File :-(, x, )
anonymous
dwarf hamsters as pets? any special needs? things I should know? I'm planning on getting a pair tomorrow... any advice would be greatly appreciated!
>> Anonymous
i had two they liked to bite
>> Anonymous
getting a pair is probably not a great idea, unless you're planning to watch them maul each other
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Not a dwarf, but close enough?
>> Anonymous
>>111778
No, that would be for Syrian hamsters, the bigger kind, like in 111782's pic. Syrians are solitary animals and will fight to the death. I've had to buy several cages to house each Syrian I owned.
Dwarfs on the otherhand, are quite the opposite. They may actually literally die of loniness, being such social animals. They may squabble a bit, but it's nothing to worry about unless you start seeing some blood. Get a pair, male+female, or of the same sex if you don't want them to spawn lots and lots of babies. hehe
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
dwarfs are so cute when they run on their wheels and even cuter when they fly out of it.
>> That Gomez
I lost one to cold one winter when our heater blew out. They're very sensitive to cold, though I guess that can be said for all hamsters.
>> Anonymous
I've got a pair - and they bite each other. We had to seperate them. Other than that, they are cute, but stupid. They'll jump off your hand no matter how high above the ground they are...
>> Anonymous
hahahahahahahaahahha! that hamster in the weelchair is so fucking disabled!! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!111
>> Anonymous
Dwarf hamsters are vile little monsters. I used to work in a pet store & every time I went to get one for a customer the little bastards would ALWAYS bite me. I wasn't even mean or abusive 'cause I love animals. Seriously, if you want a rodent as a pet you should get a rat. They're extremely friendly & you can feed them pretty much anything.
>> Anonymous
I wouldn't get a pair, they're very territorial. In fact my dwarf hamster is a rescue from a pair my friend had. One bit the others eye out and proceeded to be generally mean to each other. I took the one-eyed guy home with me, he's a little pirate.

They can't help it. Alone they're very sweet and tame to me and my friend, but they're grumpy little things at times. I would suggest you never wake them up to play, they hate being woken up or startled. While they may be dumb as hell, they WILL remember if you wake them up when they don't want to be and they won't trust you.

They're not for everyone but I think they're cute.
>> Anonymous
my dwarf hamster just died, not a very friendly animal, pretty dumb too. but fun
>> Anonymous
Dwarf hamsters are easier to take care of if you raised them from a very young age.

I raised my dwarf hamsters up when I recieved a pregnant female hamster by mistake.

They grew up to be very tame. Although They would still fight if you would pair them up.
>> Anonymous
I remember having 2 hamsters in a single cage. On the first months, there was no trouble, they were friendly.

Then, they became quite aggressive, so I had to separate them. The thing that frightened me is the fact that I put my hand to separate them one when they were fighting. One of the little fuckers bited me. He bited me HARD. I wonder how they did not kill eachother earlier in fact.

Then some months later, one of the two died, there was blood everywhere in his cage. I suspect one of my cats getting the way to open the fucking door, but we never found the hamster's corpse or bones anywhere.

The garden door was closed, so the cats couldn't have brought it outside, and they often show what they brought, to my mother's dismay...
>> Anonymous
the vet i work for says that dwarf hamsters are the nastiest, but i've 3, 2 girls and a boy and they were super sweet. just handle them alot
>> Anonymous
Don't use pine or cedar bedding, they have oils that can give hamsters respiratory problems.

Their food should be a high-quality pellet food, like Mazuri. If you can't find Mazuri hamster food, go for the one with the least kibble-type bits and seeds. They like some fresh fruits and stuff, too.

The cage should be as big as you can manage. Wire bar cages are better than glass aquariums because they get better ventiliation. They love all those plastic tubes and wheels and shit that connect to the wire/plastic houses, too. Empty toilet paper rolls make awesome chew toys.

Clean the cage out about once a week. If you want it to be friendly with you, take it out and play with it as much as you have time for. Some hamsters really like those balls you put them inside and then let them run around in, too, just make sure you don't leave them in there for too long. Timothy hay every once in a while or kleenex make great toys and nesting materials.
>> anonymous
OP here, I went ahead and bought one yesterday... how do I keep him from jumping out of my hand whenever I hold him?
>> Anonymous
while dwarfs (campbell's and winter whites specifically) are social, occasionally, even after living together for some time, they might turn hostile and have to be separated. On the other hand, they may bond for life and even mourn when the other passes. Just like people, it's a mixed bag. Giving them plenty of space helps, so get the biggest cage you can for them. Just because they're tiny doesn't mean they need a tiny home.
>> Anonymous
what you have in your hand is a siberian dwarf. I had one. After 6 months, the arthritis kicked in and from being nice and friendly, she became extremely aggressive and bite happy, all the time. The pet store told me that it's quite common and is because of bad genetics.
>> Anonymous
>>112793
you can't. they're stupid.
>> Anonymous
>>112793
you cant
>> Anonymous
>>112793

Agree with previous anons. They are pretty dumb and not really trainable. He will either learn on his own... or not.
>> tigerfeather !CrwtTbFNxQ
>>112793
What kind did you get? Campbell's, Winter White, or Roborovski? If you go the Robo, then you can't really teach it to not jump. They aren't "handling" hamsters. The other ones can be taught to tolerate you, and some may even like you, but hamsters are very nearsighted and can't see the fact that they're up in the air on your hand. So......they jump. ~shrug~
>> Anonymous
op here

Ok thanks guys. I realize my mistake now buying that thing.

So I sat on him.

time for a new pet lol.
>> anonymous
>>112939
a robo... darn.. I shall try anyhow. can they be really badly hurt from falling? and how am I to clean him? (sorry, I'm too lazy to google info)..

Oh, and does anyone know if they are strong enough to power those little plastic balls you can put rodents in?
>> anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>112942
the hamster in question
>> Anonymous
remember to ductape them to your wheel hubcaps...LULZ
>> Anonymous
>>112944
aaaaaaaaaaaaaw what a cute russian roboroski bronoski dwarf hamster
>> Anonymous
Never EVER EVER put them together with another hampster type.
>> Anonymous
hampsters just suck.. get a rat, hardly ever any sort of problem will arise.
>> anonymous
>>112942
please answer the second question, someone
>> Anonymous
>>112942
>>113114

They make ones specifically for mice and dwarf hamsters. He probably wouldn't be able to move one made for a Syrian very well.
>> anonymous
>>113118
thanks!
>> Anonymous
Not helpful to OP, but a my roommate had a dwarf hamster and when it died he flushed it down the toilet. It was awful/hilarious.
When it was alive, we would put it in it's little plastic ball thing and it would terrorize my cat.
>> Anonymous
>>113125
lol I would like to try that with my cat.