Hannibal and Murdock

Ginger hamster · 10-19-2015, 08:36 AM

Hello all,

Had to introduce Hannibal (white) and Murdock (ginger) at last. They are about 8-9 weeks old with Hannibal being twice the size of Murdock.

I am a bit worried as their markings are quite pale, could they be hybrids?

Murdock squeaks a lot in the day when asleep under his wheel and Hannibal likes to nibble on your fingers! They love running around in their balls, poor cat has to hide!

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Thanks all for being so welcoming in my first posts, This is a great place!
(hope these photos come out, not big on computers,

).

cheekytita · 10-19-2015, 09:33 AM

They are so adorable! And i'm loving their names

ANGELBABIES · 10-19-2015, 10:27 AM

Awww two more cuties join the HC family - welcome to the little ones xx

Shannonmcn · 10-19-2015, 12:33 PM

Oh what a lovely little pair of hamspheres! :3

If they're from a pet shop they will indeed be hybrids, nothing wrong with that!

To be sure you have a winter white you need to see papers and pedigrees generally. You just need to keep an eye for signs they might be at risk of diabetes and keep them off fruits or other sweet treats, it's not a huge problem.

cypher · 10-19-2015, 10:51 PM

Hello Hannibal & Murdock

What a gorgeous pair of hams, that second photo is really heart meltingly cute!

If you have any uncertainty about their origins or as Shannon says if they came from a pet shop then they will be hybrids but that's fine, I love my hybrids! Just be careful not to give them any sugary foods or sweet treats & feed them a good dwarf ham mix.

Ginger hamster · 10-20-2015, 04:30 AM

Hi, Thanks for all your lovely comments. I found these two in P@H so pretty sure they could be hybrids.

Sadly I think Hannibal may have diabetes which from P@H doesn't surprise me. Luckily I have managed to tame him quite quickly as he was pretty nippy at first. He drinks so much water, I am keeping records and will test him with keto-diastix to find out and maybe a trip to the vet to.
He will get all the love and care he needs.

Could anyone tell me a rough average weight for a dwarf? He is 45g and on Burgess supahamster dwarf hamster mix.

This is all new to me, with little ones, i'm used to Syrians. Hannibal has been up most of the morning now, hes starting to worry me.

Thank you for your posts.

cypher · 10-20-2015, 04:51 AM

I would test Hannibal as soon as you can, it could be diabetes if he's drinking & peeing a lot but there are other possible causes like a UTI or kidney problems, either that or try to take him to the vet with a fresh pee sample if you're not too happy about doing it yourself.
I'm not sure there is an average weight for hybrids tbh, they do vary a lot so he could be over or under, a bit confusing I know, mine have all seemed to be a healthy weight when around the 55-60g mark but some are smaller & healthy. The most important thing is to keep a record so you'll be aware if there are any sudden changes or a continuous gain or loss.

Tazius · 10-27-2015, 06:30 PM

Oh my god, they're adorable!!!!

Also I greatly appreciate the name Hannibal

Piebald · 10-28-2015, 12:04 AM

They are so lovely!
How is Hannibal?

Ginger hamster · 10-28-2015, 05:00 AM

Thank you piebald and Tazius. And thank you all for your replys.

Hannibal is diabetic so on a strict diet but doing well.
They have both just been cleaned out and are getting very excitable running around and digging in their bedding.

Hannibal sleeps and eats a lot but his weight has stayed pretty constant and he is getting so much more confident with having cuddles.
I blended some chicken and broccoli for him and that went down very well!!