Tell me about your Chinese dwarf

ae5843 · 01-13-2018, 02:46 PM

Hi Everyone! I haven't posted in a while since my winter white (Mochi) passed away. But I really appreciate all the help and support I received from this forum.

Today I went to my local pet shop and fell in love with a Chinese Dwarf Hamster. I brought her home and got everything all set up. (We think she's a girl... she's kind of small to tell just yet because she's just a baby.) I have never owned a Chinese dwarf before, so I am hoping to hear about anyone who has. She seems very sweet so far, she was just sitting on my stomach, checking things out. She doesn't seem as quick as my Russian dwarf (but I am sure that will change once she gets used to her surroundings). Any info or stories about your Chinese dwarf hamster would be great! Are they similar to Russian dwarfs/Winter whites? So far, she seems more shy, but also sits more still. I know all hamster personalities are different though. I would also love any name suggestions too

cypher · 01-13-2018, 10:52 PM

Congrats! Chinese hams are adorable & I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with your new girl.
If you think she's a girl then she very likely is, by the time they reach the age that you find them in pet shops the boys are pretty obvious to say the least!
I suggest you have a read through some threads in the Chinese hamster section of the forum to find out more about other individual Chineseys.
They all have there own personalities but on the whole girls tend to be really active & busy, far more than the boys who can be a bit on the lazy side other than running in their wheels.
They can be quite timid at first so give her time to settle in, if she's not very active at the moment then that's most likely just due to nervousness.
They are much more agile than Russians & a lot faster, they can climb well & really love to burrow & make tunnels & deep nests so be sure to give her lots of substrate, they like to have little hideouts too.

Fluffagrams · 01-14-2018, 04:31 AM

My experiences with breeding Chinese has taught me that males tend to look like males at around five weeks old so you're probably right about having a girl.

As Cypher says girls tend to be active, busy little creatures and my girls like nothing more than tunnelling and making elaborate nests. My boys on a whole have been lazier, with one in particular being very laid back. One of my other boys though is quite lively and loves nothing more than running on his wheel and looks forward to his playtimes.

I have found that Chinese can be shy on occasions and they seem to be quite sensitive to their environments but once you've got the right cage set up for them then they can be very confident. Unfortunately there is no one size fits all with Chinese and whilst some have been happier in larger cages, others have needed something smaller so it's best to keep an open mind and listen to what your hamster is telling you in their body language.

Chinese can be prone to diabetes however there is no evidence to suggest that it is caused by the consumption of sugars in the diet alone so it's important not to pick out anything from your hamster's mix. Chinese can also develop 'skin splits' which are small cuts that appear on the back of the neck. At present we don't know exactly what causes them as they appear pretty much at random but they usually clear up within a week or so on their own without intervention.

Chinese make lovely pets so congratulations on your new arrival.

cypher · 01-14-2018, 06:29 AM

Just to add a bit about diabetes, while it is important not to pick things out of the mix (here in the UK some people do mistakenly think it necessary to remove peas & corn from the mix but those are fine) it is equally important to find the right mix, I believe you're in the US so you may find it hard to get a mix which doesn't contain sugars or fruit as many IS mixes do, rather than try to take things out find a mix that is specifically for dwarf hams & doesn't contain sugars.

ae5843 · 01-15-2018, 07:16 AM

Thanks for the feedback! I love hearing about different hamster personalities. So far, I have been leaving her alone and letting her settle in. She still seems quite nervous, but I did see her eat a little bit and drink from her bottle... So that made me happy! She does like to tunnel and bury herself in the bedding. I am hopeful that she ends up being a laid back personality, I'd love to have a cuddly hamster! I have a Russian dwarf as well and he is not very friendly. He is more of a hamster to watch and not handle because he bites.