Hi, you don't need to buy vitamins for them. A good proper diet will be sufficient enough.

My hamster still pancakes like that in my hand.

Anyways guideline for a healthy food mix :-

protein - 17 to 22%
fibre - 8 - 10%
fat - 4 - 6 %

try to find the best that can suit this. If you want to treat your hamsters, why not try fresh food? My hamster likes tauge or green bean but one tip, you hold it and control their portion. Don't let them take and stash it else it goes bad. Don't go too much with fresh food either, give them bit by bit to see if they're ok with it, if too much water content, they can kena diarhea.

Also sunflower seed (kuaci) and corn are NOT to be made as their staple food. It's fattening and sugary. Give them as treat. I heard that you shouldn't give more than 5 a day. I give my hamster kuaci after it ran in the ball for 15 mins - as a reward. Use that to bond with your hamster. My hamster will stand up if he thinks he's getting kuaci, he's been "trained" that way. They love their kuaci but you as the parent must control their intake.

My hamster used to sleep on his cold plate when the weather was dry few months ago. Very cute. It's ok to give them the cold plate.

Welcome to the hamster club. As long you're willing to learn, we're willing to guide.

I actually feed Bonanza Hartz to my hamster. The best mix available in the world is either Hazel Hamster or Harry Hamster which our local pet store does not carry. I went through the mix in the shop and found Bonanza instead which is the closest I can get to the nutritional need. It lacks of protein a bit, if not mistaken but fibre and fat are just nice.



A lot of food mix do have kuaci and corn - even this so I sat down for two hours separating them. Kuaci, corn, white kuaci, fruit bits, smashed corn all I put in a separate bag. Dwarves are prone to diabetes so control their sugar.

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Added on December 7, 2012, 5:26 pmPersonally I would not use the bedding cause I don't know what wood they're using. I been searching as well but not knowing what wood used could be dangerous to the hamster's respiratory system. Cedar and pine must never be used. Had to bold that to catch everyone's attention Plus I read they come in scents and that is actually not good for hammies. Stay away from scented stuff.

Although yes, I am using scented sand from Delikate as well but I wish I have better choice. The others are dust which can get into the hammie's nose and into their system. Avoid dust bath.

In terms of Hamtari, I asked the fella before - let me get back to u when he reply me.

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Added on December 7, 2012, 5:29 pmHere's Hazie again - saying hello !



This post has been edited by starrynight: Dec 7 2012, 05:29 PM

what food brand is that? is it just pellets? cause most hamster dislike just pellets. also the fat content is so high.

your hamsters don't know you yet so best to let them be by themselves for 3 days before approaching them.start taming by taking unscented toilet tissue paper and tuck it on yourself for few hours

I tuck my tissue during work and gave it to him after work. they will use the tissue to nest and sleep so they'll get used to your smell and don't see you as a threat.

also robo are quick creatures so be careful if you pick them up. if they're new or still young they'll sleep more.

babybb,

No, to my knowledge it is not normal for
a ham to constantly groom itself. It
could mean that there are mites still
present and/or the ham is nervous. Has
Hamtari's owner properly cleaned the
cage and objects in the cage to get rid
of the mites there as well (no harsh
chemicals, just mild soap and water and
lots of rinsing!)? Is Hamtari still taking
the anti-mite medicine? I would advise
her to have her call the vet back up and
ask if they will do a re-examination for
mites based on the excessive grooming.
The one bit of good news is that the
flakes have gone away. Can you ask her
if she sees any little hairs growing back
at all in the bald spot (it looks like baby
fur!).

I would say no. I'm sorry but I'm against breeding after reading information about them. Do read this article written by this girl who had to take care of a hamster resulted of bad breeding.

Hamsters are already rodents with an average lifespan of 1-2 Years on average. If they are cared for very well, they may even live up to 3. Each time you think of breeding your female hamster - regardless of syrian or dwarf - You are taking away some of their lifespan. Hamsters are treasured by their owners as a friend, a companion, a responsibility. Breeding them could stress the hamsters out, which may decrease their well-being. Hamsters are small animals that are occasionally, the stepping stones to one's love of animals. Many people were given hamsters as their first pet, if not fish.

If you think that you'll breed for the fact that it's cheap , easy , and the income is high, then you are sadly mistaken. The costs of hamsters , cages , supplies, will add up and it will eventually be too much to handle. What will you do if you buy a male and a female and they don't get along? They're fighting? You have to seperate them. This means that you'll need another set of supplies for the seperated hamster. Baby hamsters are cute, but they're not simple, oh no. If you're breeding syrians, can you afford the costs of buying a set of supplies PER hamster ? They're solitary animals ?

