New Russian Dwarf

[Carley]

Hey guys!

So my little Syrian hamster Amelie died yesterday after she got an infection that she was too old/too weak to fight off. I was really upset about it, and my mum being kind as she is decided to surprise me with a new little Russian dwarf hamster boy (who's now called Simba).

Amelie was my first hamster so naturally I've never had any dwarf hamsters. Are there any differences I should note for the taming process/in general between Syrians and Russian dwarfs?

Thanks a lot

[Josie]

Sorry to hear about Amelie, play well at the bridge little girl hugs to you xxx

[cypher]

So sorry to hear of your loss Carley.
It's lovely that you now have a Russian fur ball as a new friend now though, congrats

Taming is really basically the same as it would have been with your syrian, so follow similar steps & just go at your new hams pace, they are all individual so don't expect things to be exactly the same.

The main difference between the species (apart from size!) is diet, they do best on a dwarf specific mix like Burgess dwarf hamster harvest & they can be prone to diabetes so it's best to avoid anything high in sugars, even natural sugars.
They tend to love small seeds like millet much more than syrians do & most have a real weakness for mealworms which can make a good taming treat although they are high in fat so not too many.

[Carley]

Thank you Josie!

And thank you also Cypher, I didn't realise that they were prone to diabetes, that's something I'll have to remember. You gave some really helpful advice, so thank you

[Thin Lizzy]

Sorry to hear about Amelie.
Congrats on your Russian simba. Looking forward to pics once he's settled.