>< HAMSTERS ><

Old Thread Chubby Hamsters V5

^^ HAMSTERS ^^

Old thread Chubby Hamsters V4

A hamster is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. There are 5 types of hamsters, mainly the Syrian, Winter white dwarf, Russian campbell dwarf, Chinese hamsters and Roborovski hamsters.

SPECIES:

Syrians (Mesocricetus auratus)
They are the best known species in the pet industry. Syrians are also known as Golden Hamsters. Syrians are known as fancy hamsters of all the hamster species since they come in many colour varieties and also coat varieties... some can have long fur and some short fur, which we normally call Long Hairs and Short Hairs... also there is a fur type known as Rex.

The most important rule about Syrians is that they are SOLITARY... never house 2 together. If breeding, there is a way where you must put the female into the male's cage only when the female is on heat. It is very risky and dangerous to house 2 syrians together at any time since they are very well known to fight till death. So if you treasure the life of your hamster, never put 2 syrians together.

Syrians are large and comfortable to hold. They do make suitable pets for children but under adult supervision.

Campbell's Hamster (Phodopus campbelli)
Campbells are probably the most popular of all dwarf hamsters since they come in many colour varieties that makes them attractive. The look similar to Winter White hamsters but they are actually different subspecies. So never mixbreed them.

Campbells are dwarfs... well, small hamsters. Please do not be fooled by petshops telling you mini hamsters and giving you a weird price. Anyway, they come in different colour and patterns but to breed, one must understand that hamsters that have any white spots or markings must never be bred together coz it can produce eyeless or teethless hamsters that die later... so if you were to breed, please read up.

These dwarfs may not be suitable for young children due to some dwarfs are bitey... and because of their small size, it would be harder for children to handle. Campbells are not aggressive biters, it is just that sometimes they will bite when you make them angry or startle them from their sleep.

Winter White Hamster (Phodopus sungorus)
WW are hamsters that can change their coat colour when we minimise their daylight. Their coats will change from their normal colours to a white coat but with their dorsal stripe and side arches visible. WW come in 3 colours, which are Agouti, Sapphire and Pearl. The Pearl do not change their coat colour at all, they remain in their white coat colour for life.

WW are different from Campbells, their eyes are bigger, fur is thicker, body is more bullet shape and their ears are less conspicious. It is easy to see the difference if a Campbell and WW were side by side.

WWs are nicer to handle for they have better temperments than Campbells. WW rarely change into their winter coats in captivity, so do not force your hamster to starve and stay in a cold room... this depends on the hamster whether it wants to change or not.

Roborovski Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)
Robos are the smallest species of hamster. Adult Robos are only 2 inches in lenght. Unlike the other dwarfs, Robos do not have a dorsal stripe and they have slightly longer legs. Easy to identify from the size and also its sandy colour and white belly.

Yes, the smallest and also the fastest, this species is very well known for being very fast and active. So they are not very handle friendly since they are likely to jump or run off your palm. Many are really attracted by the facial markings, they appear to have "eyebrows".

Robos enjoy sand baths and a wheel. Due to their small size, one would need to purchase a glass/plastic tank to house them or purchase cages with small bars like the Habitrail Mini...

Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)
The Chinese hamster is known for their mousy looks. Yes, they were discovered in China long ago. Many people would say Chinese hamsters are hard to breed in captivity and are difficult to raise. Fighting problems occur so it is best to house them seperately. The Chinese hamster is also referred to as a "mouse-like" hamster because of its short nose, thin body, stocky legs and longer tail.

They do make great pets if they are bred by a proper breeder and have been handled often when young.


VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

- Most hamsters do very well alone. Roborovski hamsters can be kept in small groups and best if single sexed but Syrians, Campbells, Winter Whites and Chinese hamsters are best kept on their own. They are always happier that way.

- Never breed hamsters if you do not have the space. Hamsters can reproduce every 20 days or so.

- Hamster fights are never fun to watch.

- Always remember to have food and water available. Never give too much fresh foods.

- The bigger the cage or tank, the more comfortable for the hamster.

- Syrians need wheels that are about 8 inches in diameter.

