# Dwarf Hamsters



## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

Hey, I have been having a mini bidding war for some Rotastak stuff (loads, really cheap!) and so I was wondering are dwarf hamsters good pets? Which are the slowest? and do they eat the same food as Syrians?


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

you can not keep multiple dwarfs in rotastaks cages, it increases the chances of them becoming territorial and fighting, dwarfs also struggle with vertical tubes, and rotastak have major issues with ventilation and humidity build up, which can lead to mould growth. to be honest there are so so so many better options out there too...

dwarf hamsters are faster then syrians, and can be a bit harder to tame up, campbells and campbells hybrids are prone to diabetes so you need to be careful with their diet, which means picking sunflower seeds and peanuts out the mix, i would probably say the russians (crd & ww's) are the slowest, chinese can be quite fast but are really sweet and literally cling to you, robos are very fast


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## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

Oh I see... hmm, may have to re-think my options D:


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## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

I have 2 winter whites and they are the lovliest hammies ever! They like coming out for cuddles and will do anything to get your attention so you get them out....about 10 times a day!

Definitely agree with Lil Miss, rotastak is a bad cage in general and especially bad for dwarfs as they cant climb the tubes and because of the different pod units which would cause arguments no doubt.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> chinese can be quite fast but are really sweet and literally cling to you


Really???????? Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah Cherpi I haven't had much experience of dwarves but have had winter whites who are lovely! Their mum was sweet...but not in a handleable way...she hissed at me lol! But the boys...esp the biggest one is very handleable!! Rotastak aren't the best....maybe for one lone male mouse who was gonna be on his own anyways! But mice smell and I found the best cages for them are the open and airy ones...esp as they love climbing bars. xx


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

I think out of the dwarf hamsters that Russians are the tamest. I had a Chinese hamster in rotastak and she loved it, zipping up and down the tubes with the aid of the mouse ladders they sell for them. They aren't really big enough for Syrians. Doubt a Robo would cope in a rotastak as I don't think they are that bright.. :laugh:

I have always used Harry Hamster for all my hamsters, dwarves as well as Syrians.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

niki87 said:


> Really???????? Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww meeeeeeeeeeeeee wants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

little Ying crossed the bridge last year 
but look at the face










also just to add, chinese hamsters really shouldnt be housed together, they are very prone to fighting, females especially, males can sometimes be housed together, but you need to be extra vigilant


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Awww he was a very scrummy hamster!!!

Yeah I believe it's the same with winter whites. Girls are v temperamental even with their daughters. xx


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Lil Miss said:


> little Ying crossed the bridge last year
> but look at the face
> 
> also just to add, chinese hamsters really shouldnt be housed together, they are very prone to fighting, females especially, males can sometimes be housed together, but you need to be extra vigilant





niki87 said:


> Awww he was a very scrummy hamster!!!
> 
> Yeah I believe it's the same with winter whites. Girls are v temperamental even with their daughters. xx


I had two chinese boys who lived together for three years without a single tiff (I think I was incredibly lucky there though as Ive heard some horror stories since) and also a group of winter white hybrid girls also with never an argument, I find that if you make sure you have a large enough cage with a single footprint (ie no crappy pod type cages like rotastak). make sure you have a wheel for each hamster, a house for each hamster (although mine always shared). No extra levels as ladders are hot spots and they can try to defend a level that they see as their own, also scatter feed so food bowls arent defended and have two water bottles, tubes were also a no no as they can try to defend those too.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

WW and CRD are no where near as bad as chinese, its very very rare to get a pair of chinese who remain lifelong friends, all 5 of my WW/CRD hybrids fell out when they came over to me though, they were in a pair and a trio, i think the journey (from pawz for thought in newcastle, to me in sheffield, with an over night stop in leeds) upset the order of things


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Oh forgot to add, whatever number you have in the group you will need spare cages just in case they fall out, when they do fall out you need to act fast and they cant stay together while you pop out to get a cage.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Ying decided to neuter Yang, after living together for well over a year 

if you do decide to try and cohabit any species of animal though, you need to have the space and resources to separate ASAP


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Yeah my 4 ww boys were in a large zz for about 6 months then one was being bullied...then few months later another. But the two that r still together scrap a little but seem OK. I agree you do need spare cages. xx


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## Lady Sol (Aug 20, 2009)

Russians and chinese can climb the short vertical tubes in rotastaks fine. Or at least mine have had no problems. Robos can manage it, but I find they tend to face splat down the ladders rather than climbing down gracefully. They can't manage the bendy tubes though or longer vertical tubes (because you can't get the ladders to fit them). You're looking at about £100+ for a decent sized rotastak setup though. All but one of my dwarves live in Habitrail/Crittertrail/Ferplast/Rotastak palaces. My robos live together so they have an 110 litre storage bin. I find the modular cages work much better for me, but I join together several of the larger set-ups for each hamster.

My russians fell out and had to be seperated. I have 4 robo girls that do share a cage though. They seem happiest in groups, but it doesn't always last.


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## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

I think I may stick to what I know, then if I can convinse my mum in the future to let me have two Dwarfs then I'll get two big cages and use one as the main then if they fight I'll seperate.


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