# Hamster care



## Adeliek (Jul 28, 2014)

I haven't owned hamsters since I was a small child and even then it was my mum that really looked after them. Whenever I go in Pets at Home there's always an abundance of the little guys up for adoption, I've been thinking about adopting one so I can actually give it a decent life rather than being dragged around by some over excited 5 year old. But like I said I haven't owned them in a while....so what do they need?


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## PixieRat (Sep 1, 2014)

A large bin cage can make a very nice home for a hamster. Some are escape artists but in my experience they are not as crafty as rats. They also need a wheel, water bottle, quality hamster food and same type of bedding you would use for a rat. Something to be aware of is that they generally do NOT like to be woken up during the day. My rats and mice have always been ready to play whenever I wake them up but I have been bitten by normally friendly hamsters if I disturb their slumber or try to clean their cage or anything. That is the main reason I will not get a hamster again.


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Just adding something- don't give hamsters fleece or any other type of fabric as they will "pouch it". They will eventually ingest it, and this can cause death or extreme internal damage due to the fabric getting stuck in their intestines. Internet knowledge saves little hamster lives lol.


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## Adeliek (Jul 28, 2014)

Okay so, just all the usual stuff bedding food etc. I'm assuming they'll need chews and things for their teeth? Do hamsters play with toys or anything? I had one hamster who I remember wouldn't mind being woken up by an excited 8 year old me for play time...but my female one was horrible bless her. Although I will end up loving it and do want to handle it and play with it, I'll probably end up letting it go about its little life however it wants. I have no preference of what hamster I end up with, I know Syrians should be kept alone but are there any kinds that prefer having a friend?


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

They do need chews, but I'm not sure about anything else. I've never had hamsters before.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Adeliek said:


> Okay so, just all the usual stuff bedding food etc. I'm assuming they'll need chews and things for their teeth? Do hamsters play with toys or anything? I had one hamster who I remember wouldn't mind being woken up by an excited 8 year old me for play time...but my female one was horrible bless her. Although I will end up loving it and do want to handle it and play with it, I'll probably end up letting it go about its little life however it wants. I have no preference of what hamster I end up with, I know Syrians should be kept alone but are there any kinds that prefer having a friend?


 if you arnt going to play with them for at least 20 minutes a day then you shouldn't get one. Their needs are similar to rats. However in this case tanks are ok. You need about a 30 gal tank or equivalent. An eight inch wheel for dwarfs or an 11 inch for syrians. Some dwarfs can be housed together but need to be introduced befor 7 weeks of age. They are vary territorial. Water bottle needs to be changed daily. Apple wood chews are great. No pine or cedar bedding. Carefresh is recommended. Unbleached unscented. Tubes, houses, extra levels, hamster balls, wheel, quality food, salad once a week...wire cages need to be a 1/4 inch or so. They can squeeze out of most small spaces. Loufa chews toilet paper rolls...the possibilites are endless.


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

Please note that your cage must have at LEAST 360 sq inches of floor space BEFORE LEVELS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. 

http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/61972-minimum-cage-size/ 
That post will show you all you need to know about it, but I seriously recommend joining this website and asking them about hamster care. 

If you are going to have dwarfs be sure to remember that Chinese hamsters are NOT dwarfs and cannot be housed together. You will see some say "Chinese Dwarf hamster" - this is incorrect. 

Never use cotton bedding or nesting material.

If you plan on housing dwarfs together, do NOT have a multi-level or connected cage setup. This can cause fighting and even death. Some dwarfs, too, can start off just fine and fight later on. You will need to be prepared with a separate cage setup if you intend to house dwarfs together.

The IKEA Detolf is, bar none, the best and cheapest cage for the space it gives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQXI8pgRhmA You can see Erin's detolf here. Erin is a WONDERFUL resource for hamster care, and I would recommend stalking her channel... like I do. 

Also, hamsters do NOT require the level of handling of a rat. They should be tamed and handled regularly for health checks... but there is no reason to sit there pinning over your hamster for hours a day. Some hamsters will never take to handling, and "forcing" them to be handled can cause unneeded stress. Stress is to be avoided at all costs because it can cause a lowered immune system and this can cause a terrible disease called wet tail. No matter what the pet store tells you, wet tail NEEDS VET ATTENTION. The "drops" they sell in pet stores do absolutely nothing. Even with vet attention, wet tail is often fatal. 

