Habitrail system for dwarf hamsters

sombaht

Hi,
I am planning on getting 2 dwarf hamsters for my 8 year old son. I was looking at the Habitrail cages, in paticular the Playground model. Would such a cage be suitable for 2 dwarves? My reason for the Habitrail is the fact that you can add to them over time if need be. I haven't seen this functionality with other cages. Thanks in advance for any advice . . .

Cheers,
sombaht

Liam90

i don't know what them cages are like but if i remember correctly it is best to have a cage with only one floor that has lots of space for dwarves as they don't like climbing. not 100% sure on this but i think thats correct.

Our man in Havana

dwarves will climb etc - my only problem with these cages are the cleaning thats involved! hamsters ALWAYS poop & pee in the tubes & they have to be taken apart & cleaned in warm soapy water.

Interceptor

Can I add tuppenceworth? I have found dwarf hamsters to be very cute to look at but will bite with little reason or warning. I have had lots and bred several varieties of dwarf hamsters and if I didn't wash my hands carefully and had a scent of dog, cat, mouse, other hamster or gerbil on my hands - CHOMP. If your 8 year old has had hamsters in the past and knows what they are like then fine but if it is a first pet, proceed with caution and consider a gerbil. Gerbils are far less likely to bite and are more easily handled by small kids.

The habitrail system does require detailed cleaning or it will get smelly but dwarf hamsters don't need a huge amount of space. Dwarf hamster take a good bit of handling to get them used to being picked up - the Habitrails give them lots of places to hide and can make handling them tricky.

My 8 yr old daughter has two pet mice and they play in her Barbie house, don't bite and come when she calls them so are ideal as a first pet but they need to be cleaned out twice a week or they get smelly. She wants a gerbil next...

sombaht

Well the cleaning will be responsibility of my son (with me supervising until such time I know he can handle it on his own). My main worry is whether or not the cage is big enough for 2. Though I could always add to it, I have to order online as there is no stockist locally.

Cheers,
sombaht

sombaht

Interceptor,
Thanks for the advice, I have read that dwarf hamsters tend to bite but also that if you persevere in terms of handling them, taking it nice and slowly and not rushing it that they can become comfortable with humans handling them. He has been told that washing hands before and after handling the hamsters is a must!

Cheers,
sombaht

Interceptor

sombaht wrote:

Well the cleaning will be responsibility of my son...

Hmmm, good luck with that! I clean the mice with the help of my daughter but if I don't remember it her room starts to smell like the toilets at a Slane concert. I keep rats and I clean everything at the same time each week.

I'm surprised no-one in Limk stocks Habitrail - several shops in Galway have it as do lots of places in Dublin. It might be a good idea to get whoever is supplying the hamsters to show you how to handle them and possibly even to handle them for a week or so before you get them so you don't run the same risk of being bitten.

In answer to your original question, any habitrail will be large enough for a pair of dwarf hamsters - make certain sure they are the same sex, ideally male as they are less cranky or you will be overrun with babies in no time.

'cptr

sombaht

Interceptor,
We will definitely be getting 2 same sex hamsters. Didn't realise the males were less cranky than the females, thanks for that.
Limerick has a dismal selection of pet stores and the few that do exist cater more for tropical fish, cat/dog accessories rather than hamsters/gerbils etc.

Cheers,
sombaht

Gauge

You need to be wary of female hamsters too- at least two people I've know have purchased one female hamster only to look in the cage a week or two later and discover they now have one female hamster and a whole load of baby hamsters! That said, I had a female dwarf hamster when I was 8 and I loved the little thing to pieces- it lived for 2 and a half years and only bit me once... didn't like to climb though so I doubt it would have been too happy in one of them habitat things.

sombaht

Gauge,
Initially my son did want a male and female with the hope that they "might fall in love" as he put it. That idea was quickly nipped in the bud!
Of all the cages I've seen the majority seem to have some form of climbing equipment, just the habitrail ones allow you to "grow" should the need arise.

Cheers,
sombaht

Interceptor

As a less costly alternative I would suggest a decent sized fishtank with a selection of toilet/kitchen roll tubes and cardboard boxes to play in. Use a mixture of wood chips and hay as bedding with torn up tissue for them to make beds with. I used but old mugs, plant pots and even old shoes in with my hamsters for them to play/hide in. So long as there is plenty of ventilation in the top of the tank and they can't climb out it would be perfectly suitable for dwarf hamsters.

In order to prevent buying females, pay the shop to hold the hamsters until they are six-eight weeks old and the males will be very obvious and easy to identify (they have noticeable testicular bulges at their tails...) I know so may people who have unwittingly bought pregnant pets from careless pet shops.

