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Old 01-06-2021, 04:20 AM   #11
Petite
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

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Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
I do the same. My Syrians prefer the Harry Hamster but i have tried the Rodipet and Bunny Dreams mixes as well but will give them a miss in future.

My dwarfs prefer the Bunny Dreams over the Rodipet because they don't like the herbie/grassy bits and always leave that.

If your dwarf prefers the Harry Hamster, i'd give her that. It's a good, balanced and no added sugar allrounder, easily available as well.
I think it's back to Harry Hamster then. Freya has started leaving more of her mix, where previously there was an empty food bowl. I've scarcely seen her the past few days, and wonder whether she's miffed that I changed, or perhaps sickening for something. I will keep a close eye on her.
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Old 01-07-2021, 04:25 PM   #12
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

I'm getting a bit concerned now; her food bowl has hardly been touched since last night. I've put her back onto Harry Hamster, but she is rejecting pieces I hand-feed her that she would have pouched instantly before. She will still take sunflower seeds and one or two other bits from me, but little else. Could it be trying to switch her over to Rodipet that has done this, or is it something else? Should I be worried?
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Old 01-07-2021, 05:26 PM   #13
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

It is hard to say really. Have you checked her food stash, if it is particularly large at the moment she might not be that bothered with what you are offering her. You could also try mushing up some of the pellets and see if she will eat them.
How is her weight?
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Old 01-08-2021, 03:50 PM   #14
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

Thanks for your reply, Luna. I'm going to weigh her tomorrow, and will try and get a look at her food stash then. The trouble is, it's not easy to find without destroying her tunnel system. She's not eating much, and I haven't seen much evidence of her drinking either. She looks reasonably healthy, but a bit thinner and quite sleepy. Normally when I feed her, I hide pieces of food around the cage, and she's full of energy and into every nook and cranny searching for them, but not any more. She ate a few pieces which I hand fed her tonight, but didn't come out of her substrate or go near her bowl. She's definitely not herself. I'm still watching her closely.
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Old 01-09-2021, 07:12 AM   #15
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

A friend just told me that she might be trying to go into hibernation, but because she's a house pet - she doesn't really know how to do it. It might fit her symptoms. I'm going to try leaving the heat on low tonight. I don't think it gets terribly cold, but if it's borderline I suppose it might be possible, and we have just had a spell of particularly cold weather with heavy frost and ice. Do Russian dwarves hibernate?
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:04 AM   #16
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

Hibernation just isn't something hamsters do. Temperatures being too cold can be lethal to these tiny animals - make sure to keep the room she's in within a safe temperature range at all times!
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Old 01-10-2021, 11:10 AM   #17
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

I knew it wasn't the usual thing for a dwarf (although I think perhaps Syrians do...?) We have had a spell of icy days and nights recently with heavy frosts in the mornings. Freya started being a bit more picky about food just before then, and only took out a sunflower seed or two from her bowl during the night. I made sure that the room was warm enough (we kept the central heating on right through the night) and I check up on her during the night. Sometimes she's playing, but not running much, and sometimes it's deathly quiet. She did at least come out to drink this morning. She doesn't look unwell, except a bit thinner, but we will keep watching her closely and see how things go. We have also bought a room thermometer and attached it to the outside of her enclosure so we can keep an eye on the temperature. Thanks for your feedback.
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Old 01-10-2021, 11:53 PM   #18
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

Hamsters (all species) don’t hibernate, if they get too cold or have too little food they go into a state of torpor, if they don’t come out of it quickly & warm up or get food they die.

They can sometimes change behaviour when the weather is very cold, even if the room is warm enough they still seem to sense it & spend more time in their nests.
The change regarding food is a bit unusual though, they are more likely to take more food to stash away in the nest if it’s cold so maybe it’s an issue with her food.
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Old 01-12-2021, 04:26 AM   #19
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

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Originally Posted by cypher View Post
They can sometimes change behaviour when the weather is very cold, even if the room is warm enough they still seem to sense it & spend more time in their nests.
The change regarding food is a bit unusual though, they are more likely to take more food to stash away in the nest if it’s cold so maybe it’s an issue with her food.
Thanks, Cypher, that's reassuring.
You could be right about the issue with food. She's always been happy with Harry Hamster, but I'm getting near the end of the bag, so I wonder if it's getting stale. I tried to buy some more the other day, but the shop had run out and there is nowhere else on the island where I can buy it. If they don't get new supplies quickly, I will have to order it online.
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Old 01-12-2021, 10:17 AM   #20
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Default Re: Whimzees and walnuts

It very well could be getting stale. A good rule of thumb is replace food every 6 months due to certain nutrients degrading(mostly applies to enriched foods like Harry Hamster - not quite as critical with unenriched whole food based ones like Rodipet foods). Even before that point food can certainly get stale though!
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