! Advice !

[HamstersnHamsters111]

hi, I have two questions.
1
im thinking of getting two dwarf hamsters but I am not sure which two to get can someone please give me advice on which would be best for me as I have never had dwarf hamsters just Syrian hamster. thanks

2
can anyone give some extra tips adive etc on hamsters that could be helpful.

thanks

[Artisans_uk]

Hi HnH - the best advice is to get your hamsters from a breeder rather than a pet shop.

All petshop russian hamsters (not including roborovoskis here) are hybrids, ie a cross between the Campbells hamster and the Winter White. This cross breeding makes the hamsters prone to health problems but in particular diabetes, so you would need to be careful about the foods you feed and avoid sugary foods, including fruits etc.

If you can get your pair from a breeder with the National Hamster Council (NHC), then the hamsters will have a pedigree, will be much less likely to have health issues and you will also know their lineage, which I find interesting.

Buying from a breeder does not mean that you 'll pay any more than you would in a store but the advantages are huge.

Keeping a pair of hamsters together doesn't always work out but a more successful breed to keep together are the roborovskis. These are really cute fluffs and can't be cross bred. They can be more of a breed to watch, as they can be tricky to handle as they are very fast and they can jump! They are incredibly entertaining though. People have much more success, generally, keeping robos together as they are more sociable with their own breed.

I have a robo, two hybrids (not together as they are not from the same litter), a winter white and I'll be getting my second pure winter white next weekend. I love all of mine to bits, as everyone does and I would be hard pushed to choose one breed against another. I definitely avoid petstore hamsters now that I know much more.

There are lots of things to do when keeping pairs together, duplicate wheels, toys, water bottles etc, having a large cage without any levels, as that can cause territorial fights, lots of hidey holes, so they can have cover and houses that have more than one entrance/exit so that one is never trapped.

So lots to think about - whereabouts are you, as people might know of breeders close to you or you might be able to get along to one of the shows held by the NHC (http://hamsters-uk.org/mos/Frontpage/Itemid,1/).

[dave123791]

Artisans has given some great advice there. All I wanted to add is that I got 2 robos from pets at home in may 2014. Both females. After a very short time they started fighting and had to be separated. Not long ago one of the robos, Sarah, died due to a stroke. Jenny is still living happily and she's just over a year old. Before that I kept Syrian hamsters. Most of them were pet shop hamsters but 2 of them were from a breeder and based on my experience I would recommend buying a hamster from a breeder. Also don't listen to the advice that pet shop staff give you, they have no idea what their talking about.

[HamstersnHamsters111]

Thank you both very much and yes I do agree dave123791 that pet shop staff don't know what they are on about they do frustrate me (I nearly had a go at one of the staff once), would robos be a good idea for me or one of the other breeds??

[Artisans_uk]

Thank you both very much and yes I do agree dave123791 that pet shop staff don't know what they are on about they do frustrate me (I nearly had a go at one of the staff once), would robos be a good idea for me or one of the other breeds??

Hi HnH - apologies first of all that I got your post confused with another...I have corrected my post now. Blame it on getting up early for the F1 race this morning! ;)

I think you need to decide if you want to be able to handle whichever new hamster that you get. If you do want to have lots of interaction, cuddles etc, then robos would not be the right choice for you. If on the other hand you'd like to enjoy the antics that robos inevitably get up to with minimal interaction, then certainly they might be right for you.

[racinghamster]

Choosing dwarf hamsters over a Syrian is a big change! Although Russian dwarf hamsters are basically `mini syrians` really because they are not a million miles away from the same antics/behaviours, albeit they are a smaller body size. So perhaps a Russian hybrid would be your next choice as you are used to keeping Syrians? May not be such a big change for you.

Roborovski on the other hand are a different thing altogether. Fast, mad and cute! But as Artisans pointed out, robos really don`t like much handling, although the ones that can be tamed usually only tolerate short interactions. They should never be put inside a hamster ball as they are too fast. Just thought I would mention this as I don`t like hamster play balls full stop, but I know some owners will still use one regardless of my opinion.

I would also mention that keeping one Russian on it`s own is better than trying to keep a pair together. If you have read up on this, you may be aware of the fragile nature of these little feisty creatures and many do end up needing separating. If you are prepared to have an extra cage though, then that`s good. It has to be part of the package really because pairs don`t always get on after a while.

There are always rescue Russian dwarfs on Gumtree and other sites looking for good homes, so maybe consider one if you are not fussed whether the hamsters are babies or not. My current lad was round a year old from Pets At Home adoption last year and he`s a grad wee chap. So do consider this avenue. x

[Pebbles82]

Just be prepared that you might need two cages at some point as pairs often need separating at some point.