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Old 01-29-2017, 01:28 PM   #1
Drago
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Default Possibly looking into some dwarfs

I have owned, rescued, and worked with, many Syrian hamsters, but I have never had a dwarf. Recently I have been looking into getting myself one or two dwarf hams, but I'm not quite sure which species would be best. All seem adorable and have their pros and cons so I'm stuck on which I may get. I have researched them a lot and I am fully prepared for adding them to my ham family, but if any experienced dwarf owners could lend some tips, I'd appreciate it! So, which is your favorite species, or which would you recommend for a first time dwarf owner? Thank you!
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Old 01-29-2017, 01:52 PM   #2
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

So I wouldn't call myself experienced, however I have owned two Robos for a while now and I've learned a few things about them & the different species of Dwarves.

Robos are small, fast (and adorable!). However, they also tend to be quite skittish and jumpy and therefore are much harder to tame than Syrians and many never become fully tame. However, as Robos are able to live together, I wouldn't worry a great deal about companionship if you can't handle them, as long as they are living with a sibling (note that siblings are a lot more compatible than newly introduced hams).

Russians (Winter Whites, Campbell's and Hybrids) are slightly larger than Robos, aren't quite as fast but are known to be much easier to handle. People tend to be more confident handling them than they are with smaller faster hams, and they also are rarely skittish, bitey or aggressive towards their owners.

Overall, my recommendation would be that

1. If you have enough time as well as patience, then i think that robos would be a great idea. As I said, I own two sisters myself and have them in a Duna Multi cage and although they don't seem too comfortable with human contact, it's lovely seeing them run around together and having fun.

2. If you're looking for a dwarfie that you will find relatively easy to tame, then I'd go for a Russian. Winter whites in particular are known to be very friendly.
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Old 01-29-2017, 02:15 PM   #3
Lilac_Dreams
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

Well, in your country you don't have much of a choice when it comes to dwarfs. You have Hybrids or Roborovski. Depending on where you live you may have the choice of Pure Campbell Hamsters if you can get to the only Hamstery in the USA that has pure Campbell. I'm not 100% sure on winter White but I know no Pet Store has pure ones.

But here are the pros and cons in my opinion:

Roborovski

Small cute, Sandy Coloured (occasionally white) Hamsters. The smallest of all our pet Hamsters. Very active, Very quick, not generally suitable for Small Children or those that struggle with fast moving objects. (Aka, me, not suitable for me because of Epilepsy xD)

Pros :-
- Cute
- Entertaining
- Little Eyebrows
- Not prone to Diabetes like Hybrids, Campbell and Winter White.
- More likely to run away than bite during taming.

Cons :-
- Fast
- Can have neurological issues such as excessive digging, pacing back and forth, etc.
- Can be harder to tame than Hybrids, Campbells or Winter Whites but it isn't impossible.

Hybrids

Hybrids are the result of crossing Winter Whites with Campbells. These are the ones you find in Pet Stores labelled "Russian", "Campbell" and "Winter White". Not recommended to breed them because of the fact that the babies can be too Small for mum sometimes, also because of the huge risk in Diabetes and Neurological issues.

Pros :-
- Much easier to obtain in the USA than Campbell and Winter Whites.
- They come in a Lovely Orange colour (sometimes called Mandarin)
- Somewhat easy to tame.

Cons :-
- Very prone to Diabetes.
- Very prone to Neurological issues such as Star Gazing.

Campbell Dwarf Hamster

Campbell are cute chubby hamsters and are the most commonly know out of both WW and Campbell hamsters. Like Hybrids they can be prone to Diabetes. Very rare in the USA, however some people in the USA are hoping to band together and increase their numbers, at the present time only 1 Hamstery breeds pure Campbell Hamsters.

Pros :-
- Very sweet usually.
- Very chubby looking
- Come in some interesting colour and patterns.

Cons :-
- Can be prone to Diabetes.
- Can, from certain lines, be Cage Aggressive.
- Rare to find in the USA with only one Hamstery breeding them at the moment.

Winter White

Similar to the Campbell, unlike the Campbell the WW is meant to be an Egg Shape. Hard to find in the USA.

Pros :-
- Chubby appearance
- They can change coat colour.
- Can be very friendly.

Cons :-
- Hard to find in the USA.
- Their nails grow a Million Miles an Hour.

I don't personally see Chinese Hamsters as dwarf hamsters because Chinese Hamster belong to Cricetulus and Dwarf Hamsters tend to be in Phodopus, but here are the Pros and Cons of Chineseys anyways!