'cptr

sombaht

I feel the cages offer better ventilation that the glass tank, plus the cages offer many bits and bobs that I'd have to source elsewhere such as wheels, climbing frames water bottle etc.

Cheers,
sombaht

Sigma Force

A large tank is more practical and that might be worth considering eg 3 foot clear tank with a timber and wire lid.

However I do know habitrail is a pain to clean BUT I LOVE it!
If you add to the Habitrail you can then take it apart in sections just block off a tube and you can take half of it away to clean it. Soaking it in a tub of white vinegar over night then rinsing it with warm water is a good way to get rid of stubborn stains. The only down side of Habitrail is that all the new Habitrail isn't as large if you can get your hands on second hand old habitrails like the carnival these are much more fun and larger too.

Hamsters love Habitrails it's designed to be fun with lots of ways to add on fun things like observation towers and little space towers etc. You can also try ebay for add ons which is sometimes cheaper than the shops.

I have had my old habitrail for about 11 years now although through no fault of the habitrail bits have gone the new habitrail fits onto it anyway.

The only other thing I would say if check the tubes regularly to make sure they haven't come apart a handy way to prevent this is just sellotape the outside. Habitrails are more of an effort but they are so much fun and will keep a child interested esp. if they have to save up their pocket money for new add ones. There's a safari one or space one which would be great for a little boy.

I just wish they still did the old design as it was 100% better more sturdy and loads more space the wheel in the carnival was the best wheel for syrians I had ever come across it even had a hide away section in it.
My dad threw a load of my Habitrail in a skip by accident years ago :-(

sombaht

Guineapigrescue,
The fact the the habitrail can be expanded is a plus I think as I think it can keep a child more interested if they can add to the cage overtime and change the layout. Looks like I'll be ordering one this weekend, just wish they were available in Limerick!

Cheers,
sombaht

boomerang

Hey Sombaht,

I thought I saw habitrail equipment in The Pet Supermarket, but maybe I'm dreaming? Have you tried ebay?

I have two dwarf hamsters (both female). They started out in wire cages with plastic flooring (like you see in the petshops) but I felt these were too small and hard to clean. I ended up getting glass fish tanks instead and these are a way better option! You can buy or make a simple wire grille to fit over the top so that they get adequate air but can't escape. A three or four foot tank would be ideal for a pair of dwarf hamsters, and you can pick a second-hand tank up easily enough in the Buy and Sell. I've got all kinds of toys and wheels in mine, all of which cost no more than five euro each.

Going on my own experience, you've got to be prepared for the possibility that the two dwarfies will not get along. Even if they are from the same group in the petshop, there are no guarantees that they won't fight when living together. This is really distressing as they fight really noisily. If one draws blood, then it's time to separate them. This is what I had to do with my two girls. So you've got to be prepared to split up the hammies if they're not getting along, and have them live in two separate tanks. That means you have to buy two of everything and you then have two tanks to clean! Gerbils are more likely to get along, if raised together from the same litter.

Another reason that the glass tanks are so useful is they're very secure. As dwarf hamsters are small and shy - if they get out of their cage they are much harder to catch than say, a gerbil, who's naturally more inclined to come back to you. They're also very fragile so need very sensitive handling, and not all children are capable of this. Particularly if you get them in a pet shop and they're not used to being handled, it can take weeks of patiently laying your hand quietly in the cage and tempting them with sunflower seeds, before they'll readily sit on your hand. Do it unexpectedly or when your hands smell of food, and they will nip (although in my experience, it doesn't hurt all that much, lol). They also don't tolerate being handled for all that long - if your son would like a pet that he can be more tactile with then I think gerbils would be a better option. Also remember that hamsters tend to sleep most of the day and only become active in the evening and at night time, so your son can only interact with them on their terms, when they feel like it, as he can't go waking them up! Gerbils are not crepuscular like dwarf hamsters, so they make better pets in the sense that they're more likely to be up and about at the same time as your son!

One last thing - I thought I was being clever in deciding on two females for pets... I didn't realise that the petshop in Limerick that I bought them from kept young males and females together in the same tank even though they were sexually mature!! I was really, really lucky that neither of my two were pregnant when I bought them - the thought of having to rear and rehome up to eighteen babies per dwarf kept me awake for nights on end! The petshop I bought from were good on sexing. I'd go for two males to rule out the possibility of a visit from the stork!

Hamster Heaven is a great discussion forum for all things hamster, I'm sure if your soon is internet-savvy he'd love it. You can post pics of your hamsters and your housing set-ups, and get lots of really good advice. I'll see if I can find the link and post it for you.

