Breed or diet....on size?

[Rhino's staff]

So, my son and I went back to PetCo to see if "Rhino's" brother was still there. Nope. But, there were hamsters in there that looked just like him except A LOT bigger. So, I asked the sales lady about it. She said we were lucky we got a baby and they usually don't carry anything but full grown. Big shocker. I was already worried about his cage, so we upgraded to a bigger and better one. But, my question is....how big is he going to get? And is this relevant to his breed (Fancy Panda Bear Hamster) or his diet?

[kyrilliondaemon]

Its related both to species (his is syrian) and genetics. I think diet may play a small part but I doubt its as much.

Most advise 80cm by 50cm of floor space as best for a syrian, although 70cm by 40cm is a minimum many are happy with.
The "Fancy Panda Bear Hamster" bit is just what the pet shop called him, the rest of us would just regard his species as syrian, and colour as black banded

He'll also need a wheel of at least 8" diameter, and as an adult should weigh somewhere between 100g and 250g depending on size.
He looks really cute though

[Rhino's staff]

He has a wheel, which he goes at all night long. lol We love just watching him play. I got him a two level cage hoping he would be happy with that. He loves his ball too. But, I'm a little skittish about the ball because my brother and cousin once "ran" one to death in their ball about 35 years ago. The whole family is still traumatized by that. lol I'm just hoping he is not a monster. He is adorable as he can be right now. I appreciate the advise. I literally don't know anything about hamsters. And we are trying to be good parents to him.

[Rhino's staff]

Oh and while I'm getting advice...the sales lady said DO NOT get a tube. She said they are very dangerous. She said she had one get stuck in it and die.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Oh the wheel thing was more for diameter advice was all

I don't think your hamster will be daft enough to run himself to death... But if you're worried you can always limit ball time

I bet you'll be a great family for him, and if he's being nice now chances are he'll stay it and should be fine for you.


Er... Tubes depend on their size and the hamsters size. Our syrian Scamp has a tube-see-saw in her cage and is safe enough with it

[Knotty]

We have an 11inch wheel for our syrian and I now think we would never use anything smaller for a syrian as they fit them perfectly. Is that the new cage or is it the one that the ham was in??

Hamsters can sometimes get a little bit too big for the regular tubes so this is something you will need to keep an eye on if you want tubes

[PezPus]

My lucky loves tubes, If they where dangerous i would never used them for him, but i think the thing is to look if your hamster can get trough the tubes, and buy tubes you are confident the hamster will be able to go safely through ^_^

The person in the petshop could not have taken much care and notice of her hamster if she didnt notice that the tubes where too small, and the hamster died because of it I mean i watch lucky all day when hes awake, so it should take alot for me not to notice if he needs bigger tubes

Just a little tip about the wire floor in Rhinos cage: you should cover it up with cardboard or fleeceblanket, the hard wires on little hamster feet can cause a terrible thing called bumblefoot, it is very painful for the hamster so soft and dry surfaces is important

[HorseyMandz]

Ferplast tubes can be split into two easily, so they are a good option if you're worried about the tube thing. But people in pet stores generally don't have a clue what they're on about so xD

[PezPus]

HAHA, Had to check when i saw your post HorseyMandz and luckily all mine can be split into two exept the ones that came with Luckys cage which im gona throw out
I got some ferplast and some Marchioro ones, they are a nice fit for small hamsters like male syrians and dwarfs, but i bet a big female syrian would need to squeeze a bit