Roborovski Questions and Checklist

[RoboDwarfWhisperer9815]

I don't know if this is the right section for this question because I have no clue about the different sections of this forum! So, I am making a checklist for bringing home a roborovski dwarf. The checklist is below and I am new to dwarf owning so please let me know if I am missing anything.

*15 toys
*3 wheels (how big? I would guess about 5 inches, maybe?)
*3 sandbaths
*3 huts
*3 water bottles
*3 food bowls (I guess?)
*1 huge bin cage ( Um, what should the dimensions be??)

Note: This list is for all the needs for 3 roborovskis.

I have lots of questions, so I think I'll just make a list! Ha ha.

*Can you give me some tips on taming?
*How do you start taming?
*Can you have 3 hamsters living in one cage?
*Do you know of any good breeders of roborvskis in Oregon and Texas?

Thanks!

RoboDwarfWhisperer9815

[Jasmine2016]

Hi.

I am also in the process of researching and making a shopping list for my robo, I've never had robos before so I may be wrong, but in the research I've been doing it's recommended to always have an even number of robos, as otherwise in your case 2 could gang up on the other 1. So I would recommend either 2 or 4.

However as was recommended to me, as this will be your first robo, might be better just to get one as apparently having a pair or more, they could fall out, then you have the stress of separating them etc. Not to mention having more then one cage to clean!

I hope this is helpful

[Cinnamon Bear]

Regarding the hidey huts if you can find something with 2 entrances per animal is preferred in case they get territorial over one particular entrance I heard as a tip. Also heard it is better to go with a pair rather than three or if you want zero stress just get one cause they are happy to live alone too. Especially if your new to hamsters it's good to just have one per cage but you would need 3 cages if you get three in case a fight breaks out in the middle of the night or bad weather. Then if they get injured there are vet bills to consider. If you really want to go for more than one robo, I'd say to see how a pair would work out.

They would need to be from the same litter & never seperated or they lose scent of each other, from what I heard again. Sometimes if you get the hamsters from a pet store they may not be from the same liter as they are housed together in the pet stores at different ages. If you can't be positive they are from the same litter I'd hold off until you know for sure.

[cypher]

I tend to agree with the others that if you are completely new to keeping dwarf hams then it's best to begin with just one, get to know their ways & maybe consider keeping a pair some time in the future.
If you do go for more than one then a pair is normally easier, they may still fall out so you have to be prepared with a spare cage ready & monitor their behaviour carefully for signs of fights or squabbles but it may be less of a problem than with three where two ganging up on the least dominant one is often a real problem.

As for supplies not too many toys, you may need to introduce toys gradually as they can fight over them! A few cardboard tubes & small boxes would do to start with.
1 wheel for each robo but you may be surprised by the size you need, 8" is about right, the back shouldn't be curved when they run.
Houses must have more than one entrance so that one can't be trapped inside with no means of escape if bullied by another.
Bowls you don't need, scatter feeding is best, again to avoid fighting & the least dominant ham being prevented from feeding.
3 bottles would be good.
Not sure what size bin you would need for three if you do make that choice tbh. Some say bigger is better while others say smaller can help prevent fighting so you may want to research that some more.
Whatever size you go for you need plenty of a good substrate so they can dig & burrow.

Taming/bonding with robos takes time & patience, you can't really rush it.
The best thing to begin with is the tissue trick, just putting tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then putting that in the cage so they can get familiar with your scent.
The first few days other than feeding & water you just talk to them quietly.
Once they are brave enough to come out of hiding with you around then you can begin to offer treats letting them come to you to begin with & gradually building up their confidence from there.
That's the basics really, hope it helps a bit.