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Old 06-25-2016, 07:40 AM  
cypher
Dwarf whisperer
 
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Difference between hamster and other rodents (newbie q's)

Hi & welcome to the forum

I don't know much about gerbils, almost nothing really so I can't compare but I can probably tell you a little about Russian hams!
There really isn't much difference in care between species, the dwarf hams still need a good size cage but not too much open space, they like lots of small hiding places & lots of deep substrate to burrow & dig in, unlike some syrians they really do love to have a sand bath in the cage & it is quite an important factor in their care.
The diet for a dwarf needs to contain more in the way of small seeds than a syrian mix does & it is generally better to buy a species specific food mix.
If you intend to buy a ham from a breeder then you won't need to worry about a WW being prone to diabetes, of the pure bred dwarfs only Campbells Russian & Chinese are prone but if you buy from a shop then you will be buying a Russian hybrid, not a WW, & these are prone to diabetes so you do need to take care to exclude sweet foods & fruits, generally no ham should have much in the way of sugars & fruit so if you feed a good healthy diet you can't go far wrong anyway.
They can be kept in pairs but it is quite a challenge & you have to be very careful with your set up to prevent them becoming territorial & falling out, even with the best precautions this can still happen so you have to be on constant watch for fights & keep a spare cage ready in case you need to separate them.
Keeping them alone is much easier & they are quite happy living that way as well as more likely to enjoy interacting with you.
The best substrate will depend on which country you live in, can't really recommend anything without knowing where you are!
The only nesting material really is cheap plain toilet paper.

@ AmityvilleHams what did this mean "they are actually terrestrial for the most part(with the exception of Chinese hamsters)" that totally confused me lol!
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