If you're thinking ; "Oh, I've researched enough, it should be already alright" then I regret to inform you, you're probably not. Even the most experienced breeders out there can make mistakes. They may take years to research. They probably know a lot. But one mistake can ruin their reputation. No matter how much you know, there will always be more that you can learn. Many members here on Hamster Hideout have had hamsters that had problems due to improper breeding. Stargazing hamsters , Spinners, You name it. No matter what, it shatters an owner's heart. I'm even one of them.

I know I may sound rude, but I am just trying to convince. I adore all my animals and love them dearly. I'm not purchasing them because I want to be known as a person with a hamster. It's the same with other members too. I do not purchase from pet stores at all now. There are breeders out there that have started off with Pet store hamsters. What's there to say that they're not carrying a genetic problem? Not much. Many people out there have lost hamsters and have cried dearly, because they have bonded with the small rodent so much that it's hard to let go. I can agree.

Many of us have stayed up feeding hamsters, helping treat their wounds, caring for them when they're sick. They're like our very own blood, our child. Just the thought of breeding gets to many of us. If you're a child, don't think about it anymore and enjoy life. If you're a teenager, stop and rethink about your future that DOESN'T involve breeding hamsters. Adults, you too, start enjoying life again and forget this whole idea. I know this has sounded like a rant, but it's truly how many of us feel.

Breeding is not a short-term GAME. You are dealing with the lives of a living creature. Why BREED when you can save a LIFE ? There are hamsters becoming snake food, becoming mistreated, abandonned. They need a chance to find a new home of people that will love them. Not to remain in the shelters for the rest of their life.

Then there's the experience :-

After another week, my friend found the hamster to be gaining weight really fast and took her to the vet, where it was confirmed that she was pregnant. My friend was very shocked and made another trip down to the THS to ask. That was when the assistant that helped her with Cinna explained that the previous owner gave her up because it was going to be too big a responsibility.

Weeks past and Cinna gave birth to a little of 5. They were all perfectly fine and all five remained. She had them adopted out to new homes and Truffle was the last one to find a home. It didn't really work out. That was when she called up me and asked if I could take her. I asked my mom right after her call. Mom wasn't very pleased but when I mentioned that Truffle was needing a home and was the last one. My mom's heart melted and she let me get her. I picked Truffle up just two days after that. She settled in very well for such a small hamster. Nothing seemed wrong at that time.

Until a few months had passed. I caught Truffle running around her cage endlessly in large track-like circles. I thought nothing of it until she dod that every waking moment she had. That's when I brought her to the vet. The vet and I were very confused until she tried a few tricks that normal hamsters reacted very well too. Some things Truffle did were.

- Continue running and even running into her food bowl and out, when it was in her way. She never ran around it.
- She closed her eyes and froze from even the softest touch. [This is when she was fine with being touched by ANYBODY.]
- She couldn't even stand up on her hind legs properly, she'd fall onto her back within a second, sometimes even with a grip on the bars. it's gotten better thankfully.

The vet's exact words were 'Since her parental figures had one with an unknown history, then she's most likely recieved a bad recessive gene.'
It shattered my heart.

My friend heard and said that another hamster she had given her friend had the same problem, but no one else. So it was just two.
Truffle was suffering in her own way and I couldn't do anything. I remember coming home in tears as she was doomed to have this
until she passed. Which meant she had a chance of not living out her full life-span. I was beyond worried and upset. But then I knew.
I knew I had to adopt at the time, but with the results, it only pushed me further. I know put all her items around her cage hoping
that it would block her and try and calm her down. I know I have to make things easy for her.

---

Added on December 10, 2012, 4:43 pmI'm going to let you read this article written by an experienced hamster owner. Please do take a moment to read, it might help you out. Bear with the length.

A quick definition of 'Fear' from Google.com :

"An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat."

- - - - -

A bit of a 101 information

Hamsters in the Animal Kingdom appear as Prey animals. They are sought out by various predators that call the same habitats home. All animals have a natural instinct in which helps them determine who is a threat and as a result , will use that to determine the actions needed to stay safe. For hamsters , Examples include
Remaining still and lifeless , an act to simulate death in which will cause a predator to leave them unharmed

Fighting with the 'predator / threat' as a method of self-protection. This is often seen in the Syrian Hamster.
A Syrian Hamster has the natural instinct to protect itself within it's own territory and has the reputation of being a 'Solitary' animal. A Syrian , due to said nature , will fight with those of it's kind when they come into close contact with another . The only time a Syrian will come into contact with another is when a male and a female come together to breed and produce offspring.

