Size really doesn't matter... (Chinese Hamsters)

Member Name: LouLou_xx

Product:	Chinese Hamsters
Date:	21/09/09 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cute, fluffy, adorable.. the list goes on forever!

Disadvantages: Can cause a lot of stress if they go missing and don't have a very long life span :(

Dwarf Hamsters are the perfect low maintenance pet for kids - in fact, they're perfect for almost any age. However, I would not recommend getting one until your child/children are aged 8 or over because they can be very speedy and wriggly and therefore can escape easily if in the wrong hands. I also know of incidents where young children have squeezed the hamster too hard and actually popped one of their eyes out! Not a nice experience!

They cost about £5 to £10 and are very small - about the size of a mouse. I know doesn't sound too appealing but I think they're lovely because they don't have a tail and they don't squeak! There are other breeds of Dwarf Hamsters which are smaller, bigger different shapes and colours but these are generally the most common ones.

Sadly they don't have a very long life span though (They live for about 1-2 years) which can be quite upsetting for both children and adults. But they are very entertaining, loving pets for you and your family so you always feel like they've had a good life.

They come in a variety of colours such as greys, browns, blacks, whites, creams etc. and the best part is they change colour! Some of them hardly change at all - for instance our nearly-2-year-old female was very pale grey and white when we got her as a baby and now she has a very dark grey stripe down her back and patches of black.

However, our nearly-1-year-old male dwarf hamster was ginger and cream when got him, and now he's grey with a lovely fluffy cream little belly! Well, I say little but another change is their weight - the male hamsters tend to just grow outwards! But the females mostly just grow a little bit in size so don't worry if you have a male and female and think that one is too fat/thin.

If you have more than one dwarf hamster please DO NOT keep them in the same cage. I know this may sound mean as you think they might be lonely but it's for the best because they most likely will kill each other fighting. This especially applies for two males as they both fight to dominate.

The only exception is if you want to breed them, but if you do this make sure they have been with each other since a young age and once the female gets pregnant separate them because the male might eat the babies. I know they are sounding a bit violent at the moment, but they really are lovely, gentle natured little animals when kept on their own!

However, there is another downside to these otherwise perfect little rodents: They can escape. But this only really happens if you leave your cage open by accident or have an old cage - so make sure if your Dwarf Hamster dies and you decide to get a new one, you get a new cage. I made this mistake and because the cage had already survived 2 years of constant nibbling and chewing and I didn't realize how weak it had got.

If you do lose a Dwarf Hamster and are wondering how to get it to come home, don't worry because most of the time they do come back - in fact my dwarf hamster has escaped twice because we didn't get a new cage in time and she came back both times. All you have to do is leave their cage open (on the floor if it's usually up high) with plenty of fresh food and water and they will almost certainly come back for their warm bed even if it's two or three days later. Make sure you don't change the bedding and sawdust because they might not recognize the new smell as much and leave every door in your house open over night. I know sometimes they squeeze in to small places but if they can get in they will be able to get out.

As I said before, they are quite low maintenance - you never need to trim their nails or bath them because their nails/claws don't really grow much and they are constantly cleaning themselves. In fact, they are known to be one of the cleanest rodents. Food wise, you only need to put a small handful in their bowls every 2-3 days. If you are concerned about them being over weight and needing more nutrients then leave their bowls until they eat ALL the food because they are just like us and tend to leave the bits they don't like!

So, although it's hard to resist those cheeky, fluffy little faces, it's best for them if they're looking larger than normal (this applies more to females though because as I said before, the males generally tend to look a bit on the podgy side!). If you were wondering about bedding etc, they will need: soft cloth hamster bedding which costs about £7 for a bag which will last about 2 hamster's lifetimes or you can buy small ones which only last about half a year and cost about £4, so it's better value for money to get the big one.

They will also need sawdust which is very cheap ranging from about £1.50 to £10. The bedding needs to be changed about every week and the sawdust every other week, but if your hamster has a certain place where it tends to go to the toilet then clean that more regularly.

On the whole, Dwarf Hamsters are ideal pets for kids (over 8) or adults who want something a little more satisfying than a goldfish but a lot lower maintenance than a cat or dog. They are very cute, fluffy and loving pets which I would highly recommend and also they aren't very expensive.

Hope this is helpful, LouLou_xx
*Also on Ciao under LouLou1505*

Summary: Ideal pet for over 8s as they are not very hard work.