get her ball too as my Syrian balls I think are too big for her and I'm afraid she will get her leg stuck in the air slots

cypher · 12-30-2016, 03:05 AM

Congrats, Margot looks adorable

Good advice from the others on hybrid diet, if you stick to a good dwarf mix like burgess it doesn't need to be difficult at all, if she's a picky eater you may need a bit of tough love so don't keep giving more food until she's eaten at least most of the mix she has. Burgess does have grass pellets which I've never known a ham eat but other than that she should eat all of it.

I wouldn't use a ball with a dwarf ham, most don't like them & they can be easily injured in them too.
They do much better in a playpen with lots of toys to explore, the metal playpens you can buy for hamsters are safe for hybrids, they can't escape like other species.

AmityvilleHams · 12-30-2016, 03:06 AM

Even small balls can be an injury risk for such small hamster limbs.I'd even be worried with Syrians,since they could still probably end up injuring themselves too

That isn't even considering all the welfare reasons which oppose balls,plus you could certainly use a clean bathtub or a small bin/playpen instead which would offer far more enrichment,be safer,and be much more appropriate!

Crayolalaura · 12-30-2016, 10:40 AM

Thanks for the advice on the food guys- I got the burgess stuff and another brand of muesli which she far far prefers anod I actually found someone in there who knew their stuff about all hamsters! So she was a big help since I'm used to Syrians rather than dwarfs
I have one happily fed hammy now!

**Cinnamon Bear** · 12-30-2016, 11:13 AM

I've had several Russian hybrids that have been problematic for illnesses but I have Chloe who looks similar to Margot and she's 2 1/2 yrs old now without any illnesses at all fingers crossed. Her nails never even hardly grew long, she eats Kaytee Forti Diet, which isn't the best but it's what she likes. I'm also feeding her Higgins Sunburst but that's what's available to me where I live. I think she stashes all the seed mix but I still give it to her.