Chinese Dwarf Hamster
Dwarf hamsters are relatively good first pets for mature owners, as they have very little in the way of special care. Just a draft free home with plenty of fresh food and water, and some chew toys, will keep them happy.
Chinese Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)
Description
Approximately 10-12 cm in length when full grown. They have a slinkier, “ratty” appearance, and are the smallest members of the “rat-like” hamster family. Males have a large scrotal sac, which is very apparent in adults, and seems to be the first place that becomes damaged if fighting breaks out in the tank.
Chinese Dwarf Hamster
They can be maintained on a diet of lab blocks, and rat or mouse mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy crickets and mealworms as treats, but never too many. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles are better then bowls, as these little guys love to dig in their bedding, and much of it seems to always end up in the bowl. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire mesh hopper that allows the hamsters to eat the lab blocks through without them falling is also a good idea.
Habitat
Dwarf hamsters are communal animals, but Chinese dwarves can be a little more difficult then others to keep together.. The best pairing would be two females, introduced at a very young age. As soon as they’ve been weaned, if possible. Females are the dominant sex in Chinese hamsters, and if you try to keep a male and female together, the male might very well end up dead. When shopping for your hamster, you can pretty much assume that if the cage is large enough for a gerbil, it will be large enough for one dwarf. If you have two hamsters they will require at least twice as much space, with LOTS of hiding places and levels, so the weaker hamster will be able to escape the dominant one. I would never recommend more then two Chinese to a cage, unless they are all sisters, from the same litter, and raised together from birth. They’re just too aggressive towards their own kind. Bedding should be aspen, paper based, or hay. Try to avoid using cedar or pine.
Special needs
Because of their aggressive nature, these hamsters can be rather heartbreaking for someone interested in a first pet. They can jump extremely high, and are very fast. Definitely not a pet for beginners.
Personality
Attitude – Skittish, extremely fast, very agile Tame-ability – Poor to fair Trainability – Poor to fair Activity level – Very high Vocal – No Minimum owner’s age – 12 (and only if they want a pet they can look at, but not touch)
Reproduction
Lifespan – 2-3 years Maturity 5-6 weeks Sexual maturity 2-3 months Receptive – rarely, the female seems able to control heat Gestation 21-25 days Infants show color pigment at 4-6 days Infants can be handled at 2 weeks if mother is well socialized, if not, 3-4 weeks Infant eyes open at 16 days Ready to wean at 3-4 weeks
Mutations
Although they’ve been kept in captivity longer then our famous Syrian hamsters, there has been only one mutation that was stabilized in the Chinese. Dominant Spot.
Pet Status
Rare, and illegal in some states due to the threat they would present to native species if they were to escape into the wild.
