# Dwarf Hamster Queries



## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

Hi, my 7 year old daughter wants a pair of Robovski dwarf hamsters for her next birthday, and I'm doing a bit of research.

Am I right in thinking two Robovski's will happily co-exist?

We were originally looking at getting a Syrian, and the choice of cage, for me, was pretty simple, a Savic Hamster Heaven Metro. Now that she has decided on Robovski's, this cage would probably not be suitable, due to the gaps between the wires? So, instead, I have been looking at the Savic Mickey 2 XL, which has narrower gaps between the wires, *but *has a wire shelf/platform. Am I right in thinking this platform is a hazard for the Robovski's feet?

I have looked at Habitrail Ovo, Rotastak and Crittertrail, but I read somewhere that dwarf hamsters cannot cope with the more vertical tubes, so they are somewhat redundant. Any views on this? Oh, and also, whether multi-storey cages are suitable for dwarf hamsters?

Thanks in advance!

Kieran


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

KieranM said:


> Hi, my 7 year old daughter wants a pair of Robovski dwarf hamsters for her next birthday, and I'm doing a bit of research.
> 
> Am I right in thinking two Robovski's will happily co-exist?
> 
> ...


I quite like the mickey cage...
It seems to be the same size as a hamster heaven.. though i have no idea where they sell them as i've never seen them in pet shops..

As with the bars on the shelf, you can always cover them with lino or something so they dont hurt their feet...

Rotastack imo are a pain to clean out! Too many bolt holes too!


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

looks like a good cage to me, never seen one before, might get one myself so let me know how you get on with it. i have three robos at the mo, one in a tank one on a rody and one it two rotastak rooms but im waiting for another tank or something to mover her too. i think the tank is my favourite but thats just me, although you cant put levels in a tank so easily. 

once the rotastak rooms are free again im giving them back to my syrian as they do cope better with the tubes.

although robos are better at living together then other hamster species you are better getting littermates and even then they may still fight, make sure you ask whoever you get them from to double check the sex too. because you never know.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I have noticed that a lot of members have had to seperate their robos when they reach maturity, having never owned that species of hamster I can't say 1st hand. The Mickey 2xl looks excellent, I also like this one Hagen LivingWorld Rodent Home Big 1: Great Deals on Rodent Cages at zooplus.


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

thedogsmother said:


> I have noticed that a lot of members have had to seperate their robos when they reach maturity, having never owned that species of hamster I can't say 1st hand. The Mickey 2xl looks excellent, I also like this one Hagen LivingWorld Rodent Home Big 1: Great Deals on Rodent Cages at zooplus.


wow never seen that one before either. it looks really good!!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Wow... they are £71.95!!! hmy:

Mickey 2 XL - Mouse / Dwarf Hamster Cage - S5323N (BRU) | Hamster Products | Hamster, Gerbil and Mouse Cages


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

Hey, you have to be very careful about keeping them together. Robos are the ones that are most likely to stick together, but they are by no means sociable. They are small, and extremely agile. I don't really think that they would be suitable for a 7 year old. I think a syrian would be much easier for her as a first pet. Don't listen to what you read on the net about hamster being sociable, I did that and one day on of my hamsters had eaten the other one!

Re: Cages the biggest one you can afford! If there are barred floors, you can put lino over the top - can wipe it clean, and ensures that your hammys feet won't get injured! For my dwarves I have at the moment one has a Hagen cage, and the other has a Fop I think..... They are reasonablely big with small cage spacing. I got mine on ebay and the corner was chipped and I fixed it myself in about 2 mins.... and it saved me bout £40 

A big cage would be fine for a little dwarf, they tend to run about 3 miles a night in the wild, and the bigger the cage the better! Also get a silent spinner or flying saucer wheel, as I tend to find all the wheels that come with cages are either unsuitable or drive you insane with the noise of them!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

BTW... you can use one of these in cages to stop / prevent bumblefoot...

Hammocky Hammocks - Hand Crafted Luxury For Your Pet


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

KieranM said:


> Hi, my 7 year old daughter wants a pair of Robovski dwarf hamsters for her next birthday, and I'm doing a bit of research.
> 
> Am I right in thinking two Robovski's will happily co-exist?
> 
> ...


I've got two of my Russians in an habitrail ovo loft and they seem more than happy. You can get extensions too to add on to make them bigger.

This is the one my male Russian dwarf hamster has.



















And my female has this one









We also have a Robo but he lives on his own as I have had a bad experience in the past of Robo's living together. They always seem to fight when they reach maturity. Also had this with Chinese hamsters too so I house all my hamsters on their own now and they seem happy enough.

Robo's are very fast and I doubt your daughter will be able to handle them. If she wants a dwarf hamster that she could tame she would be better with a Russian hamster in my opinion because they aren't as manic as Robo's and Chinese hamsters.

This is my daughters hamster, Honey who she had for her 8th birthday this year.









Tommy our Russian when he was a baby








Tommy full grown









Jasmine our female Russian








Titch the Robo


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Tommy is sooo sweet, and i love the last pic.. 

I like those crittertrail cages, Jazzy..

Are they easy to clean? Do they like them?


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

The blue ones in the pictures are the Crittertrail discovery deluxe but I wasn't really impressed with them for two reasons. The clip that shuts the door was plastic and within a few weeks had broken off Tommy's cage and also the wheel is on the side of the cage and was very noisy and lets all the mess just drop out of the wheel so I had to keep cleaning it up every morning. They seemed to like them though. You can add on to them too but I didn't have the room. Got like a little mini bus that adds on.


