Hello, I'm thinking of getting a Chinese dwarf hamster and I want to make sure they will have the best home I can offer with the space I have. I admittedly haven't had a hamster since I was a child. What would you suggest?
Omg hi thank you so much for sending this ask this has literally made my day to get to talk husbandry <3
This post will probably get long so I'm going to put in a break shortly! I'll title sections so you can skim fr whatever info you'd like easily!!!
Chinese (Dwarf) Hamster Cages
(just some random stuff before we get into husbandry)::
To preface, while Chinese Hamsters aren't 'technically' dwarf hamsters, they are still referred to as such in pet stores and in most resources outside of the hamster community, but when I refer to a Chinese Hamster it's the same thing!
Out of the 5 species of hamsters in captivity this is also the hardest one to find, they generally don't sell well due to their mouse like appearance (which imo makes them the most interesting species), as well as because they are a almost exclusively solitary species unlike 'true' dwarfs. If you're buying from a pet store be sure they actually have some before you go, if through a breeder or a rescue it'll probably be much easier (but if from a breeder/rescue definitely check their minimum adoption requirements as they vary from organization to organization).
The males have.. very large testicles. It looks very silly but does not affect them so do not worry if your hamster is really silly looking, it adds to their charm.
All husbandry advice will be based on US standard, please note that the recommended standard often differs wildly from country to country, I will be referencing both the CHA and the OHC though as the CHA sucks and is full of insane people who are literally a clique and will come for people not in their clique (specifically referring to breeders). The OHC has a majority of the same breeders on their list but the people who run the association itself are less insane.
The minimum recommended size for a healthy happy dwarf hamster is 450sq inches, or at least 30"x15" (per https://ontariohamsters.ca/). Lets look at some options:
Bin cage: These are incredible since they're sooo versatile. If you decide you'd like to make a bin cage (using a storage bin with added ventilation) this will be the cheapest housing option. The smallest recommended size is a 110 qt sterilite bin, but any size larger in that brand or the largest IKEA SAMLA bin are also acceptable! If you have the space to do a larger enclosure, also look at 200 qt bins and xmas tree bin. Check out this video on how to ventilate since I am silly and cannot use my brain right now to explain it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuWsbPrF04
The main thing to avoid is bins with wheels underneath, the plastic over the wheels bumps up inside and makes for a great spot to chew and escape from!
Tank: Tanks are great for allowing for the most bedding possible, and functionally prevent any messes the ham could make. You'll want to look for a 40 gallon at least, if you have a petco near you they regularly (like 5-6 times a year) do a sale where they offer half off on all their tanks (its going on right now actually) so a 40 would be $60 currently. 55 gallon tanks are technically smaller, but they are very tall and allow for a LOT deeper bedding and more climbing enrichment, and 60 and 75 gallon tanks have the same floor space as each other, but the 75 is taller. If you decide on a tank you'll need to order the tank lid online for any size over a 40 (sometimes pet stores have the 40 lid in stock), make sure to get a reptile terrarium lid!
Similarly there are also Acrylic and wooden enclosures. You'll want them to have the ventilation on the lids or very high up on the sides to prevent them from attempting to escape, but I recommended looking into the brands Bucatstate, Niteangel, and Pawhut (before you buy though look for 'clones' of the cages by niteangel because you can find cheaper than their prices for almost everything they sell).
Wire Cage: These are awesome for allowing for hanging enrichment like toys and shelves, but chinese hamsters are very small so you need bar spacing of at most 3/8". The Prevue 528, Savic Hamster Heaven Metro, and Crittertrail Super Habitat are all awesome options! These can all be purchased online, but Petco sells the Crittertrail Super Habitat and the Hamster Heaven can also be purchased from many Pet Supermarket locations if you have those near you!
That's a Prevue 528 set up below!
Connectable Cages: If you were wanting a Syrian Hamster (also called golden hamster, teddy bear, black bear, fancy hamster, etc) these wouldn't be possible at all since the tubes cannot accommodate a syrian hamster, and they are honestly HELL to deal with because occasionally they'll pee in the tubes and you'll have to take it all apart to clean it, but you do technically have one option for connectable cages with dwarf hamsters if it interests you. The Crittertrail Super Habitat is about 500sq inches, and features 1 connection port. You can attach connectable cages to that as long as you can maintain them. You don't really want to do only small cages connected to each other, hamsters may be burrowers in the wild but they are also major explorers. If their entire enclosure simulates a burrow they will want to escape that burrow to explore. You want a large main enclosure to allow them to have a 'surface', and to give them the option to burrow on their own (the small ones never have enough room for bedding ugh). The pros to connectable cages is that you can have different areas that are easier to maintain, and chinese hamsters are quite agile so they tend to enjoy being able to explore. If you decide to ever use tubes in your cage, try not to have any straight up and down sections larger than 3-4 inches, if they fall within the tube from any higher they're able to get injured quite easily.
(sorry couldn't find many good set up pics for this option since this style of enclosure has fallen out of style in the last few years for easier, larger setups)
As far as enclosures go those are your primary options! If you have specific questions about other aspects of their care, please let me know!!! I just didn't wanna overload this one post with too much info...
Oh my blob! @kaytee.pets reay went all out donating to the piggalos! There was so much that we actually couldn't get it all in the picture. Kaytee Pets has really done amazing things for The Pipsqueakery and we would appreciate it if you could all head over to their page to say thank you! #guineapig #kaytee #thankyou #rescue https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9aN7ZhZkf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8bisljgrgeag
I got Bentley a Kaytee Cuddle-E-Cup and oh my goodness he loves it. He didn't quite know what to do with it when I first put it in, he just kind of pushed it around, but when I put him in it he immediately went hardcore pancake and fell right to sleep 😴
Keep your pets and wallets safe, avoid Kaytee products
Most people with small animals have seen the brand Kaytee, as they make cheap products that are widely stocked in pet stores since they’re bright (with unsafe dyes) and have things like “gourmet” (full of unhealthy treats) slapped on them. A lot of new owners see these things and are drawn in by that as well as the low prices, and that’s understandable. You want pretty, yummy things for your puffs! However, their products that range from shoddy to downright toxic and dangerous.
A good example of this is their dangerous “fiesta mix” which is half pellets and half unsuitable treats like peanuts, which are WAY too fatty to be used for even an occasional treat, and peas and corn which can cause bloating and GI stasis.
Even their potentially harmless products are garbage, as I discovered when my partner brought some of their timothy hay home by mistake. I noticed most of it was the inedible parts of the grass, so I decided to sort out a small amount to see how much was actually usable.
This was how much I started with (sorry for the blur):
This is that bundle sorted into the actual hay, the leaf of the grass, and the straw, the hard stem that they won’t eat. Left is the hay.
Next, I further separated the technically edible parts by the large and green pieces that the chinchilla will ACTUALLY eat, and the small and brown bits, the ones that will fall to the bottom of the feeder and not be bothered with and the stuff that was dead when harvested and thus gross.
The tiny pile on the right is the final result. That’s probably 10% of the product by mass. The stuff I normally get from Sweet Meadow is nearly 100%, and a fraction of the cost by weight/amount of product.
Please don’t put your pet in danger and waste your money on Kaytee products.
