New hamster!!!

golden gal

Hi all!
Well my best friends just surprized me for my birthday and bought me the most beautiful little hamster!!! I have had gerbils previously but I was hoping for some advice about raising little Maple (name pending...any suggestions??)
First of all, she was in a cage in the shop with another hamster who was alot quieter than her from what I have heard. Should I try to get her a friend to keep her company?
Second, how often should I clean her out? I used to clean my gerbils cage out every two days so i am guessing this is the same deal. In this regard, what is the best agent to use to clean the cage and toys? Also can I put the dirty sawdust in a compost bin?
Finally, are there any special things I need to do for her? Any food I can give her as treats?
Thanks so much in advance.x

spookymuffin

golden gal wrote: »

Should I try to get her a friend to keep her company?

Depends, if it's a dwarf hamster she might benefit from some friends but if she's a Syrian hamster she should be kept alone.
Pet shops often keep Syrians together because they don't have the room to house them individually and probably don't really care if they hurt each other anyway.
Do you know what kind of hamster she is?

Second, how often should I clean her out? I used to clean my gerbils cage out every two days so i am guessing this is the same deal.

Cleaning the cage every two days should be fine.

Also can I put the dirty sawdust in a compost bin?

I always have with dirty gerbil, guinea pig and degu bedding. I can't imagine any reason why it wouldn't be okay, other than the fact that it attracts cats.

Finally, are there any special things I need to do for her? Any food I can give her as treats?

A wheel for her to run in is pretty much essential, as for treats they love dried banana and raisins.

Sigma Force

As said is the hammie a dwarf or Syrian?

Cage wise it shouldn't need to be cleaned out every second day if it's a good sized cage. Usually one a week does it depends on the size what are the cage measurements?

Carefresh bedding is more epensive but lasts longer than woodchips, it can also be put in the compost like the woodchips can.

Hamsters tend to pee in one spot as well so you can clean the toilet area daily with some cheap white vinegar and then the entire cage once a week.
Hamster toilets work well, eg hard plastic shallow tray or bowl with some soiled bedding in it to attract the hammie or you can get the ones in the shops. Sometimes chinchilla sand is used in the toilet area to distinguish it from the rest of the cage litter. Works really well.

A wheel that doesn't have gaps in, tiny bits of well washed strawberry, apple, broc. I used to give my Syrian teeny tiny bits of ham, he loved it but as a treat.

A varied diet is important so as well as the hammy dry mix a little something else every day as well but introduce new things to the diet gradually.

Shop bought treats are ok but some can be sugary or have a lot of additives so stick to more natural treats if possible.

Oh and avoid wooly bedding, cheap plain white kitchen roll works well.

golden gal

Thanks so much for both replies!
She is a dwarf hammie. I am just back from the pet shop and they said that Dwarf hammies tend to be very territorial so i am better to leave her by herself.
Thanks so much for all the info! Does it take long for them to get used to being handled? I used to feed my gerbils by hand with sunflower seeds and they got used to me that way, should I do the same?
I am not 100% of the measurements of the cage but I think the base would be a little bigger than an A4 pad if that makes sense and there are lots of tubes comming out and a big wheel that she can climb and run in. Shes so tiny so I think it should be big enough for her.

Sigma Force

Cage wise see how she goes with it, it sounds pretty small though, since it has tubes coming out you might be able to add on if you feel she's getting bored or needs more space. They're small little things but go like the clappers at night.

Handling wise depends on the hammie but regular handling and placing food on your hand and letting her sit on your hand to eat will help. If she doesn't like being petted start with a toothbrush and brush her fur with it so it saves you fingers

Fiii

golden gal wrote: »

Thanks so much for both replies!
She is a dwarf hammie. I am just back from the pet shop and they said that Dwarf hammies tend to be very territorial so i am better to leave her by herself.
Thanks so much for all the info! Does it take long for them to get used to being handled? I used to feed my gerbils by hand with sunflower seeds and they got used to me that way, should I do the same?
I am not 100% of the measurements of the cage but I think the base would be a little bigger than an A4 pad if that makes sense and there are lots of tubes comming out and a big wheel that she can climb and run in. Shes so tiny so I think it should be big enough for her.