Pros :-
- Cute tail
- Kind of shy but not too shy.
- They always look cute.
- Pancakey shape.
- They like to Cling.

Cons :-
- Prone to Diabetes.
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Old 01-29-2017, 10:53 PM   #4
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

For a first time dwarf owner I would recommend a Russian (hybrid if from a pet shop), all dwarf hams are fast but the Russians not so much as the other species, they are generally very interactive & easy to tame & handle, most will enjoy out of cage time in a play pen so you probably end up needing as much space for them as a syrian!
It's hard to generalise about any species as character varies so much with all of them but most will enjoy cuddles as well as being super active & busy.

I adore Chinese hamsters but they are more timid by nature & taming can take a little more time & patience, they are a lot faster than the Russian hams & very agile, they're great climbers as well as burrowers, really wonderful to watch & once tamed very friendly, gentle little things.
Males tend to be more markedly different to females than with other species, they tend to be more laid back, not lazy as mine love their wheels but nowhere near as active or busy as the females are.

I haven't owned robos but although they can be tamed many remain pets to watch more than interact with although they are hugely entertaining & adorable to watch even if they don't become hand tame.

With Chinese, Russian hybrids or Campbells you do need to take extra care over diet due the potential for diabetes but it just takes a little thought & isn't difficult.
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Old 01-30-2017, 08:07 AM   #5
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

All the above good advice on dwarfies. I`ve kept all three (Robo, Russian dwarf and Chinese). If you asked me today which one I would get again, it would be difficult because all are generally `easy` to keep. But I kept mice prior to going back to dwarf hamsters and I have to say my Chinese female was fantastic. Chinese hamsters are not for everyone. As cypher suggested, they can be timid and like their habitats to be busy and full of things to clamber up on and hide in. But....the difference between all here is that Chinese hamsters have a similar intelligence to mice. Love to climb and explore and my female had me wrapped around her little prehensile tail!

Needless to say when she started to pass blood about 8 months after I rehomed her, I was more than devastated to lose her. That`s how close a bond we had.

Robos are my other love. They are speedy and love to be their own boss! So if your looking for a madcap hamster, a robo is the one to choose! I wouldn`t keep pairs though as 99% of the time, dwarf hamsters will not live together for a full lifetime and many end up separated. Fine if you don`t mind having two cages side by side if this were to happen.

My last dwarf was an adopted Russian male hybrid and he was a dear little thing (that`s him in my avatar image!), but nippy and nervous. I really was only able to handle him in the latter years of his life and even then he would nip me in protest!

So....for me, Chinese, then robo then Russian dwarf. But favourites doesn`t really come into it as I adored keeping all three. x
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Old 01-31-2017, 10:45 AM   #6
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

Wow thank you all so much! I think I've narrowed it down between a Chinese and a campbells dwarf hybrid, I LOVE mice so a Chinese would be great in that sense, but I love just how fuzzy and lovely hybrids are. This will be a tough decision that's for sure! Thank you all for the input
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Old 01-31-2017, 11:29 AM   #7
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

Chinese are great if you don't want or can't have a huge cage!Even for a Russian hybrid you could still have a smaller cage than Syrians would need,but it is significantly larger than a Chinese sized cage.
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Old 01-31-2017, 12:27 PM   #8
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

Not sure where you are getting your cage size ideas from Amity but mostly my Chinese & Russians have been in the same size cages, different use of space but unless you get a space shy one they both need plenty of room to do their thing!
Anything from about 80x50 to 100x50cm, it depends more on the individual than on the species between these two.
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Old 01-31-2017, 03:09 PM   #9
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

In general Chinese can do well in something less than 80x50 though,for example half a Detolf or cages between the 60x30 and 70x40 range.That's been brought up quite a few times and verified before,along with examples of cages of that size range being approved by several members as being appropriate for Chinese hamsters.That isn't saying a 40x20 or some other ridiculously small size would be appropriate either,but it is still worth considering equivalent space and the difference between housing a Russian hamster and a Chinese hamster in all different aspects and how much more enrichment can fit into a cage for a Chinese in that size range vs the very minimal amount of enrichment sized for hybrids that would fit in the same space.They still both need room,but that's not saying most Chinese would necessarily need quite as much room.
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Old 01-31-2017, 10:22 PM   #10
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Default Re: Possibly looking into some dwarfs

As has been said before it does depend a lot on the individual, I do have one Chinese at the moment who is very timid & doesn't want too much space right now but I also have a hybrid who's much the same, both are firsts for me though all my others have really enjoyed their space so while I know a lot of different recommendations & experiences have been discussed here before I'm just going on my own personal experience of several hams of both species.
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