A few obligatory questions :)

[Mikayla]

Since my recent impulse buy I've become increasingly nervous about how to care for her...So here is my question thread. I might add to this as time goes on.

1. Taming tips? She's a really big jumper so I'm nervous which in turn makes her nervous. I'm also a touch grabby... :oops:

2. As Chinese are diabetes prone what is the best food mix for her? For now she has Hazel Hamster with the yellow and green flakes removed and she has extra mealies.

3. What is the best treat for her? I REALLY nervous about diabetes as you can tell, so I want to be careful. What is the best treat for her and what is the best veggie?

4. I need names! I'll attach a picture or two of her, but I need help! I'm thinking "Holly" but I'm really open to suggestions!

Thanks!

[samincittagazze]

She's so gorgeous and teeny! I think Holly is the perfect name for her. :)

[Hamtastic]

Wow, look at that cute tiny tail!

You can continue with Hazel Hamster and mix in Ecotrition Organic and some oat flakes (rolled oats). Bits of tofu and steamed broccoli and cauliflower are good. A small pinch of debittered nutritional yeast once a week. If you have Whole Foods near you, they sell it and lots of various loose grains. I also offer Kaytee Timothy cubes and similar. Under 8 months old you could offer alfalfa hay as well.

[Mikayla]

Unfortunately I can't get Ecotrition Organic near me :( I have to drive about 80 miles to Greeley for a Petco and we almost invariably go to Brighton/Denver which has a Petco only about 60 miles away. Does the broccoli have to be steamed? I normally just have raw, but maybe that's why my hams won't eat it. :rolleyes: How much of this can I get at Walmart? I have to travel to Denver to find anything else :( Although, I ALWAYS have hay cubes and loose hay of all sorts around here :) My chinnies are hay addicts.

[Roxie]

Wait, WHAT?! There's a BRIGHTON in America?! Awesome :D.

[Mikayla]

Wait, WHAT?! There's a BRIGHTON in America?! Awesome :D.

ROFL. There are a few towns named Brighton in America :) This one is just a suburb :P

[Roxie]

I'm genuinely amazed, I never knew!

[Hamtastic]

Yeah, Brighton's a common name... along with many other British names.

Could you order the food on-line with some other stuff? Not sure what Walmart has. You don't really need Ecotrition Organic, you could supplement Hazel Hamster with grains from Whole Foods and such.

[Mikayla]

I'll check and see how much shipping is for it. I don't really want to pay out to wazoo for shipping, you know?

I'll check and see what WallyWorld has and then I'll check and see what kind of stores Denver has. We don't go deep into downtown Denver often so it might be awhile before I can get it though :( Extra protein is good, right?

[Mikayla]

Will the small SS be okay for her for a week or two? It's that or the Puzzle Playground ferris wheel. I'm going to see if my dad will stop by Petsmart and grab me one, but he won't be home until next week.

[newham]

Yeah, Brighton's a common name... along with many other British names.

Could you order the food on-line with some other stuff? Not sure what Walmart has. You don't really need Ecotrition Organic, you could supplement Hazel Hamster with grains from Whole Foods and such.


hamtastic I tried to respond but it says your message boxes are full

[Hamtastic]

Yes, extra protein is good. Mealworms (live or freeze dried), crickets, tofu, some alfalfa hay. I wouldn't overload on it, but like a bit of tofu or a small mealworm a day is great (the size of Petco's/Petsmart's "regular" live mealworms).

[Mikayla]

Okay :) I'll try and find some tofu sometime. I gave her alfalfa hay and tiothy hay and orchard hay today.

I'm going to start taming. :\ Wish me luck!

[Hamtastic]

Good luck!

A note on storing tofu that a very kind lady who runs a hamster shelter taught me. Take a fresh package of tofu (I use extra firm), drain the liquid, and cut the tofu into small cubes, say 1.5" cubes. Wrap each cube into a small piece of nonstick paper (like baking sheet paper) and put into a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer. The tofu will turn a yellow color in the freezer, but it's only until it defrosts--then it will be creamy white again.

My defrosting technique for serving: take out one cube and rinse it quickly (to get rid of ice crystals on the surface). Place on a dish and into your microwave. Microwave for 20 seconds or so until soft. Cut up into bits and serve to your hams! The rinsing part is because the ice crystals on the surface of the cubes are reflective for microwaves and will cause some sparking and surge sounds.

This really helps, because tofu goes bad quickly, and one package will last a long time this way.

