Just took in 2 Russian Hamsters (advice pls)

[Bubb]

Hey Guys,

My first time posting here (i've been lurking though) so I hope this is in the right place. So i accidentally found an ad on Preloved in the category Other, not under hamsters....the ad was for 2 russian hamsters housed together in one of the smallest cages ive ever seen. Listed as 10 pounds for everything, 2 cages (lord knows why they werent using that one it was actually slightly bigger but that was the 'old' cage apparently) so really wanted to help them and drove out for them yesterday. Just wanted to share their story with you and ask your advice/thoughts on a few things.

First thing i did is change the awful wood shavings out (i think pine) as they were home made looking and probably therefore not kiln dried. Filled it up with carefresh which they LOVED and immediately started digging like crazy in it which was so heartwarming to watch. Took their awful wheel out and swapped it with 2 temporary wheels which were my old/back up ones for my robo Bub so they were a bit small but WAY better than the monstrosity they had (about 4/5 inches diameter i think)

I also threw out their food which was somehow wet and gross (tiny friends farm museli mix) and swapped it for the burgess nuggets i have for my robo (please let me know if these are a good brand of food or any others i can mix in).

Last night me and my partner were adding some emergency hides (just cardboard boxes and bedding) to the tiny cage as they only had one which they had to share. As my partner reached his hand in to move some stuff one them really violently attacked his hand and we decided that if they were this aggressive to us it was probably best to separate them tonight rather than watch carefully and see how it goes. This hamster (we named her Storm) is really big, possibly overweight? due to the lack of useable wheel and her sister (i was told they were from the same litter and had lived together fine for the last 5 months) is much smaller and looks a little on the slim side (not too bad though) anyway i took the 'old' cage which the previous owners had given us and took all the awful plastic platforms and tiny wheel out of it and it because just about useable and gave her a temporary setup for the night.

So i've ordered an alaska cage online (going to order another one as soon as i know it's a decent cage, never had one before). And 2x 28cm Trixie wheels which arrived first thing this morning so Storm has her now as it JUST fits in her cage now but Sunshine (the little light coloured girl) can't have hers as the temp cage isn't tall enough so she has a basic 7.5in wheel that I had on hand.

So a few questions for you guys if you'd be so kind:

Is the Alaska cage from Zooplus any good? bar spacing okay for russian dwarfs? If you guys approve it I'll just order another one today so it gets here faster (first one should be here tomorrow)

Is the Burgess food okay? I want to use nuggets especially now so they definitely get all the nutrients they need from it as the previous owner was basically letting them take all the sunflower seeds and corn from it and then throwing the rest away.

Did i do the right thing separating them so soon instead of giving it a chance to work in a proper space without any sign that they fight?

Do you think that Storm will be an Aggressive hamster, I know this tends to happen in russians (this is fine care wise as im fine knowing that they're okay and don't need to handle them, I will still look after them the same as any other pet just makes getting them out for floor time a different experience )

So sorry about this wall of text. Just letting you know I am on a tight budget but couldn't stand the thought of leaving them there knowing I can do so much better for them.

[Ithuviel]

Congratulations on getting the new hamsters. I'm also a new owner so i don't have any advice for you. I also order an alaska last friday, i hope it will come soon. I can tell you more about it when it will arrive.

[Engel]

Hi and welcome! Congrats on your bundles of fun. Lots of knowledgeable people on here so be prepared for the wealth of info they have to offer!

Right from what I've heard the Alaska is a brilliant barred cage and has enough floor space so I think it should be fine. Lots of ham cages (and rat cages) have bar spacing of 1/2" which is normally ok. Dwarf species may need 1/4" bar spacing. The Alaska has 9mm spacing. (1/4" being around 7mm) it should be ok as Russians can be quite big. Only negative thing I've heard about the Alaska is that the shelf is a bit flimsy but you can just take it out if you don't like it.

I use the Burgess nuggets as a 'base' lab block type thing and add seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame, flax ect) I originally got a bag of tiny farm hamster or whatever it's called and I don't give mine the big colourful bits which obviously contain dyes and he doesn't eat them anyway. The rest of the mix I use. I also add in some mealworms and dried beetroot and parsnip as well as some dried herbs. Spoilt robo I have lol.

I don't know how you plan to do things but have you thought about scatter feeding? Enrichment, keeps them entertained and may help Storm shed some excess weight. I go by roughly a tbsp every 2 days sometimes 3 just because it makes them use up their stash and eat bits which they ld normally waste keeping it fresh meaning in theory you shouldn't need to disturb the best too much.

It was best that you separated them there's no benefit keeping them together. By the size difference it could be that storm is the dominant one who can get most of the food, water and luxury items. Just because dwarf species could be kept together doesn't mean they should. Best to separate now than pay the consequences after.

As for storm being an aggressive hamster. Maybe. It could be the fact that she's territorial so maybe do taming sessions in a storage box so she's out of her territory. It could be that she's scared and needs time to settle. Remember you don't know how she's been treated and if shes been properly handled. She's in a new environment with some big scary humans. Once in their permanent closures leave them to settle 3 days to a week and then begin taming process. I wouldn't go as far a saying biting is to be expected at this point but it's not uncommon

[LunaTheHamster1]

In my opinion the Alaska is a good solid cage. I only have syrians so can't advise re the bar spacing. But if you find out the bar spacing is ok, I wouldn't hesitate buying it. It has a great front and top opening. Deep base for a bared cage. Plenty of room for a big wheel.

