Aquarium for a Chinese Dwarf review

solange · 12-07-2011, 03:37 AM

I am still working on a second floor in this aquarium, just need to install a soft screening for the air duct covers I used for the second floor and ladder. The slats are rounded and not sharp. Since the plastic acquarium cover has 4 locks at the top, and well ventilated, no worries that Neo the Chinese acrobat dwarfie can escape!

racinghamster · 12-07-2011, 05:37 AM

Looks okay solange.

Nice solid ramp, solid floor above? (I can`t see if it`s covered over or not). I see you have a seed bar treat in there? These can have syrup or honey in them and chinese hamsters can be prone to diabetes, so really don`t need these added to their diet. You would be better feeding hand-held seeds like little sprinkles of millet/budgie/canary seed, little pieces of peanut, small sunflower seeds and Hemp seed/Buckwheat dry.

They can`t have any fruit fresh or dry either as fruit contains fructose (a natural sugar).

Do you have a little box nest in the tank? I just use a small teabox with a couple of doors cut into it. My chinese female loves her `tea box` and I give her a handful of paper based bedding inside and she gathers up her substrate around the doors aswell! Chinese hamsters love plenty of hiding places and love to dig! Have you had Neo long?

solange · 12-08-2011, 12:45 AM

racinghamster wrote:
Nice solid ramp, solid floor above?
< solange > Solid, but louvered... not currently in use because I want to cover the ramp & floor above with a hamster-safe material.

I see you have a seed bar treat in there? don`t need these added to their diet. They can`t have any fruit fresh or dry either as fruit contains fructose (a natural sugar).
< solange > Nah, he never touched it so it had been removed months ago. He doesn't eat any fruits. But he does have a small penchant for a few dried split peas every now and then. Although I know those should be withheld - high natural carb/sugar content. He shows no signs of diabetes and is healthy, active and even-tempered. Never bites...but REALLY shy. *sigh* I feel like king kong having to russle him out of his aquarium - but once he is out, he's all good with it. I have read that they are just solitary little guys by nature. And OMG... after the first month, I thought he had like a serious glandular infection. LOL...ohhhh....I get it now! big kahunas!

You would be better feeding hand-held seeds like little sprinkles of millet/budgie/canary seed, little pieces of peanut, small sunflower seeds and Hemp seed/Buckwheat dry.
< solange > He eats all that you listed, except for hemp and buckwheat. He doesn't seem real interested in the Ecotrition seed - or eats neglible amounts that makes it seem he doesn't like it. The Russian hoovered it up.

He likes to eat some dry oatmeal, and on occasions as treats, I give him some grapenuts, rice krispies, shredded wheat. Ummm where do I get the hemp seeds?

Do you have a little box nest in the tank? Chinese hamsters love plenty of hiding places and love to dig!
< solange > Neo has quite a few places to hide and a box, such as you mentioned. Plumbing joints, Box and loghouse all have shredded toilet paper inside for his comfort. He also has major piles of Aspen bedding on top of the log house, behind the wheel and covering the double plumbing joints, which he roots around in...
Here is a picture, but hard to see all of the aforementioned.

This is a cool aquarium topper -- but inappropriate for Chinese Dwarfs...afraid Neo might strangle himself by trying to escape through the cage bars...

Have you had Neo long?
< solange > Since June 10, 2011. I have no idea how old he was when I got him, but it was a month or so when he began to develop a mammoth rear end.

Thanks for the input! ~s~

racinghamster · 12-08-2011, 01:19 AM

he just sounds like a typical chinese! Shy, but a huge character!

If he had small gonads when you got him and these grew, chances are he was still maturing? I have a female so she doesn`t have the baggage at the back!

Hemp seeds are found in healthfood shops. Canary seed or finch seed from pet shops usually contain linseed and millets.

Oh, you could cover your shelf with plain cardboard cut from an old cardboard box and just tie it to the shelf using small cable ties. Just make holes in each corner of the card and put the ties through. For your ramp, you can use a strip of bendy logs. Lie them flat over the ramp/ladder and again, just use cable ties to attach the log strip to the ladder. This makes the ladders look like a little log ladder!

Elliriyanna · 12-08-2011, 11:41 PM

The log in there is also not diabetes friendly

they contain Honey I use chew logs instead

What size tank is this? it looks pretty good can we see a picture of the little one?

solange · 12-09-2011, 12:14 AM

log in there is not diabetes friendly.

