New Chinese hamster owner

[Lynn]

Hi All! I recently got 2 females (Melvis & Marvin) and I'm really enjoying them. I had a sweet Syrian last year but was intrigued by these little ones so I made the switch. So far it's been great. We call Marvin the crazy one - more inclined to run than be held. But Melvis is so sweet. She falls right asleep in my daughters lap. It's just too sweet. Is this normal behavior? While so sweet, I wanted to be sure she wasn't just frozen in fear or sick. She's so easy to handle compared to her sister.

[souffle]

Welcome to the forum.
Chinese hamsters can be very calm and gentle and they do like to curl up and have a nap on you. Our Dommy Bob likes to sit on my daughter's shoulder under her hair!
Just a little word though on keeping two Chinese together particularly females. Although some stores will sell these as sociable they really seldom are. You will get the odd pair that will stay together but the majority are quite agressive towards their own type once they become mature. Your two sound like youngsters which is why they will be staying together for now.
Have a spare cage or a bin cage at the ready and separate at the first sign of any squabbling or nips as it can turn nasty very easily. I would not like to see your daughter upset by a bad fight between the two. They are also often mis sexed in shops as young ones look very alike. Males become pretty obvious by around ten weeks though!
There is some good information here
Home - Vectis Hamstery and here Information sheets - National Hamster Council

Looking forward to meeting them

[Nikorusama]

Welcome to HC, soufflé has given some excellent advice

[emilyweb]

Welcome to HC! yes as Souffle said when your wee ones get mature they may need to be seperated.
They sound like their very muched loved

[racinghamster]

Hello Lynn and welcome. Congratulations on choosing Chinese hamsters! As souffle has rightly pointed out though, keeping a pair of females together could result in them turning on one another as they mature. Don`t let this worry you right now because as babies/youngsters, they are likely to co-habit okay, but have a spare perspex tank style cage ready (even buying one second hand off ebay) is a good idea incase you need it in an emergency situation. More often than not, people purchase two chinese because they want company for their hamsters. Sometimes it`s because the pet shop/store advise it, when they should know better!

Are you in the UK? If so, you should be able to find a spare cage like a Savic Rody or a Ferplast Duna to have on hand just incase. If they are already in a bigger tank, giving them two of everything would prevent squabbling over things. Two wheels, two food dishes, two water bottles etc....

The Zoozone 1 perspex tank is a really nice cage for one or two dwarf or chinese hamsters. Chinese hamsters can be prone to diabetes, so should not be fed sugars/glucose/honey/syrup or molassed treats or foods. Picking out the yellow corn and flaked maize from your mix would be a good step as corn turns to glucose (natually) and is probably one of the additions in a hamster mix that can be replaced by things like:

Porridge oats (dry)
Budgie seed/canary seed
Buckwheat (dry)
Hemp seed
Dry mealworms (as hand fed treats)

It sounds as though, from your description of both females, that one is quite feisty and the other more laid back, so you may have a mis-matched pair (one dominant, one subordinate) which could mean that the subordinate will stay that way and `know her place` in the ranks. But it could also mean that she might end up being bullied, so do make sure they are kept in a room where you are 24/7 to watch for any signs of one chasing or trying to bite the other. If you see this, seperate them right away. I have a female who lived with another female and she was attacked and had to be split away. This is how I came to have my first chinese!

They really are brilliant, sweet natured little creatures and I`m sure you and your daughter will love having them.