[racinghamster]

Your in the US so Hazel Hamster (or Harry Hamster mix as it`s known over here) is probably the best mix for her. The extruded biscuits might be a little on the large side so give those a tap in a pestle & mortar or inside a bag with a hammer to break them into smaller pieces. I`m not too sure what is in the extruded coloured biscuits but my chinese never eats them (I use Burgess Supahamster Harvest mix though).

You should pick out the yellow corn, flaked maize and pea flakes. You can add-back things like:

Budgie millet/canary seed
Dry oats (porridge oats/jumbo oats)
Buckwheat
Hemp seed
Wholegrain puffed or flaked rice (most healthfood shops have this)

Mealworms (dried are best) as hand-fed treats. These are high in protein so only a few daily. I don`t particulary feed things like Tofu and it is a processed protein (not a natural source) so given that it`s something that has to be tampered with, it`s not something I would use.

Chinese hamsters do fine on seeds and grains (natural carbohydrates) and added protein in the form of Hemp seed and Mealworms. There`s no real need to be too concerned about other foods as long as she gets a normal hamster mix with the `sugar` taken out and these other seeds and grains added. :)

She looks very young still and a little tired? Did you wake her up for the photo shoot? Chinese are usually very bright eyed and active.

[Mikayla]

RH- No I didn't wake her up :) She had just woken up on her own though.

What kind of bedding do you guys use? I always 'lose' her in the carefresh/eco bedding mix. She burrows deep and I can't find her which scares me as I HAVE to check and see if she's there, it scares me to not be 150% sure she's there as I'm scared she might try to escape (It's an open bin, but it's like 18 inches tall)

So, I went downstairs to weight Maia (My chinchilla) and I decided to look in on HollyJia. She wasn't in plain site so I moved her see-saw. She wasn't there. I ruffled her bedding and waited for her to move. She didn't. I moved more bedding and she wasn't there. Then I started to become scared and started flipping bedding a little frantically. NOTHING. Then I moved her to the chin room and started sifting through the bedding really thoroughly. NOTTA. Then I started moving bedding and moaning, "No, No, No, NO." I started praying silently and removing bedding and she still wasn't there. I was about 2/3 throught hte bedding before I found her.

I hate that I scared her but I panicked too :(

[louisbs]

My two like to bury themselves as well :)

I did exactly the same one day.. Except the little booger shot off under my bed when i found him.

[Gamina]

Robin is always burying herself in deep. I know it can be a little bit scary when you can't see them in there but thats what comes natural burrowing for a bed so I personally encourage Robin to do it. I have found the best way to check her other than digging her out of her amazing tunnel network is scatter feeding. Whenever Robin hears new food being put in she runs out to check its so cute :)

[louisbs]

Ya I scatter some sunflower seeds.. doesnt take them long to appear :)

[Hamtastic]

Eco Bedding + Carefresh is what I use! Tap on the wall of her bin lightly, talk to her, and offer a strongly-smelling tasty treat (like a nut). Talk to her. She should learn to come out eventually :D

[Mikayla]

She's such a deep sleeper though :( I don't think she'd come out! She didn't wake up throughout the entire ordeal! I'm giving her Percy's cage soon and she I'm sure she can't get out of that one. It's got a lid :)

[louisbs]

She might think you are a predator. So will stay still or might bury herself deeper to get away lol

[Mikayla]

I gave her a papertowel tube and she likes this better than the open nest (No igloo and I don't want her to use it to escape) and I can still check on her easily :)

[racinghamster]

It would be best to just give her a cardboard tea box (about 5" inches x 5" inches square) to sleep in. My female adores her little tea box and knows that this is her `sleeping hut`. Plastic igloos can get moisture build up, so using an open bottomed cardboard box will allow her to dig beneath and build a nest. Chinese hamsters do this, which is why you are finding that she disappears. They prefer to be in a burrow-like nest. Paper bedding is the best, but if you use Carefresh, I would imagine she will just utilize that as it`s pulp and form a nest under the tea box!

If she`s currently in an open BIN, I would suggest covering the lid with a fine mesh and just bend over the ends. Chinese hamsters are best kept in Zoozone 1 style tanks or glass aquariums that allow plenty of running room. Use wood, cork and cardboard to allow her hiding places as they are naturally shy creatures and dart from one place to another, so like to have plenty of tubes and places to hide. A regular silent spinner size is best aswell as the `mini` one is on the small side. They are not that great even for Roborovski hamsters, which are smaller than chinese, which grow to the size of an adult mouse.