< Solange > I use the log in both hamster cages - they love to sleep in it....no worries on the diabetic issue -- neither (none) of my hammies are chewers. How odd, huh? They rarely chew on things - which concerns me about their teeth. They are still young, but I do not see signs of chewing on these edible logs, or even the chew toys that are in their cages. Wonder why that is?

solange · 12-09-2011, 12:30 AM

Elliriyanna asks: What size tank is this?

< Solange > 10 gallon -- 20" x 10" x 12" -- w/ 4 corner locking screen cover

it looks pretty good can we see a picture of the little one?
< Solange > Sure! He's a wiley, muscular little guy!

racinghamster · 12-09-2011, 04:28 AM

Neo is adorable. There don`t seem to be any loveheart `smileys` on this forum or I would have included one blowing kisses!

I wasn`t aware that wood logs (at least not here in the UK) had anything coated onto them as they are normally just natural bark products. Always worth checking the labels though or making sure chinese are not exposed to added sugars/honey/syrup/molassed foods or treats.

By consuming grains and seeds, they will be eating complex carbohydrates which release slow energy anyway. That can`t be avoided, but we can avoid anything `added` that states that it has any of these within.

Is Neo your first chinese solange? Prinny my female is my first chinese and I absolutely adore her. Chinese hamsters are my favourites now.

solange · 12-09-2011, 11:57 AM

racinghamster writes: I wasn`t aware that wood logs (at least not here in the UK) had anything coated onto them as they are normally just natural bark products.

< Solange > These are sold at discount outlets and have a visible coating. I have read that these edible homes are not really good for the hammies. If my hammies were chewers, I would not have bought this. Me mum was buying...so I grabbed a couple!

Is Neo your first chinese solange? Prinny my female is my first chinese and I absolutely adore her. Chinese hamsters are my favourites now.

< Solange > He is my first, yes. In my online research, I read that they are banned in some parts of the United States. They are consider [rodent] pests, especially in California. Certain states even require licensing for the Chinese Dwarf! I also read that they are the furthest genetic relation to the hamster. They are usually not nippers, but are very shy and tend to be a recluse. It is for this reason, that I do not like having an aquarium for him. The lid makes noise and scares him - and there is no way to get him out without the talon effect of hand insertion and scoop. A cage would at least have door access and would create a better interactive setup. Right now, being in glass, he is somewhat sound-proof and removed from the room's activities. (I keep my hammies on the table next to me in my office. I work out of my home office, so I see them all the time.)

I usually put a small, shallow coffee cup up in front of them inside their cages, to allow them to step into the cup...then I bring them out into my hand. My hammies seem to like this method, as opposed to reach and scoop. Neo is fine once he is handled, but prefers NOT to be handled - he burrows in when I attempt to bring him out of his cage.

So I would admit, if this is the norm for a Chinese dwarf, then I would likely not get another in the future. Poor lil guy snuffles and shakes when he is initially scooped up out of his aquarium cage. Then he's all good for the night. Just not as trusting and interactive as the other dwarf species I have had.

racinghamster · 12-10-2011, 02:27 AM

To be honest solange, these `sliding grill` tanks are not ideal. Especially for access and the noise they make when removing/replacing the lid. The Zoozone plastic type cages we have in the UK are ideal for Chinese hamsters and the Zoozone 1 is a decent size. Even the Ferplast Duna and the Savic Rody are better than glass tanks that are solid, heavy and restrictive.

Chinese hamsters are naturally shy, but the habitat they live in can have a big impact on that. They are actually very friendly little chaps and will still act shy even when in larger enclosures, but their natural noseyness comes out more. It`s a shame Neo gets so nervous. This could be remedied by a change of housing, I`m sure of it. Although giving him a daily routine also helps. letting him sleep all day and not trying to interact with him until the evening. This is more natural for their lifestyle.

It`s a shame the US don`t have better cages like the ones we have access to over here. Amazon.com might be worth looking at? Some companies will import cages to the US but it`s likely to be at the buyers risk and more expensive to ship.

One thing I would do in the meantime, is remove your sliding lid and replace it with a small mesh, home-made lift-off lid? This would help in the meantime and be easier (and not so noisy!) to gain access. It just means buying a sheet of small square mesh, bending over the ends to fit your tank and place paper weights on the ends.