Looking for help with new dwarf home

[BellaFarnese]

Hi everyone. Researching in advance of purchase and would like to learn more about dwarf hamster setups. We have a quiet home with an 8 year old daughter, 6yo Whippet and 3 large aquariums. I had hamsters for years as a teen, but it's been a while. A family member recently gave us their setup. Their 3yo dwarf hamster Q-tip, died last year

Thinking about Robo or Campbells, leaning towards male(s), not interested in breeding. Unsure about one or two together. If its appropriate 2 would be great. Candid advice and input is most welcome, especially about product choices, which breed of dwarf and how many.

This is what we have from family:
10g aquarium with a tank topper and lookout with tubes, hanging water bottle, food dish, Applewood sticks, and a hiding place that looks a bit like an igloo.

We just bought:
Carefresh Complete/Natural, Critter Ware Himilayan salt-mineral stones, Critter Ware naturewood balls

Next steps are to buy:
- 6? inch exercise wheel, maybe wodent wheel or silent runner not sure
- food, treats, potty, bath, chinchilla sand

What is missing? I have been reading through threads and there is so much great info here!! Thanks.

[JLPrairie]

No need for the salt-mineral stones. Hamsters get enough salt from their diet.
I would suggest 1 hamster just to get you back into the world of raising hamsters. You'll need to buy a 6.5-8 inch wheel. The bigger the better!
You can use Carefresh Natural for the time being. It's very dusty, so I would recommend when you run out to use a different kind of bedding.
Wodent wheels and silent runners are impossible to get in the US, so us America peeps will have to stick with plastic (sigh).
Burgess dwarf is the best food. If not, use Hazel Hamster.
Treats: millet, mealworms, small bits of veggies.
Sand: chinchilla sand (not dust) or baked children's play sand will work great. Leave it in their cage in a little bowl.

There aren't any breeds, only species. You'll be looking at either the Robo or the Winter White. I haven't seen any dif in terms of behavior, so choose one based on appearances or what hamster catches your eye at the pet shop (no breeders in US, either, ).


10 gal tanks are too small, unfortunately. I don't know much about tanks, but I know that the minimum (floor space, levels don't count) must be more than 450 sq. inches. That's the general consensus. I think it's more than 20 gal would work, but don't quote me on that.

[cypher]

I would suggest going for just one as you are still quite new to keeping hams, both Robos & Russians (hybrid not Campbells or WW if from a pet shop) can be kept in pairs but you need a set up with two of everything, two wheels, bottles etc, houses with at least two entrance/exit holes & two food bowls or preferably scatter feeding.
You also have to have a second cage & tank with everything it will need ready from the start so you can separate them if they fall out which often happens particularly as they get older & begin to mature.
The other thing with pairs is that pet shops can sometimes mis sex pairs so you could end up with pregnancy to deal with too!

A 10 gallon tank is much too small, I would go for something about twice that size.

I can't comment on some of the things you have as I'm not familiar with them but definitely don't use the salt stones, your ham would most likely ignore them but if they did start licking or chewing on them it could be very dangerous for them.
I would go for a wooden house if possible (no base on a deep layer of substrate) rather than plastic or just make a nice sized house out of a cardboard box.

You will need an 8" wheel, silent runners are great but wodent wheels are fine too.
You can use things like cardboard tubes & egg boxes which make great free toys, cork tunnels or tubes are great too for extra hideouts & for climbing on safely, coconut hideouts are really popular with them as well.

[BellaFarnese]

Thanks folks. Fantastic feedback! I'm extremely thankful for the candid replies as I try to sort out the details.

Salt stone and carefresh can be returned without a problem. The bedding is a really big pack and would take quite a while to use. Id rather start with the right kind - so which one should I use?

A bigger tank and wheel is not a problem, I do have larger tanks already for my fish and can swap out. It makes sense to have 2 of everything, just like with kids �� Behavior wise, would they actually stick with their own stuff or would one of them potentially use/want both? I guess they don't like to share. If there's an injury or aggression separating would be easy. Let's hope sexing is correct. I'm not thrilled bout the idea of getting a pregnant female!

So one vs. two... what are thoughts from members about starting with one but adding another? Thought it was not a good idea to introduce new ones at a later time.

Didn't realize bigger wheel would be better. Thought 8 in would be too big, great tip. I'm guessing what I've read about back problems with wheels only pertains to wheels that are too small? I've seen those types on amazon. I can order on eBay from ���� UK.

Alternate idea.... is a larger tank required specifically for length? I was thinking of the 10g as the "base" of the setup. The tank topper adds more levels vertically. And there's also 2 little cutouts on top to expand through connecting tubes. The lookout is connected through one of them already. The setup is going into a guest room without direct lighting and super quite. Also easy to close the door to keep out our dog when we're not home. She's very calm, but you never know...