We of HH do Not Condone breeding. Please Adopt instead and save a life

The Dwarf Hamster Species are more social and are able to co-exist among one another but even then , a sense of fear may develop to a point where they will begin fighting , causing a separation to be required for the sake of safety and their wellbeing.

Cage Aggression & Being Territorial

By being kept in a small cage , the hamster is made aware of their small habitat that is to be their territory. When you place your hand into their cage , they see it as a foreign object or another animal. Their instinct to protect their territory will kick in , making you a threat that wants to take what they have called theirs. They will proceed to attack.

Here on HH , We recommend a habitat with a floor space of 360 Square inches of Floor Space , excluding levels. The bigger the habitat , the better. By having more space , they do not feel so confined and do not feel that they must claim a place as theirs. This is very noticeable in the keeping of multiple hamsters in one habitat. If you have multiple small cages connected together , they start dividing it up and claiming what is theirs to a point where they will attack 'trespassers' . By giving them enough shared space , you will prevent that aggression.

How it applies to us? Well , you are coming into their habitat that is already small enough. The thought in their head generally is "They're coming to take it . I must not let them." If they have adequate space (above 360) , they will see it as the wild where there is a lot of field space so everyone can pick and choose with a lot of area. By being confined , they are limited and see to it that the more they have, the better.

Fear in Handling / Surprises

For many hamsters that are in the pet stores , they are very minimally handled to a point in which they do not see human interaction as a positive event and will interpret it as a threat. Let's take a look at this scenario to get a better idea of the situation within their eyes.

A Hamster is generally classified as a palm-sized pet. In their eyes , they will view humans as a large creature and will classify them as a predator that is hoping to harm them in any way. Many pet stores will roughly grab the hamster to place into a box for the new pet owners. They do not take into consideration that they are suddenly creating motion and exhibiting an 'attacking' behaviour towards the hamster that is classified as the victim or prey.

In all living creatures , our nerves are triggered by sudden movement and we as a result will 'jump' in surprise. A hamster's instinct will tell them that in this situation , they must make the first move and attack. They will quickly latch on and deliver a bite which may induce bleeding to the person handling them. Their nerves associate this as something they are to fear. They must defend themselves.

A common way to prevent that from occurring is making your presence be known. Methods include ;
Shuffling the bedding

Soft words directed at them such as calling their name.

Quiet chirping and noises to alert them of you.
By being aware that you are around and exhibiting a calm 'aura' , you are making sure their nerves that are associated with fear remain dormant , which calls for a calm and friendly hamster. By also handling them slowly and gently , you will cause the nerves to remain even more dormant so they can begin to associate handling as a positive thing to experience.

Your Nerves and Theirs

Many a time , an owner will be the one exhibiting a sense of fear and nervousness. Your nerves will send this message to the rest of your body , making you become afraid of handling your hamster. Many animals are able to sense fear. They will sense your nerves being at full attention and will often become nervous themselves as a result. This may lead to them biting rather than nibbling , which is a sign of curiosity while biting is a sign of attack.

By letting yourself be confident -Start off with a pair of gloves perhaps- , you will cause your own nerves to remain calm and relaxed so they do not pass to the hamster's senses. If your hamster bites and nibbles for the initial beginning , please do not fret. Like human children and infants , they use their five senses to determine the environment around them. Similar to a child putting things into their mouth.

You do not have to rush as when you do , the shock of the quick-paced methods of taming will not only stress them but yourself.

"Slow and Steady wins the race" . Your goal is to handle them without being hurt. Why rush and ruin when you can be steady and achieve more?

Hopefully it will help you understand them. Did you try the tissue paper method? Put some on your body and give it to them after some hours. They will get used to your smell and not see you as a threat. If you're approaching them, let them know first. Don't grab them from behind. Let them know you're coming.

This post has been edited by starrynight: Dec 10 2012, 04:43 PM

babybb,

Demodex mites are very treatable, which
is why I think she should take her ham
back to the vet for a follow up visit.
Properly dosed medicine is going to be
the only way Hamtari can get rid of
these nasty mites.
No diet changes are going to help get
rid of the mites, but a good diet will
help with overall health.
Can you have Hamtari's owner find out
what medicine she is giving her
hamster? If it is an antibiotic like your
message says, then this will have no
affect on the mites. There are specific
anti-parasite drugs that can be specially
dosed for a hamster to get rid of mites,
and and antibiotic is not going to work.
The vet may have given an antibiotic to
prevent an infection in the skin, but it
will not kill the mites.

