keeping a dwarf hamster

minnieandhammy · 10-13-2017, 02:00 PM

I currently have a syrian hamster and have seen a dwarf hamster in a rescue centre. It has been there a long time and I'm thinking about getting it. But I have a few questions. It will have to be in the same room as my other hamster and the cages will have to be near each other. The cages are quite big though. Hammy's is over a metre by 75 cm and the cage I am thinking of getting will be 1 metre by 50 cm for the dwarf hamster. Will this be ok? Another major question is my building has a fire alarm that goes off every week for about 20 seconds and it is really loud. My syrian hamsters have coped with this but would a dwarf being so small? Do dwarfs need to be taken out of their cages every day? My syrian is very demanding of my attention so I don't know if I can cope with entertaining 2 hamsters out of there cages. I was thinking with them being so small is it ok to mainly keep them in their cages? What about toys? Do toys have to be kept separate or could I just give them a quick wipe and give it to another hamster?

CMB · 10-13-2017, 05:51 PM

Keeping different hamsters in the same room is fine. They will adjust. You need to leave enough space between the cages, so the hamsters can’t touch/bite each other through the bars.

The 1 meter by 50cm cage should be ok for a dwarf. You may have to setup the layout with more tubes, hides if the hamster seems nervous. It can then go out of one and then into another with lest time being out in the open. Although you won’t know until you have the hamster.

You can get a dwarf hamster (or any hamster species) out of the cage daily. But again some hamsters don’t like to be held and would rather stay in their cage.

I would keep toys separate for each hamster. They scent mark toys, cage etc. So having a toy with another hamsters scent could make them stressed. Not sharing toys will help stop any illness from being passed from one hamster to another.

A new hamster is likely to get used to the fire alarm like your current hamster did.

cypher · 10-13-2017, 10:30 PM

When you say dwarf hamster do you mean Russian hybrid?

Having the two in the same room shouldn't be a problem at all.
The cage should be fine with plenty of substrate, enrichment & small hides & toys along with a large enough house & wheel (8" wheel is about right for a Russian).
A hamster should get used to the alarm going off if it's only for such a short time once a week.
Most Russian are very active & do enjoy plenty of out of cage time & interaction so you do need to be prepared for that, a playpen where they can run around exploring toys etc & interact with you would be best, a very few are content to stay in the cage but I would say that's the exception rather than the rule. They may be small but they are very active little hams!

minnieandhammy · 10-14-2017, 05:20 AM

Thanks. That's a big help. Also the cage I'm thinking of getting has bar spacing of 7mm. Will this be ok?

Fluffagrams · 10-14-2017, 06:16 AM

Most hamsters are fine to be kept in the same room and often adjust to living in close proximity to other hamsters and in fact mine have got so used to it that they act up if they're suddenly the only hamster.

In terms of caging, some people find that their dwarfs are happier in a slightly smaller cage and others are happier with more space, it just depends on your hamster's personality but you should be fine with a 7mm bar spacing.

I tend to only keep dwarfs (well mainly Chinese but I have a Robo too) and I find that mine are more keen on their out of cage time than my Syrians were and most of my Chinese seem to enjoy a bit of 'cuddle time' where they'll just snuggle up on my arm or something and chill out. If they've not had enough attention, they will soon let me know about it.

cypher · 10-14-2017, 06:53 AM

As Fluffagrams said 7mm is fine, for a Russian anything up to but not more than 1cm is ok.

minnieandhammy · 10-14-2017, 08:15 AM

That's good. Is it ok to let a dwarf hamster loose to run around the room like I do with my syrian? I'm worried about such a small animal getting lost. How much time a day do you handle your hamster for?

Fluffagrams · 10-14-2017, 09:35 AM

I personally wouldn't want to let my hamsters free roam in a room as they're usually a bit faster than Syrians as well as smaller so are consequently, harder to catch. Mine enjoy a playtime in a playbox that I've made out of a storage box and I'll put a variety of toys in there as well as things like chews, hides and a water bottle.

Normally I'll give the adult Chinese about 15-20 minutes in the playbox plus about 5-10 minutes of handling time but I'll vary that depending on what mood they're in. With newer hamsters or babies, I'll reduce the time spent in the playbin and will spend more time on basic handling activities.

cypher · 10-14-2017, 01:18 PM

I would never let any dwarf ham free roam, they can get into the smallest spaces & are probably a lot faster than a syrian (I haven't had a syrian but I would guess so!).
I've found my Russians to be quite different to my Chinese hams in terms of out of cage time the Russians generally enjoying it much more & wanting to be out longer.
A playpen is really the best thing, you can give them plenty to explore & keep them occupied.
Times vary a lot, I've had one who really wanted to stay in the playpen all day, a couple less comfortable with it & only really wanting to come out for cuddles or a bit of a climb on me & others who are happy with an hour or so once or twice a day, it really is an individual thing & will depend to some extent on how much you interact with you ham, you won't really know until you get to know the ham tbh.

minnieandhammy · 10-15-2017, 11:04 AM

Looks like I'll be busy! Is a 1cm cage bar spacing ok? I'd like to pick him up tomorrow but he'd have to go in an old cage till the new one arrives.