Why do my hamsters stink??

[racinghamster]

Abi, male Chinese hamsters have ehem.....big back ends! Their scrotal sacks are joined to the tail, so they look very obvious. Females won`t have these large `bulges` at their tail end. So if you don`t see these, your hamsters may well be two females and two females can be worse than males if they fight. But don`t panic. They are not fighting or arguing right now, but having had their cage switched and will be again, could cause them some stress, so keep all the smelly bedding and substrate from the original cage and scatter this in the new cage to keep things smelling familiar to them. Try not to do full cage cleans all the time either and if you really have to, don`t throw their nesting material away, keep that. They don`t tend to `mess up` their bedding area. x

[AbiJ]

OK, they are definitely girls! I've taken off all the tubes and blocked the holes, taken out the little plastic house and replaced with a large upturned cardboard box with a door hole, and put all their used bedding from the tubes and house inside, hav also covered the tray they were peeing on with newspaper. They are both snuggled under the cardboard now.

[racinghamster]

Great! They will settle down now. Do they have a wheel or can you get another wheel from somewhere? The 6.5" or `regular` silent spinners are great wheels for all dwarf hamsters.

The fact that you think you have two females could end up with two separated hamsters in time, but for now, they will probably be more interested in their new cage and settling down. Keep a close eye on them and hopefully they will emerge more now that the tubes are banished! x

[AbiJ]

Hopefully! I've got a spare cage anyway if they do start bickering, so far they seem really happy together, I rarely see them apart. There is a silent wheel in the cage it's about 6" across...apparently they need 1 each though so will get another one, there's plenty of room in the cage

[racinghamster]

Was it the Duna you put them into? Sorry, my head is a bit muddled today as I`ve had a bit of a headache... But yes, it`s very handy (and essential) to always have a spare cage when keeping a pair of dwarf hams together as they usually do `turn` for no apparent reason.

[AbiJ]

No they are still in the big cage, I've just modified it a bit for now until I can get something better, see photo attached...I still have the Ferplast to use as a spare if needed. I have also included some bottom photos!

[Vectis Hamstery]

Sorry - my laptop pretended there were no replies between your cage photo and my reply, silly laptop!

The bottom pics are good - definitely girlies Girls tend to be more difficult to keep in pairs so it's good that you're looking at other cages. Some very laid back boy pairs may be ok with shelves, but for girls I'd definitely recommend a cage like Soufflé posted. I personally wouldn't try and keep a pair of Chinese hamsters in a cage bigger than the one Souff showed (a rydon millhouse/mini duna/savic rody). You can pick up mini Dumas quite cheaply on ebay and the rody is now being sold again in pets at home under a different name. I'd take the shelf out of both if you get one with it included. Another option if you prefer barred cages is a mickey max cage which is a narrow barred cage of a similar size to the rody/millhouse. I've written some info on keeping Chinese hamsters in pairs which you can find here. If you hear any squeaking or see any signs of injury or fur plucking I would suggest splitting your girls sooner rather than later - they can go from a slight squeak to significant injury with little warning.

Good luck with your Chineseys

[kyrilliondaemon]

I think you've had all the info I could give but I just wanted to wish you good luck with them

[AbiJ]

Thanks! Removing the tubes has made a huge difference they hardly smell now and are currently very busily exploring, I've been able to get a good look at both of them for the first time this evening, they're very sweet!

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Wow what a difference no tubes makes! You know, without those all around it, that cage is quite nice looking, rather pretty with the blue and yellow and rounded edges. If that's a 6" wheel attatched, it also looks a not bad size (unless the pic is just deceptive). Obvs only one dwarf ham normally, but with some more toys and a better wheel, and no tubes to possibly escape from, it looks like it could be a decent cage. At least it appears it from your pic anyway!

Oh and as the shape of the shelves and the little mouse head bed is exactly the same as what's in the Alaska, is it the same company/range as this cage?