Hmmm, well the bit in bold is false information. It's syrian hammies that are territorial, not dwarf hammies. Infact most dwarf hammies tend to live in pairs - usually a sibling is best.
It is perfectly fine for her to be on her own though, so if she seems happy, then leaving her on her own will be fine

As for handling, the dwarfs are veeeeeerry quick! So you can handle her, but she might not stay still very long, especially if she is young
Best way to get her used to you, is to rub some scent free, uncoloured toilet roll in your hands, shred it up and pop it in her cage as bedding. She will get used to your smell this way, so when you put your hand near her she won't be afraid.

Oh, and I think Mable is a fab name!
Dwarfs are super fun...you're going to love her!

And just for kicks, heres a pic of my boys...Gus (the quiet one) and Herbie (the mental case!)

dee o gee

Hi golden gal, as somebody has already said its syrians not dwarfs that are very territorial and have to be kept alone. Dwarfs very happily live in groups, I used to have a pair up until 2 months ago when one died, they don't have to have company like gerbils do though, they are quite happy alone and it can be hit and miss with introducing new hamsters unless its a sibling and they are both taken together, so I would just keep her as it is.

Cleaning her every two days is fine but you only really need to do a complete clean once a week, just clean out her little toileting spot every second day. I usually just spray it with water, I don't bother with cleaning agents except maybe once or twice a year, I use a thing called pet safe disinfectant by pet love but it says on the back of it that it contains formaldehyde, which is extremely poisonous, so I rinse it off WELL after and only use it once or twice a year.

As for treats most things are ok as long as you don't feed them in bulk, I give both my dwarf and my syrian the odd bits of cat/dog food, chicken, peas, dried carrot/banana, sunflower seeds, porridge oats, cheerios, bread, tiny drop of milk soaked in bread for protein and peanuts. Boredom breakers naturals do a good range of natural treats for small animals like dried fruit and veg. Heres a good list of do's and dont's as regards feeding: http://www.mike-duquette.org/Hamster_Pages/food_list.htm

Yes the sawdust can go in the compost bin, I asked about this before and animal dropping could only go in a compost bin if the animal is a herbivore (not meat eating) as to not attract rats.

I can't think of anything else that you'd need to know, but don't hesitate to ask lots more questions, il be glad to answer any.:D Oh and id love to see some photos.:D

eilissinead

Hi there! How is it going with the hamsters!

I must say,the information the pet shop gave you IS wrong! Syrians are the terretorial ones!

However, I had two Syrians, Bobby and Star. They lived together happily, had many litters (which the pet shop was happy to take). The other strange thing was, Bobby was even happy to stay around the babies!!

I also had dwarfs. Betty, Bulmers, Bitsy, JP and Léim! However, the strange thing with this was, these are usually VERY VERY sociable, however, Betty and Bulmers ended up eating.....YES eating Bitsy JP and Léim!! They were fine on their own!

Your cage sound ok! Espesh if you only have one! Mine was about the same size but had three tiers! So there was loads of room...the Syrian cage was somewhat bigger though!

I gave them both treats you get in the pet shop. For a bag of like fifty was only...€3?? Not expensive at all!

With handling the dwarfs...I suggest taking it easy! They are nippy (its not terribly soar) but you dont want to stress them out too much. They may be very very hyper but they have teeeny tiny hearts so if you scare them they can die very easily! But with saying that, the irony is, the more you handle them, they better they become!

For fun...my little ones loved this....get a flower pot and fill it will lightly packed soil....they LOVE burrowing through it!!! LOVE it!! Mine also LOVED getting washed with "tiny pet" shampoo, then towel dried...

The cage I suggest cleaning once a week, too often and they don't have their scent in it! And always remember to leave a little of their bedding in it, so at least some part of their cage still smells of them...

In the area she goes to the bathroom, a little bit of diluted detol to get rid of germs maybe a good idea.

Also, for fun....they love wheels (will run for hours!!!) chew sticks, toilet rolls, empty bottles, furry socks.....they play with everything!!

Let us know how you are getting on!!!

xXx

P.S Maple is a GREAT name!!!

boomerang

eilissinead wrote: »

However, I had two Syrians, Bobby and Star. They lived together happily, had many litters (which the pet shop was happy to take).

eilissinead

boomerang wrote: »

Why the frown?

Whispered

eilissinead wrote: »

, Betty and Bulmers ended up eating.....YES eating Bitsy JP and Léim!!

:eek: Really? Like overnight?