- NEVER keep different species in 1 cage or tank together... BIG big trouble there, may have some injuries, deaths... and possibility of mixbreeding Campbells with WW... bad idea.

- Hamsters do not have human emotion, they do not feel Love or have emotional feelings like humans. So there really is no reason to breed them unless you have a purpose as a true hamster breeder.

- Hamsters can get sick easily if given too much fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.



Anything to add in the 1st page, just PM me.

---

Added on February 26, 2007, 1:56 amPictures of the different hamster species with some example of a few colour varieties.



Thank you to Reanne and |sorcerer| for their chinese hamsters and roborovski pictures.

One way to hold a hamster if it bites or to look at it's genital area clearly. Never do this for long since it is a bit uncomfortable for the hamster. Only for a short period.


______________________________________________________________________________

Useful links (credit to Acey)

• Hamsterific: http://www.hamsterific.com/hamsters.html
• My Free Hamster: http://www.myfreehamster.com
• Future Pets: http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/search.exe?BP=1&RCAT=600.
• Hamster Hideout: http://www.hamsterhideout.com/
• Wodent Wheels: http://www.transoniq.com/
• Kare's Hamster Info: http://www.karelma.com/english/animals/hamsters.html
• Pet Education: www.peteducation.com

The Hamster Name Generator (thanks to Gazard7)

(credit to suicidalxbliss)


Lowyat.net Siggy (free to use, a big thank you to Hao ):

---

Added on February 26, 2007, 9:25 pmA Basic Guide

* Hamsters are very active creatures so they do need their excercise. Naturally energetic, hamster love to run so it is best to provide a good solid wheel for them. Makre sure it is a solid wheel and not those mesh wheels since those gaps can cause injuries. Syrians should have 8 inch diameter wheels while dwarfs can have smaller ones.

* Hamsters are nocturnal, meaning they are mostly active at night. During the day, they would need some peace and quiet to sleep so it is highly recommended to place the cage or tank away from direct sunlight and provide them with a hide such as a clay flower pot or aroma burner or any solid looking hamster houses available at petshops.

* Hamsters need a layer of quality bedding in their tanks. You can always get the wood shaving variety but you would need to change the bedding often. Recommended brands would be Chipsi Classic, Chipsi Super, Delikate and Kaytee. Avoid using other brands for pine and cedar wood can cause breathing problems later in life due to the phenol oils produced by the wood. One can also use corncob bedding, wood pellets like Woody Pet or Careline wood cat litter or recycled paper bedding/litter like CareFresh or Breeder's Select/Celect.

* Hamsters love to nibble on hay and also build nest in their hide box for comfort. So providing a bit of hay is good. Any hay is suitable, as long it is fresh looking(greenish). Avoid stale hay(brownish).

* Hamsters should have a good amount of food in their food bowls. You do not need to worry about hamsters not finishing their food for they will hoard away old food to eat later. Make sure fresh foods are cleaned out of the cage or tank after 24 hours.
- Good source of fiber would be broccoli, spinach, sawi(choy sum), kangkung and water cress. Do feed fresh foods in moderation since too much can cause wet tail sickness and indigestion. A small piece of vegie or fruit is enough for 1 day.
- Sweet potato and normal potato can be given but only give cooked potatos.
- Sweet fruits and carrots can be given in small quantities every few days.
- Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, cooked chicken and cooked fish can be fed.

* Have a good quality bottle for water at hand. Cheap bottles tend to leak.

* Wash the hamster cage or tank once in a week. Just wash with some mild soapy water. Clean cages and tanks prevents the risk of getting infections.

* Hamsters do not need to bath with water and soap like humans. Hamsters can clean themselves very well and they enjoy having sand baths (Chincilla or hamster sandbath) more than getting wet. A wet hamster can fall sick easily.

* Handle your hamster daily. Build a relationship with your hamster. You can hold them, talk to them and pat them. These little gestures will keep your hamster tame and friendly and of course, happy.

* Never wake up sleeping hamsters since they can startle easily and give a nasty bite to protect themselves. This is an instinct reaction so do not blame a hamster for being aggressive... they bite when there is a reason to bite.

