chinese dwarf hamster

Veer

Veer

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Who on this forum has a chinese dwarf hamster? I would like to hear more about them.

I am from the netherlands and have a russian dwarf hamster who is about 15 months old.

Since 1st july this year, it is forbidden by the government to breed russian dwarf hamsters. you can only buy hamsters that are born before 1st july.

I don't want a new/second hamster at the moment, because i don't have room for a second tank, so i think this russian dwarf could be my last.

Chinese dwarfs are still allowed. so maybe after my current hamster the chinese dwarf would be a nice option.

are there any differences between the russian and the chinese dwarf in care, housing, health, age and tameness ?
 
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Hello,

I have a Chinese hamster and a Russian dwarf. He is my first Chinese hamster so some of this information is from my research rather than direct personal experience.

I would say the major difference is in cage setup. Chinese hamsters are much more agile than Russian dwarfs and enjoy heights/climbing so they need a cage with climbing opportunities. They like hammocks and other raised areas to hide in, branches/ropes to balance on etc. They do need a busy cage setup with lots of hiding places as they are timid.

Chinese hamsters tend to live longer than Russian dwarfs on average, I would say about 2-3.5 years vs 1.5-2.5 years for Russian dwarfs although they have been known to live even longer than that.

In terms of health, Russian dwarfs are known for being prone to quite a few health issues. From what I've heard of Chinese hamsters, aside from diabetes which is a concern with some lines, they tend to be quite healthy and robust hamsters, contributing to their longer lifespan.

They tend to be shy and skittish but can bond strongly with their owners. I would say they are generally harder to tame than Russian dwarfs but it can definitely be done, you just need to be patient.

@elusive has had many Chinese hamsters so she will know much more than me.

I think it's a very great shame that the Netherlands has banned Russian dwarf hamsters, especially since it was based on such spurious reasoning.
 
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Welcome to the forum and I hope you find the hammy who is good for you. Why are Russian dwarf hamsters under legislation in NE? There is a section on the forum for Chinese hamsters as well as our active CH owners who are so good!
 
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I currently have two Chinese & have had quite a few in the past, they are quite different in character to Russians but keeping them is very similar really.
I did a post about them which you might find helpful.

www.thehamsterforum.com

A little info about Chineseys

Some info on Chinese hamsters for anyone who would like to know a little more about them, a bit of a mix of general facts & my own personal experience really. Appearance Chinese hamsters are more mouse like than other species being longer & slimmer in shape, I’ve never managed to measure one...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com
 
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Socks Mum said:
Welcome to the forum and I hope you find the hammy who is good for you. Why are Russian dwarf hamsters under legislation in NE? There is a section on the forum for Chinese hamsters as well as our active CH owners who are so good!
Click to expand...
I believe they have banned the breeding (and keeping?) of russian dwarf hamsters for a number of reasons - which many hamster lovers in the Netherlands are not happy about. On the one hand, it's true there are bad breeding practices of a hybrid species (which may cause unseen animal suffering - particularly with them being hybrids of two species - on some occasions, the babies may be too big for the Mother to give birth to). But I think one of the main reasons they quoted was because they allege they are aggressive and fight - a reason which hamster owners are not happy about. Surely it would have been better just to ban keeping them in pairs or groups and make laws about breeding practices! Instead they went for a blanket ban.
 
Interesting, thank you. The problem is people will still wind up with dwarf hybrids, but might not take them to the vet if they become unwell. Perhaps it is more the commercial breeding it is targeted at, which can be very cruel like puppy mills.
 
If they can't be sold or bought after 1st July then gradually over the next couple of years you would think there wouldn't be any more dwarf hamsters in Holland. But, as we know, there are often accidental litters from people buying dwarf hamsters in pet shops. So some will continue to be born.

On the other hand, if no more can be sold after 1st July then people won't be getting pregnant dwarf hamsters, so technically there should be no more dwarf hamsters in Holland within the next three years probably.
 
Thanks Veer. It's very sad really. But I hope you find a lovely Chinese hamster if that's what you're interested in. Would you consider a Syrian? I love Syrians :-)
 
I don't know about syrians they need a much larger housing.
And i really love the dwarf hamsters, and have everything in dwarf size.
I hope my Hammie (correctiom: now 17 months old) will live for a long time, and after that i will see if a chinese dwarf is a good choice for me.

Maybe gerbils are a nice option too?

I was also thinking about buying a young russian dwarf now, it is still possible, so that i will still have one whem my Hammie dies. But who knows how old Hammie or a new one will get?
And then i would have two cages to clean And 2 hamsters to care for and give attention

I don't have room for 2 tanks, but i could house a second dwarf in a ferplast duna large in my bedroom ....

But it feels like replacing my Hammie while she is is still with me.... what to do?
 
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Actually there isn't really any difference in cage size :-) The latest guidelines say dwarf hamsters need the same amount of space as Syrians :-) The minimum recommended being about 100cm x 50cm. It's true their houses and wheels are larger - but not much larger and easily fit in a 100 x 50 cage. A lot of good hamster items are suitable for any species these days. For a female syrian, yes, you might need larger than 100 x 50 as they are notorious for needing a lot of space.

Some of the positives about Syrians are - they tend to be healthy right through to old age. They're not prone to a lot of health conditions. Very young Syrians can get wet tail but that is usually something they have from a pet store without the right set up so as long as you get one from a good place that seems healthy then it's fine. I've never had an issue. They can be a bit easier at times (arguably!).
 
My tank is 115x45 cm and 50cm heigh.
All the houses and other things are dwarf size.
I feel this tank isn't big enough for a syrian with all the larger stuuf they need....
 
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It's actually a good size for a Syrian :-) An 11" wheel doesn't take up much more space than a 10" wheel. Multiroom houses come in similar sizes but just have bigger entrance doors (a medium sized Syrian multiroom house is about the same as a large dwarf hamster multiroom house). Cork logs are the same size whichever species.

But I think it sounds like you prefer dwarf hamsters and the smaller species :-) I've never had a chinese - they seem amazing and adorable - I do think they could be harder to tame or see much of possibly. But then you could say that for some Syrians as well.
 
I will do some research about the chinese dwarf and syrian hamsters, but prefer the russian dwarf, but i don't think that is still an option when my Hammies is gone.
Or i should already buy a new you dwarf hamster, but you cannot now how old Hammie or the new one will get, and if the new one dies in young age, i'd still have no hamster, also i feel it isn't fair to Hammie to have to devide my care and attention between them, and the new one would have to live in a duna (100x50x35) in the bedroom, and i cannot be with both of them at the same tims for attention...
 
Gerbils are nice. Daisy is a gerbil expert! She has an interesting thread under the forum heading, "Your other pets".
 
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