Got my first ever chinese dwarf hammy today

[Rhianna]

I've owned hamsters before but none for some years and have been thinking about getting another hammy for some time as I still have the cage.

I usually rescue my pets but haven't been able to find a hamster locally so went to PAH and there was a chinese dwarf hammy in their adoption section who was too old to sell. I had no idea chinese hamsters were so tiny but once I saw her I fell in love.

I got her home and put the box in the cage with some food, water and a hidey-hole for her. I am just leaving her to settle in but have decided to call her Suki.

I've noticed that there are now hamster playpens available and am looking to buy one of these so she can stretch her paws a bit. I have nine cats so am keeping Suki in my study which is a cat free zone. I spend a fair bit of time in there so thought I could set a playpen up for when I am there to supervise.

Will be reading the rest of the forum with interest as I want to make sure Suki's life with me is as happy and healthy as it can be.

[HamstersAreHardcore]

Welcome ! :) . What type of cage is Suki in ?

[Vectis Hamstery]

Congratulations on your new addition. I hope you enjoy your Chinese hammy ownership. I've found that they aren't that keen on the wire panel playpen (they don't really like wide open spaces) and they are good climbers so can easily shimmy out of it. My Chineseys prefer a playbox which has enclosed sides giving them a sense of security and making it harder for them to escape. I use a large plastic storage box, but a thick cardboard box is just as good especially if there are lots of cardboard tubes and things to climb on and explore in it.
I look forward to seeing piccies of your little lady when she's settled.

[Ministottie]

Welcome! I have a chinese and she hates the wire playpen, so I gave her the box Marley's zoozone came in, and she loves that a lot more because it is enclosed. I prefer it too because I like to put a box full of megazorb in for her to dig and it leaves no mess if she is in the box. So my reccomendation is to go cheap and just give your hammie a box full of toilet rolls, boxes and toys :D

[Hamtastic]

Congratulations on your hammy, and welcome!

[Rhianna]

Thanks guys. I would have wasted my money. I've got eight rabbits and try to give them as much open space as I can. I thought Suki would like the same. I've got lots of big plastic boxes she can play in.

She is in a cage I've had for years - tall with lots of levels and tubes joining each level. I did worry she would be able to get through the bars but they are very close together and her head is bigger than the gap between them. Now I know chinese hammies don't like open spaces I will need to add more hidey holes on each level. She currently has the box she came in and a long tube.

Is it OK to use megazorb to line the bottom of her cage? I am intending to buy some for the cats' and buns' litter trays so it would be good if I could use it for Suki too.

She is asleep at the moment. I have checked on her as I was worried I hadn't seen her. She has sat in her food bowl but I haven't seen her eating anything:(

She is so tiny compared with the hamsters I have had before. She is more like a little mouse.

Will go and have a look on Amazon to see if I can find a good book on Chinese Dwarf Hamsters.

[KatiePillow]

I use megazorb for my little lady and she loves making burrows in it, so I'd put a deep bit of substrate on the base,
Hamsterlopedia is a good book on general hamsters, with bits on chineses, I don't know any just chinese ham books though, although vectis hams was amazing when I got my girl, and is really friendly and helpful (as is her website)

My girl likes having a box with the top covered over, so she doesn't feel threatened by me, so I have a cardboard box some hammy stuff came in and just have two of the flaps folded over, so she feels all safe. They can be very timid, but they're so interesting to watch (if she lets you, anyway :p)

[fluffymunchkins]

Welcome to HC and the chinese side :D
I'd love to meet Suki if you have some pics!

(hamsterlopaedia is the best hamster book ever ;))

[Rhianna]

I am incredibly useless with technology. On my bunny forum I had to text another member with my bunny photos and they would put them on the forum for me. My mobile won't let me send photos any longer:(

I have now worked out how to get photos from my camera onto the PC, but not how to get them on a forum.

Suki is still asleep in her tube. Should I be worried? I don't want to disturb and scare her so I just check to make sure she is breathing and have been talking to her to get her used to the sound of my voice. There is some food in the tube so she must have been out in her cage while I was asleep.

I think it will be a while before I will be able to get any photos sadly.

I am not sure the cage she is in is really suitable as it has lots of tubes joining each level and I think she may be too small to be able to climb them
:( It's a nice big cage as it's tall but I don't want her to be stuck to one level.

I don't have a lot of money but could maybe get another cage from e-bay. I've had a look and most of them look far too small though. Her cage is just under two feet wide by just over two feet high (which doesn't sound very big but it has different levels to break it up).

[thelittleteacup]

hello welcome to HC :) i have a chinese girl aswell, and she id kept in a mini duna cage she loves it, check ebay out for a good second hand deal :) x

[Debbie]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of chinese hamsters!

