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Old 12-22-2019, 06:49 AM   #1
Maybellana
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: England
Posts: 9
Default First Rescue - Ekko

Recently rescued a hamster, typically from a colleague at work. sadly i know very little about them.

i was told i was adopting a male syrian with no name and of unknown age, bought from pet shop a few months prior. im doubting that this hamster is a male and im 100% they are not a syrian, i just dunno what breed of dwarf they are, leaning to robo but i have little experience with this.

i have decided to name the darling Ekko. as i think it fits both male and female. they are currently not tamed enough for me to hold them still enough for my untrained eyes to check gender properly but there are no visable balls. im hoping to confirm soon but hes dedicated to sharping his teeth on my skin.

any help and/or tips are appriciated, same with advice on diet and taming needs. ive only owned syrians before but ive done some research since obtaining him.

Images: https://imgur.com/a/KcxeiA7

ps. wheel in the back is to big, i am aware, i have ordered a more appropriate size (20cm) and should be arriving soon.
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Old 12-22-2019, 07:17 AM   #2
Vierville
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

He's a winter white dwarf hybrid and he is gorgeous! Definitely not a Syrian.

I'm glad he has found a good home.

One of the most important things to remember about dwarfs is that they are very prone to diabetes so they cannot eat anything with a high sugar content which includes fruit and carrots.
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Old 12-22-2019, 07:46 AM   #3
Maybellana
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

Thank you so much for the help and the advice. i'll have to look more into dietry requirements for ekko now~ he definitely is adorable and im hoping i can bond with him soon.
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Old 12-22-2019, 09:31 AM   #4
Vierville
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

One way to get them to become accustomed to you is to get a tissue or some toilet paper, keep it on your body (up a sleeve or in your bra if you're a lady) then after a few hours tear the tissue up and place it in their nest or cage. It will have your scent on it and they will associate your scent with safety if it is in their cage or nest. Another thing you can do is talk to little Ekko each time you are in the room with him. By talking to him he will become accustomed to your voice and will get more comfortable in your presence.

I know these little guys can bite but before putting your hands near him, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly to remove the smell of any food or any other pets. This may help reduce the biting. You can start taming him by giving him a sunflower seed from your fingers. After a few times, put some seeds on the palm of your hand and let him climb up take it. This will build trust and he will associate you with treats!

Best of luck...he looks delightful!

Last edited by Vierville; 12-22-2019 at 09:41 AM.
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Old 12-22-2019, 09:34 AM   #5
Charlie Dunn
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

Ekko is such a gorgeous looking ham! It is lovely to hear he has found a good home. The forum is such a good place to learn more. Our dwarf Boo’s favourite treats are chicken and broccoli. Please keep us posted as to your adventures with Ekko! X
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Old 12-22-2019, 09:41 AM   #6
Maybellana
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

oh my gosh that is some awesome advice. ive been doing the washing hands to avoid food and my bunnies scents, i also talk to him every time i see him as its what i do with my syrians, but never heard of the tissue trick, one i may have to just try out

hes comfortable enough to let me pet his back, minor head rubs and give him hand treats, but if i offer my palm even with treats he'd rather bite my palm til i leave or if i hold my hand by his cage so he can come out he bites my palm to make me go away. so some progress but not massive since i got him C: hoping to get him comfortable enough to let him hold him and just make sure of the gender.

thanks for all the advice tho most appricated
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Old 12-22-2019, 11:57 AM   #7
Ria P
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

There's another trick i've read about here.

Let your hamster go into a glass jar and lift him up to check his underside. You may be able to tell the gender.

I have a dwarf who looks like yours and bites my hand but takes food from my fingers. I made him a playpen from a Xmas tree box and get him in and out of his cage with a mug he walks into.

Like Vierville said, they are prone to diabetes, in fact, my dwarf has diabetes which i suspected soon after adopting him. He drinks and pees a lot and was quite aggressive but has calmed down a bit with a better diet and housing.

I feed him the Rodipet Hybrid mix and add extra protein with mealworms and occasional boiled egg. Avoid fruit, honey based sticks, carrot, dried fruit etc and give him greens like kale, spinach, broccoli etc. Mine loves cucumber. I give him seeds for a treat like linseeds and pumpkin seeds. Best introduce fresh food slowly if he's not used to it.
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Old 12-22-2019, 12:20 PM   #8
Maybellana
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

thanks for the dieting tips! ive recently been investigating foods and seems all the uk's in store ones a pretty bad. ill have to look up rodipet as this is second time ive seen it pop up.
also nice, ill make sure to include him when im dishing out bunnies veggies every once in a while and i do have pumkin and sunflower seeds that i put in diy toilet roll puzzle balls, along with monkey nuts with shells.

also thank you! i will 100% try the jar tip. im like 80% certain he is a she just cuz i feel like i saw nips once and theres not visible balls (would be the second pet in this room pulling a mrs doubtfire on me haha) will also help with bonding / play pen time. any suggestions on what to put a playpen in thats foldable, my storage space is smaller this year so i cant keep my paddling pool much longer. are there any mesh panels with small enough bars maybe?
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Old 12-23-2019, 08:06 AM   #9
Maybellana
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Default Re: First Rescue - Ekko

Ekko is a dude C: guess the fellas just hiding for winter haha.
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male, syrian, hamster, ekko, visable, diet, confirm, hoping, balls, advice, dedicated, skin, sharping, taming, appriciated, teeth, tips, and/or, aware, ordered, big, back, arriving, 20cm, size

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