I bought a Chinese Hamster!!

[Esmy]

Ok, so I forgot to call ahead of time before going to the closest Petsmart, and found out they were all girls. I already decided on a boy. So, I called the other closest Petsmart from where I lived (not where I was).. all girls. I called the closest Petsmart to where I already was and they had all boys. They did not have any Russian/Campbell/Winter Whites. They only had Robos and Chinese. The robos wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn't think I wanted a Chinese because I read they were pretty timid. Well, the lady said they recently had some that were not timid. This one I looked at was really social! He let us pet him (and seemed to like it). She closed the lid so I could pet the other Chinese and it just curled up scared in a corner. In the meantime, the other one was climbing up the water bottle wanting more attention. Sooo.. I took him home!

I put him in a bin cage, which looks like he could easily get lost forever in. lol He was realllly freaked out and froze up for several minutes, then inched his way to the side and buried himself in there.

How can I make him more comfortable? Is the bin a bad way to go? I know I can add the toilet paper. Not sure if he would use it?

Are Chinese Hamsters prone to diabetes?

No clue on a name yet. Going to take some time on this one.

BTW, his male parts are huge! lol Way bigger than my Syrians. More like a rat.

Any other tips for newbie dwarf (particularly Chinese) owner?

[Hekomi]

Awwwh he's a sweetie! I'm sure Vectis could give you some great tips as she raises Chinese hams. We don't have them in my area unfortunately.

[Esmy]

He really is adorable! I hope he adjusts well. He was pretty freaked out when I put him in the bin.

[cutiehamster]

Aww he's so lovely! I've not had a Chinese ham before so i can't help much but really just make sure he's got a house (or somewhere to hide) and let him settle in. I think the general advise is to wait a week before you start handling them (hamsters in general) but i might be wrong Hope he settle's in alright, he looks really sweet

[Hekomi]

I do know they really like to burrow and hide, so if it was a large space he may have felt overwhelmed. Give him lots of toys and make the space feel perhaps a bit smaller so he doesn't feel like he's in a vast ocean of substrate.

[Esmy]

He does have a hiding house, but based on the burrowing he's already done, I think it may be useless. But it's there! lol Thanks I'll let him decide when it's ok to touch him but will definitely give him time.

[Esmy]

I have a smaller cage but it's not very deep so not sure which is better. The cage or the bin.

[Hamsterz4Life]

I love chinese hamsters, I have never had one though

He is beautiful x

[Esmy]

Not that I would take him back or anything, but he's a lot older than I thought. Well, he LOOKS full grown, so I asked the pet store and they said he's about 4m old. They've had him about 2 months. Seems like a long time for a hamster to be at the store. He wasn't in the front either, he was in the back.


Thanks Hamsterz4life

[Clairealex]

He's just gorgeous!

I have a little chinese but he was adopted so a fair bit older when I got him, so you might find taming etc to be a bit easier.

They're shy by nature, and like loads of hidey holes and coverage in the cage, very deep substrate and open bottomed house. They're also agile climbers so toys like branches and climbing frames will be appreciated. Nothing too high though!. When I first brought Eric home he was in a tank style but when I upgraded him to the zoozone2 his confidence soared. I think this is due to the bottom being coloured, so he feels less exposed.

They are diabetes prone, so Eric doesn't have any sugary treats. He just has a complete mix (jr farm, Harry hamster and burgess dwarf) and his treats include broccoli, red pepper, pumpkin seeds, peanut, millet, dandelion etc he gets a very occasional thin slice of apple. I know this is a fruit, but it's been shown to be quite beneficial for humans with diabetes, so as he loves it so much, I've decided a tiny amount occasionally won't hurt.

Be warned, they LOVE to pee in their wheel. And poop. And then it all gets stuck on it like a big sticky wall haha. so daily wipedowns are usually required.

Once tame they're amazing. Eric loves just clinging onto me, nestled in my hair. It's the cutest thing. They don't tend to beg for attention, but when they decide to give you it, it's just so rewarding.

Can't wait to see more of this little man!