* Always wash your hands after handling hamsters for they are still from the rodent family. Keep your self healthy for your hamster


This post has been edited by wKkaY: Apr 8 2008, 10:03 AM

Pictures of LYN members' tank setups:


Pictures of suitable cages available in the market


About CAGES

Choose your cage wisely.

Syrians need to be living alone, and of course being the bigger version of hamsters, they need bigger cages or tanks.

Use 2ft plastic Guppy Aquarium tanks, normally sold at RM40 to RM50 at most petshops. If a cage, never use Habitrail Mini or small 30cm cages. Invest in something bigger or a double storey cage with solid levels, such as Critter Trail.

Winter Whites and Russian Cambell Dwarf Hamsters are best housed alone or in sibling pairs. They actually do fight for territory, so always keep an eye on them. Small cages are way bad for them. A Habitrail Safari or Habitrail Playground is good for 1 hamster, if you want to keep 2, invest in 2 cages or get connections and other fun accessories by Habitrail. They have short lifespans, but are amazing pets so keep them happy. Always remember, the BIGGER, the BETTER!

Roborovskis and Chinese Dwarfs can be kept in Habitrail Minis because of their smaller bodies and slender built. 2 Robos fit well in a Habitrail Safari or Habitrail Mini. Do not use cheap local cages for them as they can get hurt and escape. Invest in a Plastic tank if you need to.

To be continued with more tank pictures by members.

Information:

> VERY IMPORTANT! READ!!!! <

This post has been edited by crazymouse_yyh: Apr 24 2008, 12:28 AM

- RESERVED for future post -

- RESERVED for future post -

Nopes, you won't. You need to breed 1 normal to 1 pearl, then 50% are normals and 50% pearls....

LOL.... I didn't study biology when I was in high school heheheh..... but breeding hamsters is all about genetics. Must learn mah heheheh.....

Yes, there will be. Fatty liver, fatty heart, so that is why they need a wheel ahahah....

But your line is from Reanne's line rite? They are somehow always round. Good lineage heheheh. You can rarely find round round WW unless so happened came from my old line or from Reanne's line.

Great to know Charm is fine. Now I got a baby RC, he is Charm's nephew.... looks just like Charm, fat fat hahahah.

Wah.... 3am still not asleep ahhaha. Bi-colour, that's a good pic, not so clear but it did get his coloured eyes well.

Half tame? Maybe he bully you and sangels lah heheheh.....

Yah.... seems like he is bullying you hahah.

Yes, hamsters can take insects as well but then not every hamster likes them. My syrians do not like mealworms.... my gerbils like them.

You go to a shop that sells aquarium fish and ask for RM1 bread worms.

In Cantonese is Mein Pau Chung, in Malay is Ulat kecil....

When ever you pick him up, push something into his mouth. I normally use some veggie or apple. Kuaci also can. It keeps them occupied.

Oh, that Mushroom Oasis is bad. If you are using that, you should be changing the water everyday! Not weekly.... the water gets contaminated easily.

Change to a bottle. Bedding can get into the Mushroom Oasis, causing germs and bacteria build up.

Now Syrian season.... well, I think coz they are cheaper and bigger to hold.

Your wheel may be too small. You should get a 6.5 inch wheel for WW.

Miki is a syrian, but not all syrians have round bear look. If you get from petshops, most of the syrians got mousy look coz of the body structure of the parents when breeding. Those with bear looks are more bulkier in size, because the line is from good breeding hamsters..... most of the petshop ones are low quality..... is like dogs lah, got pet quality and got show quality....

Yes, it is normal to cover with bedding.

Yes, it is better. Corncob absorbs moisture but it will turn moldy, the mold can cause breathing disorders if not cleaned weekly. Breeder Celect absorbs both moisture and odour.

Another brand to use is Healthy Pet, just as good as BC.

Firstly, hamsters cannot sweat..... and they are extremely sensitive to heat. Even if you put a cat in the same car, it would die as well. Animals cannot sweat, so they cannot get rid of heat easily. So their body over heat, die.

even if you open all the tingkap and roof, it will die from the heat.

