# which hamster? chinese or winter white?



## hazel1952 (Apr 11, 2012)

Am undecided on which rodent to get as a second pet-I already have a female roborovski-but am thinking about getting either a Chinese female hanster or a female winter white-which have the best temprament?I have never kept a Chinese hamster before-so do these make good pets and are they biters?How can i prevent any kind of jealousy with my roborovski ''Dinky'' if i take on a second pet?Will the scent of another animal upset her?Is it best to change my clothes and wash hands etc between handling the robo and the second hamster?
Should i make sure i do my best to give equal amounts of time,love and attention to avoid any jealousy-as have had our roborovski six months now and shes used to having a Lot of attention and love-so do you think its wise for me to take on a second pet-either a chinese or winter white dwarf hamster-without it creating problems?
2 hammies is the absolute maximum i could cope with given my age-59-and my health not been very good.
Some of you might think i'm too old to have hamsters as a pet but i have always loved hamsters.Have kept a syrian until it died last year.


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## Acid (Aug 8, 2011)

from my own experience ive found both to have good temperaments; ive owned one chinese hamster and three winter whites in the past; only one of the winter whites was aggressive but he was a very dominant hamster until his old age when he let things slide and we could finally pick him up. id recommend a Chinese more so though as my winter whites were ever so fast and impossible to catch and were really more of a look at pet. my Chinese hamster never bit and was quite handle-able but they are more solitary animals so just buy one if you decide on that

honestly hamsters don't really get jealous the way dogs would, for hygiene reasons id wash your hands to prevent passing on infections if one of your hamsters does catch something but with my Syrians anyway it doesn't really bother them if they can smell anothers scent on my hands, they spend a few seconds smelling my skin then lose interest

i dont think youre too old for a hamster, i intend to keep hamsters until im too old too look after myself  theyre such amazing little creatures


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

I have had both, in fact I currently have one of each. My Winter White is a male and is extremely placid and laid back, even as a youngster he was easy to catch and hold,and nowhere near as nippy as Russians are. It's also fun to watch them change color in the winter(though not all do). Chinese are wonderful, I don't have a favorite hamster breed, but I must say that I have a VERY soft spot for these. I have only had females, but from the ones I've had I can say they're tiny, beautiful temprements(mine very rarely nipped), and happy to be handled. They can be fast, but more catchable than a roborovski, and they have tiny paws that cling to you more than other hamsters. In fact from my experience, once you have gotten them out they are quite happy to stay still and be petted, or climb up your hands/arms, rather than just wanting to get down and explore. Chinese are a lot more 'mouselike' than other hamsters in that their fairly thin and long, much 'flatter' than other breeds, and they have a tiny little tail giving the mousey appearance. I can put a pic of each up if you want an idea of their appearance/compare them.

I would say both these breeds are the most laid back, handleable and friendliest out of the smaller hamster types. Chienese's are supposed to be longer lived than the other breeds, and my first one certainly outlived all my 40+ of my previous hammys. I think you'll have a great pet in whichever you choose, but I will say if I could only have one full stop, it would, without hesitation be a Chinese - there's just something about them

Oh and no your not to old to own or want another pet! One of the reasons I love having pets so much is that you can't 'outgrow' them! They're like much better versions of the toys/things you had and are afraid of admitting you still like. You can't still brush your barbie's hair, so you brush you dogs/rabbits/horses instead, and instead of arranging your doll's house you rearrange you hamster cages and NOBODY can ever say to you in a scornful voice "aren't you a bit old to be doing that/wanting one of those". IMHO pets keep you young!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

No advice on little hammies ive never owned them but your never too old to enjoy a pet if you feel you can cope with them imo have fun choosing!


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