First ever dwarf hamster - advice please :)

Tazius · 01-25-2018, 04:54 PM

Hi everyone!

We haven't posted here in a very, very long time. Our Syrian is now getting on in his old age but still alive and kicking at 2.5 years old!

We happened to inherit our first ever non-Syrian hamster this evening! A friend contacted me this afternoon saying that she wanted to rehome her Russian dwarf and a few hours ago dropped her off, so it all happened very first.

She is our first ever non-Syrian hamster so we wanted to get some advice regarding an appropriate size cage for her as the cage she has been living in is absolutely tiny! Our Syrian is in the Alaska cage but we're not sure if it needs to be of a similar size or smaller?

What size wheel should we get for her new cage as well?

Thank you so much,

Avery & Tom

cypher · 01-25-2018, 10:19 PM

Congrats on your first little Russian

I've kept Chinese in the Alaska but not Russians as it's a bit high for them & they can be a bit prone to bar climbing & falling off, they can climb up ok but not down!
A similar floor space is fine though, something like the Hamster Heaven (better used without the penthouse & tubes) is a good size.
They need an 8" wheel ideally, the best wheel though expensive is the 9" silent runner (not silent spinner!) but there are other 8" wheels like the Trixie wheels which are fine too.
They can be prone to diabetes so best avoid sweet treats & fruit, they do love their veg though, a good dwarf specific mix like Burgess dwarf hamster harvest is the best for them too.
Sand baths are really important for Russians too, they absolutely love them & it really helps keep their fur in good condition, digging in the sand can also help just a little with keeping nails trim. If you don't already know you need to use chinchilla sand (not dust). This is the best one, available in lots of pet shops or various places online.

Tazius · 01-26-2018, 05:46 AM

Hi cypher, it's been a while!

I was thinking about the height of the cage last night and we decided to actually go with building a billy bookcase cage as I think it would be a lot nicer and without the height risk! I find the Alaska can be a bit bulky and hard to manage anyway!

Do they do okay with bigger wheels? We have an 11"/12" wooden wheel for our Syrian and it's an absolute dream. We've never had any problems with it and it's super silent.

We do already have Chinchilla sand for the Syrian, but I will look into getting some dwarf specific food as I didn't know they needed a specific diet!

cypher · 01-26-2018, 05:57 AM

A larger wheel will probably be fine, as long as they spin easily the size shouldn't be an issue.

Fluffagrams · 01-26-2018, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazius

We do already have Chinchilla sand for the Syrian, but I will look into getting some dwarf specific food as I didn't know they needed a specific diet!

Dwarf hamsters can have the same food as Syrians but some people prefer to buy a dwarf specific mix that has more of the foods that Dwarfs usually like such as small seeds and mealworms.

My Chinese are not keen on Burgess Dwarf and prefer something with a bit more variety so it depends on what suits your hamster really.

cypher · 01-26-2018, 09:00 AM

Burgess is a bit heavy on the millet & can get a bit boring for them, there isn't a lot of choice for dwarf hams really but if you feel like ordering from Zooplus the Bunny dwarf hamsterdream expert mix has more variety.
I have found none of my Russians like big biscuit bits in their food, they do prefer small seeds.