Hi Jeremy,

When you said you have a gold girl .. does she look like this?

Hi Jeremy,

When you said you have a gold girl .. does she look like this?

---

Added on December 12, 2012, 8:04 amyes you can but hold back on the sunflower seed. give them about 5 only daily as they are fattening. what hamster food are you looking at?

2 syrian hamsters? are they in the same cage? if they are, they need to be separated asap. syrians are solitary creatures, if they're living together they can get territorial and harm each other. other dwarves still can live together but syrians don't even live together in the wild.

This post has been edited by starrynight: Dec 12 2012, 08:04 AM

did you see my reply above?

2 syrian hamsters? are they in the same cage? if they are, they need to be separated asap. syrians are solitary creatures, if they're living together they can get territorial and harm each other. other dwarves still can live together but syrians don't even live together in the wild.

they don't need the other syrian .. no need to kesian them one ..

not to scare anyone but this was what i found out and witnessed myself ..

scenario : if a pair of hamsters fight and they are not separated, one day one might kill the other as they are fighting for space and territory. when one died, the other one would eat up the body. hamsters do that to get rid of their smell in the wild so that prey animals will not come to their space.

syrian hamsters are solitary creatures who must live separately. other dwarves still can live together in pairs but once blood is shed while "playing" or distressed squeaks are heard, best separate them into two cages to avoid unfortunate incident to happen.

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Added on December 12, 2012, 5:09 pmif can, ask the vet about the antibiotic name so i can help you further by asking the medical expert. she had experience with hamster skin issues so i would like to see if she can help hamtari

This post has been edited by starrynight: Dec 12 2012, 05:09 PM

[quote=the_dead_identity,Dec 12 2012, 05:24 PM]
[quote=starrynight,Dec 12 2012, 05:05 PM]
did you see my reply above?

2 syrian hamsters? are they in the same cage? if they are, they need to be separated asap. syrians are solitary creatures, if they're living together they can get territorial and harm each other. other dwarves still can live together but syrians don't even live together in the wild.

they don't need the other syrian .. no need to kesian them one ..

not to scare anyone but this was what i found out and witnessed myself ..

scenario : if a pair of hamsters fight and they are not separated, one day one might kill the other as they are fighting for space and territory. when one died, the other one would eat up the body. hamsters do that to get rid of their smell in the wild so that prey animals will not come to their space.

syrian hamsters are solitary creatures who must live separately. other dwarves still can live together in pairs but once blood is shed while "playing" or distressed squeaks are heard, best separate them into two cages to avoid unfortunate incident to happen.

---

Added on December 12, 2012, 5:09 pm

oh, i thought it was for the same gender..
even the same gender cant live together?
i was thinking of breed it..
btw, i've already seperated them..

[/quote]

I can't say anything about breeding as I'm actually against it. Sometimes hamsters might have genetic issues and without knowing it, you could pass it to their next generation. Some mutation I read of are like blindness, handicapped and I seen it myself also in pet store twice - a disease call stargazing.

More info here - > http://dashinghamsters.blogspot.com/2011/12/star-gazing.html

It's really heartbreaking as people think it's funny and think it's cute but it's actually quite pitiful to see them being like that.

And no, syrian same gender also cannot live together. By the age of 4 - 5 weeks, they should be separated to prevent breeding and fights.

I just got my hamster in June but spent 7 months until now to learn and read from research that overseas experts and experienced owners had documented every day. It shocked me to learn that I had done so many wrong things to my previous hamster years ago. Our market here are not exactly hamster friendly and not everything sold in the pet store is safe for the hamster. For example :- pine and cedar wood shavings can cause toxic and respiratory problem in long term.

Some people told me " my syrian can live together ma .. nothing also" but I would rather not argue with multiple researches and proof that others encountered. They are merely tolerating each other. Also, different species should not meet each other - like a syrian and dwarves cannot play together.

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Added on December 13, 2012, 11:04 am[quote=jeremysoon93,Dec 12 2012, 11:18 AM]


This is my girl

But I did come across an article in the beginning of this thread, I think in order to get that colour, she's a mix right?

[/quote]

Hi Jeremy,

I came back with info

Yes, your hamster is a mix - known as pudding hamster

What is pudding hamster?

A pudding is another name for a hybrid hamster, which is a cross between a Winter White and a Russian Campbell's

Also about cross breeding .. this might be long though ..

