Winter Temperatures

[Maverich21]

I just got my new Russian Dwarf Hamster on Wednesday Nov 4th, he appears to be doing quite well after adjusting to new home. PetSmart tells us he is 3-4 months old. I am a first-time dwarf hamster owner. I have Oxbow metal cage which I really like.

This is easy to assemble, but be certain to steady photos on box.

My concern is that Winter is approaching and we only set furnace such that temperature will not exceed 75 degrees, will this be enough to keep out little friend happy? He is away from windows. A digital thermometer shows only 68F where his cage is now, occasionally going to 71F.

So far he shows activity (nesting, caching food, etc.) so he has energy.
He does seem a little uncertain about using water-tube thingie, and we put out a tiny water dish which he does use; though he appears to eat more than drink. We put a paper-towel tube in his cage & he really likes that.

Also, perhaps only being 3-4 months old, he shows very little interest in chew sticks, even thin pretzel ones. He eats from his dish frequently.

[velma]

Hello! Welcome to the forum! I don't live anywhere that ever gets that cold, to be honest so I can't remember what the minimum safe temperature is. I know some members have a portable heater on a timer in their room to keep the heat up. And some have used a heat pad near their cage. But I'm sure one of them will be able to tell you a bit more accurately. But in the meantime, make sure your ham has plenty of substrate to burrow into & lots of ripped up cheap white toilet paper (unscented) for nesting material to help keep them warm. In fact, if you out the toilet paper up your sleeve, or down your top for a while first before you put in the cage, it will help with bonding with your hamster as it gets them used to your scent in their cage.
Check the water bottle is flowing freely as sometimes they don't, which might cause your ham problems. But some bottles also aren't that great. If you can, post a photo of your setup (sometimes you have to post a few times before the forum allows photo uploads) as I'm not familiar with your cage or the bottle that is with it - someone might be able to advise on a more convenient setup. Hamsters don't drink a huge amount but they do need access at all times. With the dish you are using, be sure to change it very frequently as they are a pain for kicking substrate etc in their water and making it dirty.
And quite a lot of hams don't like wood chews but they do like whimzee dog chews (the mini ones shaped like a crocodile or tooth brush) so you might want to try that.
But most of all, it's less than a week so still early days and your ham is still settling in. Give them time to adjust and take it at their speed.
Keep us updated

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to the forum
Congrats on your new little one, as Velma says he will need time to settle in, they really don't drink much when healthy so just check the water bottle works from time to time & he'll probably be taking all that he needs.
None of mine have ever chewed on wood & most hams love whimzees so I agree that's the best thing to let him try getting his teeth into!
Go easy on treats & avoid all sweet things including fruit as he will be a hybrid & they are prone to diabetes so take a little care with is diet & just keep it natural & healthy then you won't go far wrong.
As for the temp. if my calculations are right 68F is about 20C which is the max I ever have in my room so your little guy will be plenty warm enough, at night the temp in my room goes down to about 15C which is about 59F I think & they always seem fine, I wouldn't let it go any colder than that though.
As Velma said lots of substrate & toilet tissue will keep him cosy too.
Have a look at this thread for some ideas on keeping hams warm.
Keeping hams warm now winter is coming
Look forward to hearing how your little one settles in.

[Maverich21]

Bartholomew took his first thin wooden pretzel stick into his hideaway... so he must have thought it important to cache/hide.

I am trying this advice to place a small amount of bedding material under an armpit for 2-5 minutes then place it inside cage. He did not seem to act any differently; so he likely knows my scent by now.

[not allowed to post a photo yet]

Oxbow all-metal cage with easy slide out tray is what I have. Love it.

He is behaving fine after his 1st week home. As far as I can tell he is adjusting just fine. Trying to keep him in living room away from windows.

I inquired about Whimzees at PetCo and they told me they never heard of that for Hamsters! Alligator Whimzees are 72 cents each. x-small bag is $16.00, rather pricey... will check Amazon, etc.

Is it okay to place a large beach towel over cage when room becomes too active with people or during house cleaning? I've been doing this.
I discover that with the big beach towel covering entire cage, that Bartholomew will actually come out and start eating... }
We remove towel when everything calms down again, of course.

Will post if something interesting develops or new questions. }

[velma]

I'd be careful about covering the cage as it will affect ventilation. He sounds like he's doing well though.
If you can buy individual Whimzees, it be worth just buying one or two to check your ham likes him.

[Maverich21]

Just how close is "Greenies" Toothbrush shaped _soft_ treats to these Whimzees alligator/toothbrush treats? A neighbor gave me one Greenies, but I was surprised it was soft enough to bend; if its not same I'll just return it.

I saw in Family Dollar HART brand "small animal food" that look just like the usual small-pet pellets, but I was very concerned about the list of ingredients! Hart-brand small-animal feed is only $3.00 a bag; so I'm wondering where the quality is!

I posted a video of Bartholomew on my Instagram page if anyone can find it.

//Maverich21//

[Nancy's Hamsters]

Maverich21 Look for a Pet Supplies Plus store near you as they carry the Crocodile Whimzees in individual purchase. Greenies are not the same and may not be good for Hamsters.

I like the quality of your Petsmart store up there. Very clean and only 1 or if younger two hamsters to a cage, and a staff that actually knows what their talking about. We stopped in that store on our way back home from meeting up in Buffalo NY to meet up with Hekomi a year ago.

As for Hartz brand food it is of very low quality and I would not suggest it as a main food source for a Dwarf hamster as it contains high sugar % which is very bad to feed a dwarf as well as very low protein levels. You may note the amount of useless filler pellets and huge amounts of whole corn in the less expensive food.

[BCjetta]

I've had hamsters a long time. Growing up our house was 18 C degrees at night and 20 C during the day. 18 works out to 64.4F. I had syrians and dwarfs and they were always fine. Now that I have my own house, the temperatures are similar. In the winter down to 18 at night and up to 20-21 during the day. I recently got an oil heater for my hamster room so the temperature stays more constant around 19-20 degrees.