Best of luck and if you have any other questions I'll do my best to answer them!

boomerang

Here's the link to the Hamster Heaven website... check out the message board!


http://www.hamster-heaven.com/


And for good measure, here's some pics of my two dwarf hamster girls!

(That's the other nice thing about the glass tanks - it's much easier to watch the girls are up to - it's like hamster tv!!) :rolleyes:

Sigma Force

Hehe Boomerang spot them two little monkeys a mile off lol.

Habitrail tbh is over priced for what it is but I love it so much I find it's worth it I guess you either love or hate it.
Ebay is a good place to shop around for cheaper add ons.

Sigma Force

Here's a link to Habitrail on ebay.
http://search.ebay.ie/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.ie%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=habitrail&category0=

Ventilation wise I have never had a problem with Habitrail the fact it's enclosed as well makes a hammie feel very secure. There are air holes on the top and bottom and you can gett tube ends with holes as well.

sombaht

Boomerang,
We went back to Pet supermarket at the weeekend and found a cage very similar to the Habitrail complete with tubes and extra bits and bobs. We picked up two females dwarfies and so far they seem to enjoy life in their new home.
I am amazed at their different personalities. One is really adventurous and is always on the go, when someone enters the room she sits up and is very alert, she comes over to teh edge of the cage and will sniff the air and already will take seeds from your hand. Her sister is much quieter and tends to keep to herself a lot more content to hide away in the tube system or buried under the bedding (they both LOVE to shred tissue paper!) I do worry a bit that her quieter nature is not a sign of her being bullied by her sister though.
I do have a couple of questions though, how often should we feed them fresh fruit and veggies? And is the diet available in pet stores sufficient? The one we use seems to be one that the owner makes up himself in a clear bag.

Cheers,
sombaht

boomerang

Hi Sombaht!

Glad it's working out well! Did you check out the Hamster Heaven forum? It'll be very useful for you if you have any worries - especially if they being to squabble, which can happen. :rolleyes: I wouldn't worry that one is more reclusive and less active than the other... my own pair are exactly like that! Kip's outgoing and inquisitive, always bombing about, whereas Fidget much prefers to spend time in her nest and doesn't race about. You have absolutely nothing to worry about unless you begin to hear a lot of squealing and see them fighting a lot.

The hamster mix from the petshop is ok... You'll probably find that your little girlies are quite selective about the bits that they eat and will inevitably leave some behind... That's ok so long as they're not gorging on the sunflower seeds and nothing else, as that's a sure-fire way for them to pile on the weight, and obese dwarf hammies can develop diabetes! One thing you can do to ensure they're not being selective is to only change their food every second day... That way they'll probably eat the best bits the first day (such as the sunflower seeds and peanuts) and then the less appetising things like the maize flakes the second day.

I find that my own two ladies aren't that pushed about fruit and veggies, and I put it down to the fact that they were reared in the petshop and only fed on the dry mix there. But you can give your dwarf hammies tiny pieces of fruit or veg up to about 3-4 times a week. You have to be careful not to over-do it as it can cause diarrhoea, which can be very dangerous for such small creatures. You can try them with a very small slice of carrot, or a sprig of broccoli or a piece of apple... just be sure to remove any leftovers before they begin to spoil, or it could upset the hammies' tummies.

They'll also appreciate an occasional little piece of boiled egg white, cottage cheese or a tiny piece of ham... always in minute quantities though. Stay clear of the honey-coated sticky hamster treats they sell in the petshops - they can get impacted in the hamster's cheek pouches.


By the way, if you got them from the petshop in Fox'es Bow, they're most likely to be the Winter White variety. You'll notice as the days get shorter in the autumn that they'll start to turn white! Kip went completely white this winter and she was absolutely beautiful!

G&T

Bought 3 dwarf hamsters one for each of my boys,we got females.
They fought all the time which was very upsetting for the kid's.
To make a long story short we now have one hamster who i call killer, she killed her sisters and ate half their heads while we were away one weekend.
Luckily I spotted it before the kid's so my husband disposed of them and we told the lad's their pet's had died of "sudden hamster death syndrome".

I have since heard that dwarf hamsters should be bought and kept solo.
The boy's have no interest in the hamster because all it does is sleep by day.

The habitrail cages are great and if I haven't managed to put you off they have a great selection in The pet shop in Galway behind the N17 superstore.
Your welcome to have killer aka cindy.:eek:

dudara

I've had multiple pairs of Campbells dwarf hamsters and currently have two females in one cage and a single male in another. I love it when I get up in the morning, and they're all up to greet me (it might also have something to do with the fact that that is when I give them their veg for the day). I could watch a hamster grooming themselves all day.