The only species of hamsters that can "technically" breed is a "Winter-White" dwarf and a "Campbells" dwarf but they are [two separate species] and it ain't a good idea to breed them because breeding them will create "hybrid" pups, and "hybrid" pups will be subject to different health problems.

Both the Campbell and the Winter White are similar species but they are slightly different in their genetic makeup. They come from different areas of Russia, in the wild they would eat slightly different foods, and if they did meet in the wild they would ignore each other because they knew that mating to each other wouldn't really prove anything, as it would weaken the gene pool and weaken the stock.

Captive bred hamsters don't have that luxury, we choose the mates for them, we don't care if they carry or suffer with diabetes, kidney failure, glaucoma, cancer, missing limbs or ears, I could carry on, but here we have a breeder who totally disregards the rules of breeding hamsters and crosses the species.

So to go back to basics. The word 'hybrid' describes a crossbreed, a mixture of a Winter White and a Russian Campbell, which means that they will carry the characteristics of both parents. This is similar to a crossbreed dog rather than a mongrel, a crossbreed requires two different parents a mongrel requires the two crossbreeds mated again resulting in 4 or more different breeds. But and this is the big but, it can not be bred out, if you have a crossbreed or a mongrel you will not by selective breeding come back to a pure bred animal.

Mating a Winter White to a Russian Campbell can and probably will produce no end of problems, firstly any resulting off spring may be infertile, which is good to the extent that if they are the problem stops there, but this has to be proven, and there will always be the odd one which isn't.
The Winter White and Campbell are also constructed slightly differently, which in turn can cause problems in the production of litters, especially if it's the Winter White that is carrying, because of the slightly wider head of the Campbell the Winter Whites birth canal is not geared up for big headed babies, resulting in the possible loss of the litter and possibly the female too.

Secondly both species are flushing up various health problems, the biggest is diabetes in the Campbells and the Glaucoma in Winter Whites crossing these two species will inevitably cross these two illnesses.

Cross breeding is unethical and does nothing to help better either species of hamster.


Then others experience :-

Don't. Puddings are terribly prone to health problems. Unless you have a complete genetic background, you don't know for sure whether or not they're completely healthy.

I have never had a healthy pudding. I would not recommend breeding them.

I strongly discourage doing that, since Puddings are hybrids which means:
-lots of health problems
-you'll be adding to the amount of non-pure hamsters.
-the babies will be hybrids, so they will also have lots of health problems

This post has been edited by starrynight: Dec 13 2012, 11:04 AM

where did you get the saucer wheel?

anyway, like said above, you can get little hideouts and such from pet shops or if you are a crafty person, why not make them some toys?

items needed :- ice cream sticks (plain) and hot glue gun

you can make things like this :-





but if they start biting these, it has to be removed

how much is your budget?

Hi, what pet shops do you have around your area? It's best if you can get paper based bedding as we're not sure what wood they made our hamster bedding from. Maybe like what inferno said, you can try purchase to use

I just bought a huge bag of Healthy Ultra Pet and home friends for my hamster. Fresh n Comfy seems harsh on him, he's scratching and losing fur on his elbow

So I'm switching back to the old bedding. Both bag cost me RM 148. There goes my CNY shopping money

lol. this year maybe not so much gua. for hazie, heart pain also have to fork out the money right?

that's why i mixed mixed lor with homefriends .. cause i think it's clean and white so if got bug or anything, can see ..

I know that place! That's where I bought my hamster pod from, the kitty ear shaped one. Aiyo, why so ke lian the hamster! Animals have feelings also le, one day that happen to the la la beng or his pet, baru rasa sakit!

I didn't apply for card cause far from my house and I always go PLC. the plc i bought from quite nice, my hamster was in the cage with another one nia. They get human interaction also so mine was quite tame de.

Grr .. boycott that sg wang one liao .. how can treat hammies like that!

I cannot agree with petsmore. I got bad experience. A week before my ww, I got a syrian who passed away within one night. Wet tail.

Then some time later, my sister saw syrian biting off their dead cagemate. Too many in one cage.

The other day I saw a very cute white fluffy hammie in plc. I wish I can bring back but one also I spent so much time liao.

I cannot agree with petsmore. I got bad experience. A week before my ww, I got a syrian who passed away within one night. Wet tail.

Then some time later, my sister saw syrian biting off their dead cagemate. Too many in one cage.

The other day I saw a very cute white fluffy hammie in plc. I wish I can bring back but one also I spent so much time liao.