1st hamster

[prinprin]

Hi I've been looking into getting a Hamster for a while now, but still haven't decided on what species to get
I am torn between a Syrian and a winter white dwarf, as a first time hamster owner which of these do you think would be more suitable ?
I have not had any experience with rodents as pets before and have been doing a lot of research, I believe that Syrians are easiest for first time owners, but I am concerned about the cost I.e bigger toys etc

For cage purposes I think I am going to get the IKEA Detolf and diy a lid,
Would this be too big for a baby hamster? And is it true that you have to buy winter whites in pairs? As I was only looking to get one hamster

Any help is appreciated thanks

[Fluffagrams]

Exciting times!

Winter whites can be kept singly and there's always a risk when buying a pair that they'd fall out and you'd have to separate them and if you're inexperienced I'd say it's probably best to avoid pairs. If you're planning to buy a Winter White from a pet shop then I feel that it's only fair to mention that most sold as Russian Hamsters will be a Hybrid between the Winter White and the Campbells and to get a pure Winter White, you'll probably need to find a breeder (if you're in the UK, you can find out more through the National Hamster Council) or visit a hamster show.

Hamsters grow very quickly so whilst a detolf might seem huge for a baby hamster, it'll soon grow into it and syrians can grow quite big! If making your own cage then you'll need to make sure that you've got a mesh with small enough mesh to make sure that there's no potential for escapes. A 6mm mesh is recommended for dwarves, babies and bar chewers otherwise you'll be looking at a 10mm mesh.
Because Syrian hamsters need larger toys, you're better off looking at ones marketed for rats and you'll definitely need a rat size wheel so the bigger cage you can offer the better really and the more space your pet has to play in.

They say that Syrians are better for beginners as they are a little bit easier to hold but the dwarf species can make lovely pets and are great to watch in their cages.