Could I use mealworms that are freeze dried or dehydrated? I have them for my fish.
already.

Keep the comments coming they're really informative! Cheers!

[AmityvilleHams]

Silent Runner wheels are actually available in the US through Exotic Nutrition.For the easiest diet,we have Higgins Vita Garden(diabetes friendly,no ingredients from China which would be fairly risky however the brand does source three ingredients from China which are pumpkin seed,dried sweet peppers,and mung beans although they're not in Vita Garden).

Carefresh unfortunately does source some fiber from hemlock(not considered a safe wood)so it's not a great choice.However Oxbow Pure Comfort would be a wonderful choice(virgin paper so no dyes or harmful substances to worry about)or a similar option would be Rabbit Hole Hay's paper substrate.Both are available on Chewy,and are much better than Carefresh(even Kaytee Clean and Cozy isn't as good at least with the white which tends to contain dyed pieces).

An alternative to mealworms would be Pure Bites freeze dried shrimp.Typically mealworms are sourced from China,making the quality questionable at best(although not everyone shares this view,there are still plenty issues with regulation and quality control when it comes to Chinese pet products and ingredients).

I'd definitely avoid having a modular setup using tubes!They'd get quite smelly and unhealthy very quick,as there's no ventilation in tubes which can lead to serious respiratory problems over time not to mention the behavior problems it can cause(along with the stress of having tubes constantly removed and cleaned).A 10 gallon tank wouldn't even allow a robo to thrive,but a 20 long wouldn't exactly be a great size either.

A 40 gallon tank could work,but it would be a lot easier to move a bin cage(around 80 cm x 50 cm ideally,a good example being the Sterilite 105 qt).Bin cages aren't that expensive either

[BellaFarnese]

Thanks, wonderful feedback and suggestions. I completely agree regarding products from China and QC especially with food. I actually have a 40g long tank and stand. Do you mean sterlite plastic storage container? I'll definitely check out Chewy and Exotic nutrition. Freeze dried shrimp, interested in that too.

Disappointing news about hemlock. I'm aware of issues with certain woods and didn't realize this was an ingredient. Ugh, so frustrating, why does the package say made from natural reclaimed paper fibers? Sounds like same false advertising on food labels that claim to be all natural or organic.

Edit for extra info: Regarding cleaning and moving stuff around - am I off track in thinking hammies need to be taken out of home during complete weekly cleanup? And that's a good time for using a bin? And - keeping some old bedding to retain their scent and reduce acclimation stress?

I'm sorry my questions keep leading to more questions.

I clearly have much to learn. So glad to be here and receive info from members.

[cypher]

If you do want to have two then they do need to be same sex siblings, you can't get one & introduce another later on.
Pairs will often share things & sleep together but you still need to have two of everything in case one stops the other from using things, one is always slightly more dominant so you have to watch food particularly to make sure both are getting a fair share.

Freeze dried mealworms are absolutely fine, not sure about robos but russians go mad for them!

You really need a larger floor space, levels don't really count & if you have a pair you shouldn't have any levels at all as it can cause them to become more territorial & more likely to fall out.

ETA regarding cleaning, for at least the first month you would only spot clean pee areas, nothing else at all while they settle in.
After that you continue to spot clean as needed & do partial cleans, one part of the cage, no more than half, at any time probably every few weeks, when you clean the nest area you always need to put some of the old nest back & the same goes for the food hoard.
They do need to be taken out when you clean, if they use a playpen/play bin by then you can use that otherwise it's best to put them in a carrier with lots of substrate so they can just burrow down while they wait.

[BellaFarnese]

Originally Posted by cypher

If you do want to have two then they do need to be same sex siblings, you can't get one & introduce another later on.
Pairs will often share things & sleep together but you still need to have two of everything in case one stops the other from using things, one is always slightly more dominant so you have to watch food particularly to make sure both are getting a fair share.

Freeze dried mealworms are absolutely fine, not sure about robos but russians go mad for them!

You really need a larger floor space, levels don't really count & if you have a pair you shouldn't have any levels at all as it can cause them to become more territorial & more likely to fall out.

ETA regarding cleaning, for at least the first month you would only spot clean pee areas, nothing else at all while they settle in.
After that you continue to spot clean as needed & do partial cleans, one part of the cage, no more than half, at any time probably every few weeks, when you clean the nest area you always need to put some of the old nest back & the same goes for the food hoard.
They do need to be taken out when you clean, if they use a playpen/play bin by then you can use that otherwise it's best to put them in a carrier with lots of substrate so they can just burrow down while they wait.

Perfect, clear and concise!!

[cypher]

I try

[BellaFarnese]

�� Great job ��