What type is my dwarf?

Aliciacyh · 10-18-2014, 08:17 AM

I had no idea what type is my dwarf. Only know it is a dwarf, so i decided to post here since he dosen't look like a Campbell or winter white. Somewhere in February, he is abandoned with 4 other dwarfs at the place that i am working in. 3 female and 2 male. 4 of them are like him and the other one is grey. He is a pure white dwarf with black eyes. He dosen't have a black line down his back. I had him for 8mths already. His name is flatti and he loves to eat and sleep. Age is unknow also. All the others are taken by my colleagues and to date only the 2 males are doing well. The 3 females are still alive but are having terrible skin problems and lumps issues. So i guess their genetics are horrible. Problems with flatti is one of his eye is bigger then the other and he maybe blind in one of them according to the vet and he had grown very fat in these 8 mths. Also he is not tame. I had tried for these 8mths but i can't tame him at all and i had sort of given up taming him. He either just scream or dash away at lightning speed when you try to play with him but he is very curious and will come very near to my hand when i am cleaning his cage and as long as i don't touch him he is fine so i am glad to just see him in the cage as long as he is happier that way. Anyone knows what breed of dwarf he is?

SinNyx · 10-18-2014, 08:23 AM

Does he have a pedigree? If not, he will be a hyrbid, which is a cross of a Winter White and Campbell.

Many pet shops do not monitor the breeding of their hamsters or check them, and WWs/Campbells are the only species that can mate with each other, resulting in a lot of hybrids. The only way to ever be sure you have a pure-bred of either these days is to have a pedigree going back a few generations.

Hybrids can be prone to illness, such as diabetes, so it's important you don't give him sugary treats and watch his diet.

Aliciacyh · 10-18-2014, 08:37 AM

He does not have a pedigree. He is abandoned outside my working place! Actually in my country here, hamsters with pedigree are rare. I do not give him treats as he is growing fatter by the day. Gotten very lazy also and does not really play his wheel. So he is a cross of Campbell and winter white. I didn't know only these 2 species can cross. thought as long as dwarf can cross breed. Sorry for my ignorance as i am more into syrians then dwarf but just thought since he needs a home i will provide him with one. He is just cute and fun to watch even though he does not allow me to play with him. I will watch his diet also but since he is already fat, it's hard to make him lose weight. Thks.

cypher · 10-19-2014, 02:12 AM

Well done for taking him on, he's so lovely it's sad to think someone could abandon them like that.
Do you feed him the same as your syrians? Hybrids are more prone to diabetes as SinNyx said, so you should feed him something made for dwarf hams if you can & avoid fruit, or anything that is naturally high in sugar as well as sugary treats.
If you don't do it already you could try scatter feeding rather than using a bowl, it would give him a little more exercise & they usually enjoy it.

Teddy001 · 10-19-2014, 04:42 AM

Very beautiful dwarf

. I also have a dwarf that's over weight, and has seen vets. They can gain weight, and gain the weight pretty quickly. If you can weight your dwarf, to see how much he weighs, that's a good start. Read the ingredients of the hamster food- no molasses or honey, is good for dwarfs, as the others have said, dwarfs are prone to diabetes. Also, if you are feeding him a mixed seed type of hamster food, he maybe selectively picking out the seeds that are higher in fat, and not eating the rest, OR the portion you are giving maybe too much.
With my overweight dwarf, I'm feeding 1 tablespoon of hamster food, and although she does not like to exercise, taking her out of her cage a few times a day, to let her run around and play in a pen with hamster toys. My dwarf is on a protein, fiber and low fat diet, in hopes of helping her lose weight.

Aliciacyh · 10-20-2014, 01:42 AM

Haha. I think cypher is right. i may be feeding him too much when i first got him as too use to syrians so i might had put more then enough food for him. I feeding him dwarf food. versele laga is the brand. Nowadays i had reduced his food amount and do not top up until his food bowl is empty and i see him start searching all around his cage for food then i will put new food into his bowl so that i can be sure he is not hiding all the food in his nest. He is a vacumn cleaner. Not fussy at all and eats every available food unlike my syrian whom is quite fussy. I also started putting his food all around his cage and especially at places where he has to climb and take the food to make him move more. will keep in mind of the diabetics issue and hope he stays away from it as my previous syrian had diabetic and it was such a sad case.

Teddy001 · 10-20-2014, 01:53 AM

Your hams sound like mine. Lol. Dwarf loves to eat, and my Syrian is very fussy. Lol. I'm so sorry to hear about your diabetic hamster. I think my recent ham loss was due to diabetes, and it's not easy to watch. Xx

cypher · 10-20-2014, 03:55 AM

It sounds like you're doing all the right things to help your ham but I'm not so sure about that food, the only Versele laga one I know is this one Great Deals on Dwarf Hamster Food at Zooplus: Versele Laga Premium Mini Hamster Nature which is a bit too low in protein, it should be closer to 19%, & has fruit in it so a bit too high in sugar.

Aliciacyh · 10-20-2014, 09:04 AM

yes this is the one i am feeding. i took out the fruits. most of the mix are grains. The fruits can be easily pick out. The versele and vitakraf( which protein is even lower) are the most available brand here and there is this japanese brand Marukan. the versele brand seems to be the highest protien level that i could find that's why i took that even though it has fruits. Any other brands to recommend? I can try to look for it. Thks.

cypher · 10-20-2014, 09:35 AM

I use Burgess supa dwarf hamster harvest mostly but you probably can't get that.
If you're removing the fruit then the overall protein content will be a little higher, you could try adding a few sunflower seeds, a piece of kitten kibble if you can get it, a tiny piece of cooked chicken or boiled or scrambled egg a few times a week, again if you can get them flax or linseed & hemp seed are good too. All of those would increase protein without giving him too much fat or sugar.
Hope that I helps, I understand it must be quite difficult, we're quite spoilt for choice here in comparison!