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Cages
Jan 25, 2004 20:49:02 GMT -4
Post by adara on Jan 25, 2004 20:49:02 GMT -4
I only have experience with Syrian hamsters and I've always given them as much space as I could possibly provide due to their activity levels at night. I was wondering how much space is optimum for a couple of dwarf hamsters?
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Cages
Jan 25, 2004 21:43:31 GMT -4
Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 25, 2004 21:43:31 GMT -4
I wasn't even sure they could be kept alone, but I was told they could (?). True? I would also like to know the answer to the how much room question, along with whether the will gnaw plastic inside cages as gerbils do. Apparently they do not as cages exists (primarily plastic) for dwarfs. How prevalent fighting is between them is another question. as for biting, how has dwarfs that never bite them?? Not one gerb has ever even attempted to bite me, except Chrissie who does it on very rare occasions, but I never know when those occasions will be, hence, I'm too afraid to handle her bare-handed, unless I'm feeling especially brave that day.
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Cages
Jan 26, 2004 14:57:15 GMT -4
Post by calvinator1 on Jan 26, 2004 14:57:15 GMT -4
Calvin lives in a Habittrail Space Station with various attachments. He's never tried chewing either the bars or the plastic. He definitely prefers chewing nuts/seeds and shredding toilet paper. I added a small cardboard box this weekend - he likes sleeping in it but he hasn't really chewed on it much. I think you could keep two dwarves in such a set-up quite comfortably, especially if you have some tubes attached that they could run around in. Calvin lives alone, mainly because he had been living alone in the pet store for some time before I adopted him. I don't think he would have appreciated suddenly having to share his space with another hammie. He seems quite content. As for biting, he only does that if you surprise him inside the habittrail. He can be very protective of his turf.
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Cages
Jan 27, 2004 0:01:24 GMT -4
Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 27, 2004 0:01:24 GMT -4
Interesting. I had no idea how prone dwarfs were to chewing plastic. I never had a hamster gnaw plastic in a Habitrail SS - except gentle Maggie! She started demolishing the control panel second level thing, and she is now in Princess' (RIP) old CT2. I can imagine being alone for so long would make him ancy about a sudden roommate.
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Cages
Jan 27, 2004 0:33:59 GMT -4
Post by Hamsters82 on Jan 27, 2004 0:33:59 GMT -4
I wouldn't say dwarves need much room, when we had our dwarves they had a CT Classic with some tubes attached. Yes, dwarf hammies can live alone & they are very fast! Yes, sometimes the dwarves will chew on the plastic, as mine did to gnaw their teeth down. Dwarves are not much different then taking care of a syrian really. They just need smaller stuff and their a lot faster. Dwarves are cute though & if you do get two & fights occur (which do happen) separate them immediatley! That's basically all I can think of at this moment. They are cute though, aren't they!
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Cages
Jan 27, 2004 0:45:44 GMT -4
Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 27, 2004 0:45:44 GMT -4
If you give them plenty of stuff to gnaw on, will they still gnaw plastic??
My Syrian hamsters NEVER gnaw wood chew thingees, and I have 14 hams. They gnaw filberts, Nylabones, Milk Bones, Hamsteroids, etc. They rare gnaw cardboard, but my gerbs gnaw lots of wood and heavy corrugated cardboard.
So dwarfs are more like Syrians??
BTW, Syrians almost never bite - I have had one bite in a year of handling up to 15 Syrians daily, and even that didn't hurt and wasn't aggressive.
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Cages
Jan 27, 2004 17:13:59 GMT -4
Post by Hamsters82 on Jan 27, 2004 17:13:59 GMT -4
Well, each hamster is different, so I suppose if you put a lot of toys in there they would gnaw them. Back then my brother & I were learning about hamsters, so we only got them tubes. But they did have exercise by playing with us.
Yeah, to me dwarves are like syrians but smaller and faster. And our dwarves, since we handled them when the vet told us too, were sweet. Benny only bit me once b/c she was sick & tired of fighting with her sister & didn't want me to break up the fight. Some dwarves (since you know they have a small brain) are smart & some aren't. I know Benny & Theo (different times) almost escaped but they stayed in their cage & one ran around the cage not knowing which way to go! But they were smart too; in the middle of the night trying to separate Benny & Theo, Theo would go in her tube, work all the way around to get Benny on the other side. Maybe she thought I wasn't smart....
I know this is on dwarves, but I have a question on my syrian. If you buy her treats, those chew sticks & she doesn't like them & keeps chewing on her bars....what do I do? Sophie isn't in for chewing on toys (doesn't care for toys actually), chewing on things that hamsters are supposed to chew on; so do I just let her chew the bars of her home or what?
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Cages
Jan 28, 2004 13:48:25 GMT -4
Post by dosergirl on Jan 28, 2004 13:48:25 GMT -4
Each of my dwarves has their own Habitrail cage....the girls have Space Stations and Digweed has a Mini. seems to be plenty of room for them....they have observatories and things too.
I think they are very simnilar to taking care of a syrian only smaller. i give my dwarves the same things i gave Lola to chew and they don't seem to chew plastic. They get wood chews, nylabones, bicuits,pasta, cardboard and hamsteroids(which lola adored)
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Cages
Jan 30, 2004 0:21:04 GMT -4
Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 30, 2004 0:21:04 GMT -4
. . .I have a question on my syrian. If you buy her treats, those chew sticks & she doesn't like them & keeps chewing on her bars....what do I do? Sophie isn't in for chewing on toys (doesn't care for toys actually), chewing on things that hamsters are supposed to chew on; so do I just let her chew the bars of her home or what? My hams are all in the Rodent Room, where I am not unless feeding, cleaning, or playing with them. Although most are in bins, two are in SS's and one a CT2. They chew when they know I am there (and might take them out); I left the room any number of times, turning out the lights, and listened from the dinette. The cewing quickly dissipated. Do yours gnaw the bars when you are not there??If so, and if it is serious, you can always go to a pet store and get something that tastes real bad (Best Behavior, or Bitter Apple, or alum), but I would check with a hamster expert or vet on their safety for small and furries. My Prince went so nuts trying to get out of a SS I eventually moved him to a bin, and put a calmer hammie in there. You may not have that option.
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