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Old 03-15-2017, 03:44 AM   #1
gilhc002
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Default New hammy questions!

Morning guys,

Having so much fun with my new boy, he's so much fun and really settling in now. I just have a couple of questions.

Firstly how often should I be changing his nest? Hes using toilet paper and bedding and he definitely hordes food in the and wees in there (as far as I can tell he only wees there and on his wheel)

Secondly, I'm trying to figure out what type of hamster he is - the lady who I bought him from (a pet owner who got to busy) said he's a Robo but I'm not sure he is. He's about 11cm long, I'll attach some pictures (very cute pictures). Also wondering what colour he is. Any ideas?

This forum is a life saver for a new hamster owner, thank you so much guys!
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:09 AM   #2
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Well he's definitely not a robo!Not sure on coloring but he'd be a hybrid dwarf,so do be careful with diet.

As for nest cleaning,you really want that kept to a minimum.I wouldn't do it any more often than monthly,and even then you'd want several potential nesting areas so that there is never a complete destruction of any and all nests.
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:40 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

He's definitely a Russian hybrid (normal/agouti colour I think) so as Amity says you do need to take a little extra care with diet, no sweet sugary foods, fruit, treats with honey etc as they can be prone to diabetes. What are you feeding him now? Burgess dwarf hamster harvest is one of the best foods for Russian hybrid hams.

Most Russians are very easy to litter train (although some will always pee in the wheel) you need to get some chinchilla sand, not dust) & put it in small tray close to where he sleeps & he should soon begin to pee in there, if not try putting some damp bedding from his nest on top.
If he continues to pee in the nest then you need to spot clean every couple of days & remove anything that's wet or smelly, if he starts using the tray then cleaning every few weeks, always putting some of the old nest & hoard back when you clean. If the hoard gets peed on just replace it with fresh mix.
You can also give chinchilla sand in a bigger dish for a sand bath which they need to kep their coats in good condition, he may pee in there too but that's fine, you can just remove any damp clumps when you see them.
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:47 AM   #4
gilhc002
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Interesting, does that mean he's Robo crossed with another breed of dwarf? He was on a basic muesli mix but changing him onto Burgess slowly atm. Will work on litter training him and his nest, thanks for you advice!
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:52 AM   #5
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Robos and Russians cannot breed and create offspring.They're two completely different species(Russians in general,divided into two species,can produce offspring,but robos and other species cannot just like Chinese and Syrians for example could never do the same).I know that it is easy to get confused,but species and breeds are quite different.
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Old 03-15-2017, 05:11 AM   #6
cypher
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

It just means he will be a cross between a Campbells Russian & Winter White (Russian), these two very close species have been interbred for so long now that all pet shop Russian hamsters are almost guaranteed to be hybrids & the individual species are only available from good breeders.
These two Russian species are the only ones that can be cross bred.

The person you bought him from was obviously misinformed & didn't know much about the different hamster species which is often the case!
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Old 03-15-2017, 05:42 AM   #7
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

I have a WW hybrid that looks like your hammy. Not to spoil the party here but the Russians and WW although bred together, still one looks very Russian and the other looks more WW. You tell by the diamond on his forehead. So I believe there is a difference between the two hybrids. I'd say you have a WW hybrid which the above posts mentioned diabetes prone, no sugary treats, etc.

However, I didn't know any difference the first year I had her and she got all kinds of sugary treats and never developed diabetes. She's past 2 1/2 years on a Kaytee heathy support Forti diet lab blocks. Now she get better food which she loves, so I would just take precautions in giving her a healthy diet. Burgess is an excellent choice of food
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Old 03-15-2017, 06:53 AM   #8
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Some do show the genetics of one species, either WW or Campbells more but they are still hybrids so best to consider all hybrids just that to avoid confusion.
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Old 03-15-2017, 10:36 AM   #9
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Aw - he looks a very sweet Russian dwarf. He looks a little bit scared in a couple of photos with his ears down! But I'm sure he'll settle in soon.

Re how often to change his nest. Ideally you leave it really, but if he's peeing in it you'll have to replace at least some of it. It does stress them a bit if their hoard or nest are taken away and it can help sometimes to change the house they nest in to one that is easier to spot clean inside. A small shoe box (or ordinary sized shoe box if it will fit!) or a tissue box house is good. Something that is open underneath on top of the substrate (so they can bury hoards underneath) and ideally big enough to build a large nest and have a corner to pee in as well (if they choose to pee in the house).

You can end up with a bit of a vicious circle sometimes. If you take the pee'd on hoard away they pee on it more to deter predators from stealing it! I would try putting a different house in, on top of the substrate, maybe with a tube or bendy bridge over the door so it's dark inside and that should encourage your hammy to move into the new house and build a nest in there.

Also do you have a sandbath? They sometimes use a sandbath as a toilet as well.
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Old 03-19-2017, 06:54 AM   #10
gilhc002
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Default Re: New hammy questions!

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
It just means he will be a cross between a Campbells Russian & Winter White (Russian), these two very close species have been interbred for so long now that all pet shop Russian hamsters are almost guaranteed to be hybrids & the individual species are only available from good breeders.
These two Russian species are the only ones that can be cross bred.

The person you bought him from was obviously misinformed & didn't know much about the different hamster species which is often the case!
Thanks for the information! Yes they were quite misinformed, using dangerous bedding and the like. It's a lot of the reason why I bought him from her, knowing I'll do the research to give him a healthier (and hopefully happier!) home. Good to know what breed he is!
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