Is Criceti 15 ok for dwarf?

[racinghamster]

Baby rodents always do better when allowed more time with their mum and siblings as they learn behaviours, just like puppies & kittens do. Removing one too early could result in weakness or the youngster not having fully been given that essential early start, if you know what I mean. Baby females can obviously stay with the mother longer than the male babies, but the male babies should still be together anyway as a group, unless only one baby male was born to the mother of course. The breeder should know their exact birth date too.

With mice, many people say males should be separated at four weeks, when the reality is five to six weeks is a better age. It just allows them to mature mentally and physically. x

[Pebbles82]

I would just call the breeder as Cypher says, and ask how old they will be on the 28th December and say you're thinking of picking it up then when the Christmas noise has died down.

[fuzzyfriendly]

Thank you again! My partner and I are alone in the apartment. No pets, no children and no visits during Christmas. We do have a fireworks display on New Year's Eve though Not ideal, I know.

I called the breeder again. She wasn't too excited about keeping one hamster aside for me. I decided I will call her again in the beginning of January and ask her, if she has any hamsters left. If she doesn't, I will look elsewhere. By that time I'm going to try to sort this cage thing out one way or another. I know I should take my time since this is going to be my new friend for a couple of years.

I also bought some food&bedding and it takes a lot of space. If I keep it in the closet on the balcony, it should probably be ok, right? It's still in original plastic packaging, I might put it in a carton box just in case. Don't want it to get wet.

Ok now best cage again:
- I live in central Europe, Slovenia, small country. I started to make an order for Zoozone pink on amazon.de, but for some reason they won't send it to where I live. Same for larger Duna cages. They would send Criceti, which I find very odd. Then there is zoohit's Barney, but I need to think about it.
- I'm thinking of buying mini Duna and after the hamster is 6 months old, I will upgrade him to Criceti. My partner will probably roll his eyes at the sight of two cages, but I think that is the best scenario, if I don't get a refund.

In any case I will give myself time till next year. I just don't want to chicken out by overthinking things.

[racinghamster]

Take your time. As you say, preparation is the key here and even if this particular breeder isn`t as patient as you`d like, there are always hamsters out there looking. If she has no youngsters left in January, it`s no big deal. Someone who breeds hamsters but isn`t a member of a recognised hamster club or society may well just be breeding them as a hobby and not be too bothered about the parents health. So your options are open really. If you have any small animal recues around, look them up too as many small animals are looking for homes. If not, you still have online ad`s and pet stores as a last resort, but either way, the cage needs to be right and ready. So your going about it the right way. x

[fuzzyfriendly]

I found another cage! Natura Tamburino Fop would that be ok for a russian dwarf? I will buy a new house, I have a wheel and a flying saucer already, i need to buy water bottle, food bowl. Size is probably ok, space between bars seems to be ok. But does the hamster get enough air in a cage like this? What do you think?
Probably better choice than mini duna right?

[flowerfairy]

Just googled it. 75 x 47 x 33. Looks like a nice little cage for a dwarf hamster. My syrian is in a bigger version (multy duna maxi) and the ventilation seems fine.

I have one of my robos in a cage around this size and she seems very happy.

[Pebbles82]

It looks great! Bar spacing is 6.5mm apparently which is excellent and dwarf-proof. Yes the ventilation is fine as Flower Fairy says. This kind of tank cage would do well with the base part filled with substrate quite deep. That way your hammy can dig some tunnels and also be near. It's a nice safe cage for a hamster too.

I didn't know you could still get those - maybe just certain countries - they're not available in the Uk.

[fuzzyfriendly]

There it goes. Tomorrow I'm picking up my hammie. I can't wait! I might remove one wheel, once I figure out which wheel she prefers. And I will probably remove the bulky woodhouse that came with the cage after a week or two. For now it seems like a great hideout for a newcomer. The smaller wooden thing is a house. And I must say I had some trouble getting a simple wooden house. All of the wooden houses either had a lot of holes, which might be fun to watch, but probably not the best choice for a safe place. And in one store there was actually a thick, like a couple of cm, layer of glue between the roof and the wall of the house. Awful, who would buy such a thing. Anyway I think I'm ready

[flowerfairy]

That looks really nice. The house looks a good size as well.

Best of luck for tomorrow. Looking forward to piccies.

[Honey Pot]

Looks awesome Fuzzy How did the new resident get on in there?