I got my first chinese just a few months ago and am totally in love with her cuteness! She is named Mouse because as you say, they are very like little mice!! She was a rescue ham but is very tame and easy to handle, though you have to be quick to pick her up! I wouldn't worry about not seeing yours, Mouse doesn't tend to wake up and stay awake like my syrians do from a certain time, but if she hears me then she'll come out to see if I've left her any goodies!
I have her in a 70cm long storage box which is great because I can give her deep bedding that she can dig in but not throw everywhere and it gives her a sense of security. My husband also made a simple wooden shelf so she has more space to explore, and underneath is a good place to hide! It is also the cheapest solution for a good sized cage and I know Mouse loves scurrying all around hers. You will probably find that Suki pees in her tubes a lot, and her wheel, and I think although they like to climb, tubes are not suitable for them.
A good place for playtime is in the bath. I put a towel in, lots of tubes and boxes and scatter a little food around, space to run around with no chance of escape! We also let her run around the bed - king size so lots of space! - but build 'walls' out of the duvet and my dressing gown so she can't fall off, and she loves to hide in the 'tunnels' and 'caves' created by them!!
Best of luck with your little one and we look forward to seeing photos!

[fluffymunchkins]

This may help you with posting picture :)
http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/miscellaneous-chat/8805-how-post-pictures-new-threads.html

Cages with tubes aren't ideal for chinese because of their shy nature. Do keep looking and hopefully you'll find yourself a bargain!

[Gizmodo ^_^]

Hello and welcome to hamster central :D, looking forward to hearing more about your new hammie

[Rhianna]

I can't let her run in the bath as I don't have one:( Just a shower.

Suki is living in a tube:( I check her once a day because I am worried she has died but she never comes out -well she must do as the food is disappearing - but I don't see her.

I spend a fair bit of time in the study and am talking to her gently but she is snuggled at the back of a tube I have put in her cage. She has made herself a nest and looks very comfy.

I am so used to adopting rescue bunnies, I am feeling a bit out of my depth. I don't want to scare Suki by forcing her to interact with me but she has a whole cage to explore and is only using the tube.

I will start a new thread to see what cages are best and will get one as maybe that will help.

She can't be happy and I am feeling a really bad Hammy Mummy but don't know what else to do.

[SnickersTheFirst]

What brand is the cage you have?

Most cages you can remove the tubes and buy stoppers to block the holes. Chinese hamsters are shy so make sure she has plenty of hiding places.

[Vectis Hamstery]

As Snickers said, Chinese hamsters tend to be more shy than other hamsters (and bunnies!). When I've had a nervous and/or new Chinese I've found that they do tend to hide away in a tube or house when I'm there, or scurry back quickly if I walk in on them. Some hamsters settle right away, others take a bit longer.

Looking at the cage is a good idea. I've found that putting a nervy chinese into a smaller cage in a quieter area for a week or so can help (I have bin cages especially for this, but understand that not everyone has a variety of sized cages to swap hammies into and out of at short notice!). If the cage sides are see through/bars, you could try putting the cage into a cardboard box to make it more feel more enclosed. Snickers's suggestion of lots of hidey holes is good too. Small cardboard boxes and cardboard tubes are good as they don't get too sweaty inside and it's not too hard to get the hammy out of them for taming. As others have mentioned, modular cages (Rotastak, habitrail, crittertrail types) can make taming a shy chinese difficult.

You will have to get her out to start taming her. Little and often is the key, even if you only get her out for a couple of minutes and then put her back. I have handling sessions before I feed in the evenings, that way the hamster associates something nice in their cage with handling. When taming a nervy chinese, I put something in the cage for the hamster to climb into - cardboard tubes work well as you can block the ends with your hands as you transfer them. I put one end near where the hamster is, and sometimes put something that smells yummy in the middle. Tubes are nice and dark so the hamster feels safe in it. I then put the tube into a deep cardboard/plastic box (I like to have substrate on the floor for burrowing with some treats scattered around so it's a nice place to go). I use one smaller than my usual playbox so the hamster doesn't feel too exposed. I let them come out of the tube and have an investigate while I talk quietly to them. When the hamster's settled I then scoop them up by sliding my hands along the floor from either side of the hamster when s/he is near the side wall of the box. I do it calmly and confidently but gently as they do seem to feel if someone is nervous. I lift them above the base of the box only about an inch or so. I don't attempt to hold the hamster still at this stage but let it run one or two times from hand to hand before allowing it to walk back onto the base of the box and have a little rest. I would do this several times in one session (but keep the sessions short) and then transfer the hamster back to it's cage for a rest.

Sorry for the long post - got carried away! Good luck, you'll get there with time and patience. You're not a bad hamster mummy as you're looking for ways to help your little girl:)

[SnickersTheFirst]

Any small space you can sit with her in is great. It's working for my boy Bailey who is very nervous, I don't blame him tbh, I've had to man-handle him since day 1 to clean his stump and give him meds. :(

She will come around soon enough. :)