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About Hamsters



Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters
Campbell dwarf hamsters come in a variety of colors and are good for kids over 10. They can be held for short periods of time, but should be held over a soft surface in case they squirm between your fingers or jump. They can be put in small hamster balls that allow them to roam around the house, but never leave them in the balls without supervision. Dwarfs can handle cold rooms or garages just fine, but heat is their enemy. They originally came from Russia, and even have fur on the bottom of their feet for insulation! They need a balanced diet because they are prone to diabetes, so I feed and recommend a block style food. If you feed a mix they will just eat their favorites and they will not get a balanced diet, and food will also be wasted. Do not buy treats for them such as yogurt drops, and limit fruit as well due to the diabetes issue. If they start to drink lots more water and urinate more, is an indication they have developed diabetes. Usually all you need to do is doubly make sure they get a balanced diet. Cut out all treats of fruit, nuts, and carbs, and just feed a good quality block food. Dwarf love to run and need a running wheel to use up their extra energy in. It should be minimum 6" in diameter so that the hamster doesn't bend it's back while it runs.
Teddy Bear Syrian
Teddy Bears are the long haired variety of Syrian hamsters. They are larger, and slower and much easier to hold than the dwarfs. These are the best choice for first pets for young kids. They tend to sleep more than the dwarfs when they get older, and aren't as much fun to watch, but are more aware of their surroundings and their people than the dwarfs. They are easy to tame as long as you move slowly, quietly and patiently.
Hamster Cages
Because Syrian hamsters are such escape artists, I recommend a strong cage that they can’t chew through or push their way through. I like to use terrariums (glass or acrylic tanks with wire mesh tops) but they need to be set up so the hamster can’t climb to the top and push or chew a hole in the screen. It is best to use a tall enough tank, such as a 30 gallon, and make sure they can’t climb the water bottle, toys, hideouts, or wheels and reach the top and pull themselves over to make the great escape.
Kids love the Crittertrail multi level cages because of the tubes and multiple climbing levels, but these are way too small and difficult to clean. They are far below the ideal cage size of 600 square inches of uninterrupted floor space. A cage should never go below a 400 square inches footprint, this does not count platforms. An example of a solid cage which meets the 600 sq in is the Prevue 528 Universal Small Animal Cage. It is a very large and well built cage, with a plastic shelf and ramp and 2 large doors.
Dwarf hamsters can use a 20 gallon long as long as there isn't anything in it that they can climb and get out. Use a hanging type of water bottle such as the LIXIT hanging aquarium water bottle. Hamsters can't climb on the water bottle. This is available at my store.