One of the females lost a front paw as a pup, so she is Tripod. The other is 2paw. They are regular Campbell's, as in the pic ( I don't have any current pics of mine, so I've borrowed from the net)



The male is a beautiful champagne variant with silkier hair than the standard breed. His name is Q-ball, as he is round and white. He's quite like the guy on the right of this pic



As a species, they are incredibly cute, but fairly stupid. They can also be cranky, so maybe not ideal for kids, but still adorable.

Here are some of my thoughts on having dwarves.

1. My two females are diabetic. This is not uncommon in dwarves. You will spot it because of the amount of water they drink and the consequent peeing. Dwarves do not generally drink a lot of water as they have very efficient kidneys, but when diabetic, it will go through the roof. This means that all fruits and most feeds are out for the girls. I get Vitalcraft mix for them, which is suitable and since I've made the changes to their diet, things are much improved.

2. I keep mine in wire cages, as they do like to climb. However, they are the worst climbers I have ever seen. They reach the top, and to get back down, they just let go. I had one die suddenly, and I am positive that it was due to injuries sustained in a fall. So a glass cage or solid-walled cage might be more to your liking.

3. They love all fruit and veg, the crunchier and watery-er the better. Cherry tomatoes, peppers and broccoli are all firm favourites with mine.

4. When handling, make sure that your hands are clean with no food or animal smells that might cause them to clamp on.

5. As they get older (average lifespan is about 2 years), they might develop lumps and cysts. Again, this is common for them. Just keep an eye out and you might want to intervene when it gets too big or painful.

6. Females are crankier than males, but males are smellier than females. So take your pick. They might fight occasionally, but that can be just blowing off steam.

7. Hamsters like to roll on their backs. They do it for fun and also to clean themselves. so make sure that there is an open area in the cage somewhere. If yours like to do it, then it's adorable to watch.

The Wikipedia article on Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters is good reading.

boomerang

G&T wrote:

I have since heard that dwarf hamsters should be bought and kept solo.

Not true actually. Their larger cousin, the better known Syrian hamster, is solitary by nature and must be housed alone. Dwarfs however are social, and provided they don't fight, they generally do better in pairs or small groups. It is extremely difficult to introduce a new dwarf hamster into an existing adult dwarf hamster's territory. You have the best chance of your dwarfs getting along if they are from the same litter and were reared together.

If there is any aggression between them they MUST be separated, as left unchecked, they can inflict extremely serious injuries on one another, as G&T can attest!

Sometimes they like to play fight which involves chasing each other and squeaking, which is normal. But if one is constantly pinning the other on its back and is biting and drawing blood, then it's time for them to live separately.

By the way I dispute the idea that male dwarf hamsters are smelly compared to their female counterparts. Male rodents do smell more strongly than the females, but so long as you keep their environment clean, they're not smelly!

I don't find my female dwarfs cranky or stupid, but maybe they're exceptional!

sombaht

Thanks for all the advice, we seem to be getting on fine with our 2 dwarves, and they seem happy so far with their new home.Htey are a joy to watch every day with their antics and seem to be getting much friendlier, they will now walk onto your hand without biting (which is nice! :rolleyes: ).
One question though, is it worth getting a little toilet tray for them, and how easy is it to train them to make use of it? At the moment they seem to use the upper tray in their cage as their main toilet area and feeding area.

Cheers,
sombaht

Mawg

I had a similar cage, but with gerbils. It was nice for them, with the tubes and everything, but it was inconvenient in the sense that it became really smelly really fast, and because alot of it was plastic they could chew it to bits and escape.

Personally, for any small rodent I'd reccoment a metal, open air type cage. You can add in the middles of toilet rolls to keep it interesting, they'll play in them and nip them to bits. Also, if you're buying the hamsters for children, the hamsters won't necessarily need a massive enclosure, as kids tend to give pets lots of attention, I bet they'll have them out and about every day!

I remember when I was an 8 year old with gerbils I used to collect any cardboard boxes and tubes that I found around the house and make forts and mazes for the gerbils to play in when I took them out of the cage. You can have great fun making things for them!

Our man in Havana

Its rare in dwarfs but common in Syrian hamsters - I have kept russian, roborovskis & Chinese hamsters & have only had a few problems if fighting starts hammis must be seperate asap.

dudara

sombaht wrote:

One question though, is it worth getting a little toilet tray for them, and how easy is it to train them to make use of it? At the moment they seem to use the upper tray in their cage as their main toilet area and feeding area.

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else has had success with this. I had to take the little plastic house away from my girls as they kept using it for their toilet, and then slept in it!!

Glad to hear your hamsters are settling in well - they really are great amusing little pets.