Common sense, a car is made of metal, it absorbs heat faster, with the glass, it keeps heat in, increasing the heat to a few degrees higher. A person can also die or faint from the heat if without air cond.

LOL, that's a syrian.

Your pic shows a syrian..... you do know syrians cannot stay in pairs rite?

If you want to breed, do research but if you plan to breed just for fun or seeing a hamster family, then that is a wrong reason. You will only be doing more harm than good. So many people are spoiling the market price, also breeding many inbred hamsters coz they get 2 hamsters to breed from the same shop, breeder or supplier/location.... then also many are breeding low quality hamsters.

Only siblings can live together like that peacefully but they will fight and squabble once a while. The best is keeping them ALONE.

Dwarf hamsters are never easy to breed. Firstly, you can't tell if the female is on heat, unlike the syrian. Then, if they hate each other, they would fight to death. Some are not compatible so they can live happily but will not breed.

If breed... you must know when is the best age, you can only breed 3 times max, if you breed more, you end the female's life by half.... there are so many facts to consider if you are not experience in keeping a hamster properly.

Hamsters are sexually mature at 5 weeks but they can breed every 20 days, this causes their bodies to suffer and die before they reach 1 year old.

Yellow is the scent gland and pee. If the ass, more towards pee. And now, it is a stain in the fur, you cannot remove even if you cuci with whitening shampoo. Please do not give any wet shampoo bath to a hamster. It could fall sick if you are unlucky and didn't do it properly.

Reanne said dried blood. I would say it could have been gangrene. Winter Whites never do well in pairs if they are not brothers or sisters. So never have 2 WW. Keep 1 is the best. Only Russian Campbells do well in pairs.

You mean you bought hamsters without knowing the species? That is very risky....

Russian Campbell. 1st page got picture guide...... next time read the 1st page.

The thing I was pointing out was that you didn't really need to ask if you looked at it 1st.... but if you bought before joining this forum, means you didn't do any species research at all?..... I mean, there are search engines like Yahoo and Google rite? I'm not pointing fingers or anything but you don't need to know a species by joining a forum. If you really love your pet, you would have researched 1st or right after you bought or something.....

Imported hamster lines are different..... my silver grey and het silver grey are just lovely! My black eyed white is.... a fatty and lazy girl hahaha.

---

Added on January 14, 2008, 12:25 pmOh yah, the hamster in my avatar display pic is my het silver grey. Can't find at petshops....

This post has been edited by crazymouse_yyh: Jan 14 2008, 12:25 PM

Breeding them... not really coz mine are all related.....

I'm actually planning to breed Syrians but right after my female solid umbros and male solid black eyed cream mature.... but this I must refer to my sifu Reanne heheheh.... I'm not good with Syrian colour genetics yet. Still learning.

I prefer solid colours than banded ones heheheh.... i only have 1 golden banded from Pet Shack.

Bleh.... I replied a very very long post.... but it vanished.... stupid PC of mine LOL....

Anyway, I'll reply briefly now without quoting anyone.

I may breed Syrians but not soon. I do have to brush up on Syrian colour genetics in order to breed good quality solid coloured Syrians....

I got 1 het silver grey, 1 Silver grey, 1 Black Eyed Cream, 1 Golden Banded, 1 Umbrous, 1 Black Eyed Cream, 1 Albino/Pink Eyed White...... now those are my Syrians.... Age between 1 year plus to 4 months old. I will add more Syrians when I manage to find good ones.

Robos I got 3 females...... WW, I got 9.... Campbells? I got 7 and gonna increase soon.

Syrians do not sand bath. They have long fur and rarely or never have greasy fur like Robos and Dwarf hamsters.... they groom themselves like cats, so if you give them a sand bath, the will just dig or pee in it rather than roll around.

Most of the Habitrail extensions, especially those that are suppose to be hamster toilets actually do not become hamster toilets but more like a storage room or sleeping room... For toilets, is best to give them a bowl that is deep and heavy enough for them to sand bath in and use as a toilet.

To Enferno,

Congrats on becoming a new hamster owner.