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05-29-2017, 01:25 PM
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#1
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Newborn Pup
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 28
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Characteristics of a Chinese Dwarf Hamster
Hello lovelies! I was wondering, what are the characteristics of a chinese dwarf hamster? are they easy to tame? are they bit aggressive at first? how long do they live? are they diabetes prone?
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05-29-2017, 01:29 PM
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#2
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Posts: 1,269
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Re: Characteristics of a Chinese Dwarf Hamster
I haven't owned a Chinese personally, but from what I've seen on the forum they can be skittish but once tamed are wonderful and very friendly. Their lifespan would be no different than any other hamster but it can be between 2-3 years. Chinese hamsters are prone to diabetes and so need to be kept on a low sugar diet but Burgess Dwarf hamster food is perfect for them.
I think Cypher and Fluffagrams may be able to go into more detail about Chinese hamster behaviour for you, though.
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05-29-2017, 02:58 PM
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#3
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Banned
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: United States
Posts: 4,407
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Re: Characteristics of a Chinese Dwarf Hamster
My Chinese died a month ago. She was over 3 yrs old, which is a long life for a Chinesey, but they can even live to 4 yr old
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05-29-2017, 03:09 PM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bath, UK
Posts: 3,640
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Re: Characteristics of a Chinese Dwarf Hamster
Chinese Hamsters can make lovely pets, I've had them fairly exclusively for over five years now and couldn't imagine life without one anymore.
As Chesca says, they do have a bit of a reputation at times for being shy and skittish but that's not always the case and I've found that with the right handling and environment, they can go on to be very trusting, loving and friendly. Some of this will depend on where you get your hamster from as hamsters bred by club breeders have been handled from the age of two weeks to ensure that they are used to handling by the time they go to their new homes but with a little patience, I have managed to tame all of mine including ones that have had little or no contact with humans previously.
Chinese are usually very good climbers and very agile and they are known for a rather charming trait of clinging to a finger with their paws and tail like a little mouse...
I have found that some Chinese can struggle to settle in very large cages and many of mine have been happiest in cages that are just a little bit bigger than a Mini Duna, however every hamster is going to be different and another of mine is content in an 80cm Hamster Heaven. They like things to climb in their cages, some nice substrate to dig around in and all of mine adore their hammocks.
In terms of lifespan, they seem to be slightly longer lived than the average Syrian providing they're not affected by diabetes. The longest I had one live to so far was three years and seven months and his brother lived until he was two years and ten months. Diabetes is a concern in Chinese however it is now thought that there are more factors that contribute to the disease than diet alone and a diet completely free of sugar is not necessarily going to stop a hamster getting the disease. I think the key is moderation though, just as it would be in humans and the odd piece of fruit as a treat occasionally isn't going to do them any harm. I find that mine prefer a few small seeds as a treat to some of those yoghurt-style drops that they sell in pet shops for hamsters anyway. It does pay to be aware of the symptoms of diabetes but it's important to test and see a vet before making any drastic changes to their diets or investigating other treatment options.
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05-29-2017, 11:42 PM
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#5
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Dwarf whisperer
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
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Re: Characteristics of a Chinese Dwarf Hamster
A lot depends on where you get your ham from, breeder hams are generally already tame to some extent whereas pet shop hams tend to take longer to tame, as the others have said Chinese are a little more shy & skittish than some other species, I find they're not so much afraid as just startle really easily so if you always approach them carefully & are patient & gentle with them they tame really well & make lovely pets.
I find females to be quite hyper & absolutely full of beans! They can be a bit of a handful but loads of fun!
Males tend to be a lot more laid back usually, still shy but less active than the females.
Unlike Fluffagrams I've found mine do better with a larger (not huge, maybe 80x50cm) cage as long as it has a nice big front door so I can interact with them, the only Chinese I've struggled with taming is the one I started off in a smaller bin cage.
As Fluffagrams said they are very agile, great climbers, they also love to dig even more than other species so you do need to put some thought into a good set up for them.
Fluffagrams covered the diabetes aspect so I won't repeat any of that.
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