Along with that, DO NOT BATHE HAMSTERS. Hamsters require sand baths like chinchillas. They will often keep themselves nice and clean, but if you go for a longhaired syrian, you might need to get a little finger brush to "dip" into the sand and brush through their fur. 

Before you get into hamsters seriously, I would watch this video, also by Erin, and decide whether or not they're right for your situation at the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNmz39xp_MY 

I would love to talk about hams! I don't have any, but I've researched them extensively because I was considering them before rats. If you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them!


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## Adeliek (Jul 28, 2014)

Zabora said:


> if you arnt going to play with them for at least 20 minutes a day then you shouldn't get one. Their needs are similar to rats. However in this case tanks are ok. You need about a 30 gal tank or equivalent. An eight inch wheel for dwarfs or an 11 inch for syrians. Some dwarfs can be housed together but need to be introduced befor 7 weeks of age. They are vary territorial. Water bottle needs to be changed daily. Apple wood chews are great. No pine or cedar bedding. Carefresh is recommended. Unbleached unscented. Tubes, houses, extra levels, hamster balls, wheel, quality food, salad once a week...wire cages need to be a 1/4 inch or so. They can squeeze out of most small spaces. Loufa chews toilet paper rolls...the possibilites are endless.


Maybe I should have worded it better, but I never said I WOULDN'T play with it, I meant that all playing and interaction will be on the hamsters terms as they aren't so great with being woken up etc. Okay so they are very similar to rats when it comes to toys and bedding. I have owned hamsters before so I was fairly aware of all the basics. But thanks for your help


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## PixieRat (Sep 1, 2014)

I had a hamster before and although I played with him regularly he was mostly a watching kind of pet like a fish aquarium or a reptile. It was fun that he was so soft and tolerated handling (most of the time) but he was never interested in me the way rats are. Less interested than my mice even.


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## Hagguu (Aug 22, 2014)

My old syrian was like a little lap dog. He used to groom my eyebrows, beg to be out of the cage, curl up on my knee and sleep. He was lovely. But syrians, in my opinion, are the more nicer breed (I had a dwarf after him and I swear this hamster was satan himself and launched for your hand from day one). Although they have to be housed alone, syrians are lovely hamsters. I'd suggest a boy too, much more placid. And in regards to playtime, fudge (very out-there exciting name eh?) fit into my routine. Give them a schedule, and they fit into it. After a few months he used to be up on a morning to see me and at playtime in the evening for a few hours (being a child I used to wake him up as I couldn't exactly stay awake until he decided to wake up, but he used to yawn it off and sit with me)


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## Hagguu (Aug 22, 2014)

Oh, and you can also litter train them! So I'd suggest a small animal toilet of some description for easier cage cleaning.


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

Just a little tidbit, Syrians are not a _breed_ of hamster, they are a species.  All species are separate and this is why you can't have crosses between two species of hamster (besides WW/Campbell's hybrids).


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## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Pandorascaisse: are the WW/Campbell's cross referred to as "hybrid dwarfs"? A pet store in my area has a tank of hamsters labeled as such and I've always wondered what that meant lol


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## Adeliek (Jul 28, 2014)

Thanks guys! By the looks of people's experiences it kind of 'depends'? Like I said I had one Syrian who was absolutely lovely, like a lap hamster! But the girl was super mean...  I just want to adopt one and give it a loving home where it can just be a hamster! I really don't think they're an ideal pet for kids as they're so misunderstood.


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## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Yeah I really think it does depend, I had a super snuggly Syrian. And I've had one that was grumpy his whole life. I've also had a couple robos. I think these are the most difficult to tame down, they're just so small and quick! Mine never completely adjusted to people, but they were fun to watch ;P


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Adeliek said:


> Maybe I should have worded it better, but I never said I WOULDN'T play with it, I meant that all playing and interaction will be on the hamsters terms as they aren't so great with being woken up etc. Okay so they are very similar to rats when it comes to toys and bedding. I have owned hamsters before so I was fairly aware of all the basics. But thanks for your help


 lol sorry I think I read it wrong


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

WW/Campbell's are called hybrid dwarf hamsters. However, all Winter White and Campbell's dwarfs who are _pure_ should come with a pedigree. The importance of this is that Campbell's (and very few strains of Winter White) dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes and *must* be fed a special diet to avoid it. Sadly, though, because of the hybrid nature of non-pure Campbell's and WW's, it is impossible to tell whether a pet-shop bred winter white or campbell's is actually pure without a pedigree, and therefore impossible to tell if it's prone to diabetes. 