I think you did the right thing re splitting them up, with the size of one of the girls it does sound like she may have been the most dominant one, I am sure they will both be very happy in their new homes.

[Bubb]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'll definately try scatter feeding Storm, we do it for a robo too and he LOVES it.

One thing i was surprised by is how much the new girls like to dig! Our robo hates digging, too much work i think but he runs for MILES so I think he's fine. I'm glad to hear the alaska has a deep enough base because I think they'll really appreciate and I'll like to pile up the bedding for them

Appreciate the feedback on the Alaska, I went ahead and ordered another one (can't wait for them to arrive, I feel so bad for them in their tiny cages especially as our Bub has 1.4m x 80cm of space, i don't want them to be jealous!) I'll keep a close eye on them and mesh the outside if i'm worried about escapees when it arrives.

Glad to know you use the burgess as well, i've been mixing a few sunflower and pumpkin seeds in as well, didn't know hammies could have sesame seeds so i'll have to try it

yeah i'm really glad i separated them now as they both seem to have calmed a little and Storm has stopped climbing the bars (though this might be as she has a nice new 11in to use) I was just worried as they seemed so scared and sad the first 24h they were apart. Never had to split a pair before so I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing. I appreciate the confirmation though

Hopefully Storm will settle more especially when she gets her new setup and I'm glad to report that Sunshine (her sister) is super super friendly with us, she comes straight to the door and out on to your hand. Remarkable really as they were both pets of very small children (who i met and clearly didn't care or even like them)

I'll post some pictures of them if I can get some without disturbing them too much.

thanks for all your help!

[LunaTheHamster1]

Brilliant stuff. I love their names btw . My Star was so close to being called Storm, I really wanted to change her name but my niece had already painted a name tag for Star, so I stuck with Star, My other hammie is Little Miss Sunshine aka Sunny.
Have fun getting to know your new little ones.

[Vierville]

You've done a wonderful good deed for these two little souls.

[Pebbles82]

It sounds like they needed separating as the thinner one has been being bullied most likely (the fatter one taking all the food). With you changing so much (for the better) in their cage and the new environment, that probably caused the aggressive reaction and they will settle again but it’s best not to disturb anything for a couple of weeks to give them chance to adjust to the changes.

The only issue with the Alaska for a dwarf hamster is the height- fall risks. So it would need setting up very carefully. Personally I think the hamster heaven would be better. It costs a bit more but it’s lower and better height for a dwarf hamster. With all the tubes and penthouse removed and just the one solid shelf it would make a great cage.

[Bubb]

Guess I've just been lucky with Bub as he's never bitten me and is always so excited to see us (comes running up to the glass at the front of his cage and does a little flailing dance on it until we put our hands in to play with him).

Storm is seeming less stared of us now which is nice. Gave them both a sand bath in their temp cages (oven baked childrens play sand from Argos which I read on the forum is the safest option).

Thanks for the warning Serendipity i'll make sure to keep an eye for anything that could be a fall risk and fill the bedding up as high as possible so it would be a softer landing. Sadly the hamster heaven is just too expensive right now as i'm having to be very careful with money to be able to do this right (don't worry i already have a pretty substantial vet fund setup for my other pets so if they needed anything they'd get it, but i refuse to dip into it for anything else). I've been leaving them to settle in for now other than to give them food and water obviously, they seem much more relaxed already though so I hope you're right and they just settle right in. Do you any tips for setting it up as safely as possible, other than no toys/hides that are too tall and deep soft bedding? They don't seem like they're going to be bar climbers atleast so thats good.
Yeah so glad i separated them, I figured that was the reason for the weight difference, i feel so bad for her, she's so big she actually looks a bit uncomfortable but she's loving her new wheel so thats great

Sunny and Star are great names too Luna and I love the idea of decorated name tags, very cute! Thanks, I love them already, Storm always looks so grumpy it's hilarious and sunshine's so full of energy and curiosity.

[RobinIsACatto]

Just to add along the lines of diet— I would strongly suggest getting a seed mix to go along with your current pellet as well as a protein booster. I believe the burgess pellets are only 17% protein, which isn’t great for most dwarfs; I’d try to shoot for 18-19% for adults. Along with that, the main, calculated base diet has no variety (I wouldn’t count the extra seeds as you have no clue how that’s affecting the GA).

A good mix is Bunny Dwarf Hamster Dream, but really any of the Bunny foods could work. I don’t really like the Tiny Friends Farm mix as it’s high in corn and pellets, which isn’t great for variety. Freeze-dried chicken cat treats are also a good addition to get that protein up.

Please keep in mind you must calculate out the GA and measure it out by weight, meaning you’ll need a kitchen/jewelry scale. These can be bought for like $10-15 online if you don’t have one. If you need help with finding the ratios let me know; I know it can be difficult for some if math isn’t your strong suit!