Dwarf hamster/winter white questions

[Chloe525_X]

(I don't know if this is in the right part of the forum so i apologise if it's not) I am thinking about getting a dwarf hamster in the future and I have a few questions that I was hoping someone would answer for me:

1) is it true that winter white russians are the most tame?
2) is it true that most dwarf hamsters kept in pairs will fight?
3) do winter white russians live better in pairs or singularly? Would it be better to get one or two?
4) is a ferplast mini duna cage big enough for a single dwarf hamster?
5) do dwarf hamsters dislike being handled/played with?

Thanks

[kyrilliondaemon]

1. It'll depend on the individual
2. It depends on the pair, I'm not sure if anyone has exact statistics on it
3. It depends on what you want really, the golden rule is to never own more than can be kept alone if needed
4. Yeah probably, but some (like me) find bigger is better and have higher personal cage size preferences
5. No... Roborovskis can be difficult to tame and chinese can be shy, but it all depends on the ham and most campbells/winter whites/hybrids seem to be fairly friendly and fine to be handled

[racinghamster]

If it`s your first time keeping a Russian dwarf, I would say start with a single hamster, preferably one that is looking for a home already. And unless the hamster is bought from a registered breeder (by registered, I mean a breeder who shows hamsters and is well known in hamster circles) not just someone who breeds and advertises. Most Russian dwarf hamsters are hybrids these days and not pure winter whites or Campbells.

I personally feel that the Mini Duna is the bare minimum for a dwarf hamster, but it`s not the end of the world either. Tank style cages the size of the Zoozone 1 are better because they give that little more floor space and you could still add a shelf inside. What you need to remember is, even dwarf hamsters have lots of energy to burn, so giving one as much room as you can is the way to begin. But using a Duna as a taming cage for a wee while and then moving up to the larger tank is also a good idea.

Hamsters in general enjoy human company, but when it`s on their terms. Meaning, don`t wake your hamster up to play with him/her as they could become stressed and nervous and start to bite as a consequence, especially while inside their cage as some can become cage territorial, but that`s nothing to worry about because many dwarf hamsters can be like this, but fine once being gently handled.

[Winterwhitelilo]

I keep two winter whites in a cage ONLY BECAUSE they were raised together in the same environment. Mine were very friendly right from the pet store, but are very nippy if you try to touch them while they're in their cage.