Chinese hamsters suffer from this as well. 

Syrians, Roborovski dwarf hamsters and *pedigree only* Winter Whites are not prone to it and can be fed normally. If you're going to go for a dwarf species and aren't willing to provide a special diet, please go with Robos. They can be housed in groups and aren't generally prone to diabetes. However, if you _are_ willing to provide the special diet, you really should look into Chinese hamsters! They are smaller than Syrians, on average (large Chinese hamsters will be 4 inches in length, whereas even small Syrians will be 5), and make excellent pets when they are cared for properly and socialized properly. Sadly, they have a bad reputation as being "mean" and are considered not for newbie hamster owners, however for someone who loves rats, Chinese hamsters can be a perfect stepping stone (they are, after all, part of the "ratlike hamsters" group!). They even have a cute little tail, which other hamsters lack. 

Sorry if this is a bit too ramble-y... I do like talking about hamsters!


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## Hagguu (Aug 22, 2014)

Pandorascaisse said:


> Just a little tidbit, Syrians are not a _breed_ of hamster, they are a species.  All species are separate and this is why you can't have crosses between two species of hamster (besides WW/Campbell's hybrids).


OH MY GOD HOW DARE YOU CORRECT ME!

Haha just kidding  I was looking at it when typing and thought, is that right? I'll just go off the dog breed logic xD


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

It's fine, so many people call them all breeds!  The difference is that different breeds can breed together - for example, you can breed a poodle and a Labrador and get a Labradoodle. However, with different species, you cannot produce viable offspring. 

There are exceptions, though, as we all know - and humans seem to love hybridization. If we think of hamster species like species of cats, Campbell's are lions and Winter Whites are tigers. Can they breed together? Yes. Just like lions and tigers can make ligers or tions, Campbell's and WW can have offspring. However, like ligers or tions or zorses or zonkies... it's very difficult for these animals in some aspects of their lives. 

Ligers don't know whether they're a lion or a tiger; they are in limbo between two instincts pulling back and forth. The same applies for Hybrid Dwarfs - many breeders consider it a cruel practice and that is why they set up the pedigree program for Winter Whites and Campbell's - to attempt to keep the species pure and cut back on the cruel hybridization over-breeding. So, please, if you are going to get hamsters, don't support hybrid breeding - breed only pure WW/Campbell's from breeders or, if you're lucky, a pet store that sells them with their pedigrees.


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## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Alright well now my interest is piqued. I'm not familiar with Chinese hams but I have heard that they are bitey and mean, not that I believe it of course but it seems to be a common misconception. By rat-like did you mean appearance wise, or in relation to temperament as well?


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## Pandorascaisse (Mar 12, 2014)

They are listed as rat-like on appearances, however for most of us who have had anti-social ratties (as many of our rats come to us as), I think we could all relate to Chinese hamsters more in terms of taming. I don't believe Chinese hamsters are mean - rather, they are skittish and scared, and hamsters _do_ bite out of fear, or uncertainty, just as some rats do. I personally feel the most rewarding part of owning a pet is having them come up from practically nothing - with you being there the whole way to support them. 

I feel like Chinese hamsters being played off as "mean" too might be because their personalities are unexpected. They are almost as large as Syrians, so many people might except them to be more docile like their cousins, however they are on-the-go like their cousins the dwarfs, and I feel like with hamster owners who are usually more capable/knowledgeable at interacting with the dwarf species or Syrians, Chinese hamsters might be an unexpected medium. 

I suppose they could be rat-like in terms of personality once they are tamed. They're little zoomies, so I've read - and I think if you like female rats and their go, go, go! attitude, and like taking lots of time to really get to know your pets, Chinese hamsters might be perfect for you. 

Keep in mind, this is all just from research I've done - and actual personality/which hamster is right for you will come down to the individual hamster themselves, not the species. There are some Syrians who never tame up, some dwarfs who are just lazy little lovable blobs, etc.


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## Hagguu (Aug 22, 2014)

It's like wolf dogs, that must be such a troubling existence. Being stuck between domesticated and wild....but yeah, I get it now xD thanks Pandora!


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