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

This is the one I had for our Syrian before I got her Hamster heaven. The chinese one lives in that one now although not put the pod bit on but just extended it by adding another round level and put the little mouse ladders in the tubes and she can zip up and down them now. Oh and added the dining room on too.
















Look at the little fatty here..:laugh:


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

rotastaks look really cool but i hear they are a sod to clean, and they are difficult to get the hamster out??


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Yes they are a pain to clean - well the one with the pod was anyway cos all the pod falls to bits and you have to build it up again. Much prefer the hamster heaven she's in now. The Chinese one is in the Rotastak and she has the bottom bit with two round bits in the middle and the dining room on top and the wheel is at the bottom fixed in one of the holes.


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

I think i'll stick with the cages i have then.. 

It already takes me long enough to clean them all 

I have a few spare cages so i think i'll get a dwarf ham... maybe


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## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I guess my major concern now is about having 2 x Robovski's co-existing. It would seem that's perhaps not such a good idea after all. Maybe I'll have to convince my daughter to go for a single Syrian, which then makes the case of choice a Savic Hamster Heaven Metro. Sorry, just can't cope with those totally-tubed 'cages' which remind me of a famous make vacuum cleaner which I had, and was useless!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

KieranM said:


> Wow, thanks for all the replies. I guess my major concern now is about having 2 x Robovski's co-existing. It would seem that's perhaps not such a good idea after all. Maybe I'll have to convince my daughter to go for a single Syrian, which then makes the case of choice a Savic Hamster Heaven Metro. Sorry, just can't cope with those totally-tubed 'cages' which remind me of a famous make vacuum cleaner which I had, and was useless!


Good choice, my Syrians love their Hamster Heavens. Have you considered getting a hammy from the adoption bit at [email protected], I got one of my Syrians from there and she has been a pleaseure to own, and she was already tamed.


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## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> Have you considered getting a hammy from the adoption bit at [email protected], I got one of my Syrians from there and she has been a pleaseure to own, and she was already tamed.


I live in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and have, due to pressure from daughter, visited a number of pet shop type places over the last week, including Pets At Home in Huntingdon and Cambridge. Having read quite a few posts on these forums, it appears Pets At Home are not always rated that highly. Have to say we spent quite a lot of time at the store in Cambridge on Tuesday, and I wasn't that impressed with the conditions their Hamsters were kept in. I'm sure I don't have to be an expert to recognise that they looked fairly bored, and there wasn't much in the way of toys in their enclosures. If someone can reassure me that Hamsters purchased from their Cambridge store are well looked after, and given the appropriate attention they need, then I would consider getting a Syrian from them. Otherwise, it might have to be from a rescue place.

Also have to say that I am really surprised by the enthusiasm shown by people on this forum. It's nice to know there is a community out there who can provide impartial advice!

Kieran


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## cherrie_b (Dec 14, 2008)

All but one of my hamsters are from [email protected] in Preston and I have never had a problem. Some of them are from the adoption section and if you can, get one from there.  

Good Luck with your search x


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

iv only ever had one hamster from [email protected] my little merlin and hes doing fine, although the woman did not seem to know how to pick him up and he was very skittish and she didnt know how to sex him, luckily i had already spotted he was a boy, it was hard not too. lol

rspca etc often have hamsters in and those are usually but not always less skitish and used to being handled.


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

Robos are notorious for falling out when hitting maturity.
I had two girls who showed ni signs of fighting then one day we found one had eaten the other.
I would never have two together ever again.
I agree a single syrian is the way to go.
Pets at Home are not great and there are a lot of complaints about them and most of the animals in the rehoming section were originally bought from them in the first place.
It is a case of under trained staff giving advice on animals they know nothing about.
TO be honest if I was you I would look in the paper for a local breeder.Not only are they cheaper but you can visit and inspect their set up and decide for yourself if you like what you see to whether you buy from them or not.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

The hamsters (and other animals) in the adoption section at [email protected] are different from the animals who are in their other animals for sale section, The adoption bit is usually at the back of the store away from the other animals, I didn't even know this section existed till I joined this forum, these animals have been brought in by previous owners who no longer want them, to adopt them you need to fill out a form with your details and give a donation so they can continue to operate the adoption bit, they are rescue hamsters. I have one adopted hamster called Angel who lives up to her name and is an absolute Angel.


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

The last one (syrian) i bought from pets at home was a little sod to tame... 
It took me ages! 

I have three rescue hammies at the min...

The RSPCA are really good... They assess the temperament and will always tell you if there is a problem

I got Leo from there and he's a big softie :001_wub:


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## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

Ok, maybe I will give Pets At Home a chance. When the time comes I'll try the Cambridge branch. 

I like the Pets At Home leaflet, which, unsurprisingly, recommends their own hamster feed! Has anyone used it? Any good?


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Out of our five hamsters, four of them are from pets at home and they have all been fine. I must admit I do hate the way they keep their hamsters in those small tank thingies with lights above them and nothing for them to do, I only hope they aren't there long. We have a Syrian, Chinese, Russian and Robo from our local branch.
I feed all ours on Harry Hamster which is meant to be a good hamster muesli. I don't like the pets at home stuff at all.


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

Just a little word of advice...... Pine bedding is bad for hamsters.... and guess what... [email protected] bedding is Pine!


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## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

Ok, I'm getting good feeling about Pets At Home. So, pine for beeding, what should I use for generally covering the floor? Wood shavings?


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## KieranM (Jul 30, 2009)

Ooops, misread message about pine bedding being *bad*!


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

I mean pine wood shavings!!! LOL They are bad for hamsters and can give hamsters respiratory problems from the oils. The fresher and more piney it smells, the worse it is.


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