Dwarf Hamsters
Care guide written by Bekki Fleming of Teesside Hamsters
Dwarf hamsters
The term dwarf is used to describe any hamster smaller than a Syrian. There are actually several species of “dwarf”: Roborovski, Russian Winter White, Russian Campbells, Russian and Chinese and each one has different requirements.
General
Caging
There are no animal welfare charity guidelines for cages specifically for dwarfs however in the hamster enthusiast community a cage of 55x40x30cm is deemed as being a bare minimum sizing for a single robo, and a cage of 70x40x30cm being the bare minimum for a pair. Due to their small size most hamster cages are not suitable, a bar spacing of a maximum of 7mm is required.
Caging specifics for a pair are discussed later, see keeping a pair of dwarfs.
Some cage recommendations are 3ft or larger fish tank, Hagen ZooZone 1, Hagen ZooZone 2, Zoolus Barney, Zooplus Alexander, Ferplast Mini Duna, Ferplast Duna Multy, Ferplast Duna Fun though any cage of similar dimensions and bar spacing is fine.
Toys & wheels
Due to their tiny size practically all toys and wheels sold for hamsters are the right size. A wheel of 4.5 inches for robos or 6.5 inches for Russians and Chinese is perfect. A recommendation for a wheel is either the 4.5 or 6.5 inch Silent Spinner or 6.5 inch flying saucers. A sand bath must be provided, chinchilla sand (not chinchilla dust) in dish is perfect, this acts as a toy and also cleans the hamster’s fur.
Food & treats
Robo and Winter Whites
Almost any commercially available mix is suitable for a Robo or Winter white hamsters due to them not being prone to diabetes, though due to their small size they prefer foods with small pieces. Burgess dwarf Super Hamster or Harry Hamster available from most pet shops is a great food and recommended within the hamster enthusiast community as being one of the best foods that is easily available. For anyone look for a premium hamster food Silver’s dwarf Mix with peas and kibble available from ratrations.com is quoted as being the best hamster food available. Small amounts of fruits and vegetables can be fed too an amount less than the size of the animals head every few days is fine, though only feed as much as the hamster will eat there and then because if the food is pouched and put in the hamsters food store it can go mouldy.
Russians, Russian Campbells and Chinese hamsters
All three of these hamsters are prone to diabetes and should therefore be fed a low sugar diet. Harry Hamster food is a low sugar commercially available mix suitable for diabetes prone species, however Silvers Dwarf Hamster Basic mix from ratrations.com is regarded as the most suitable food for these hamsters. No fruit should ever be fed to these hamsters.
All types
Hamsters do not require treats and sugary bars and drops should be avoided as they are “junk food”. Healthy treats for Robo hamsters include monkey nuts, bird millet sprays, chicken, egg white, mealworms and some dog biscuits (bonio, markies, milk bones) , though due to their tiny size they don’t eat much so don’t give huge portions.
Keeping pairs
The general consensus is that dwarfs can be kept in same species pairs if the conditions are right. Keeping a pair is not easy and should not be attempted by a novice. Pairs should be kept in large single level cages with identical duplicates of all items in the cage, only litter mates brought up together should be kept as pairs generally, though sometimes non litter mates can be introduced at a later date and successfully live together. Generally dwarfs are happy living alone so pairings are not essential. A pair of female Chinese hamsters should never be attempted as these are very aggressive when kept together.
Roborovski (Robo)
Robos are the smallest hamster species, they are also the most active species. Robos are typically very small (as little as 3-4cm), they are not generally cuddly and they are very fast moving so not suited to being children’s pets. Robos can be kept as pairs however this is demanding and should not be attempted by beginners as it can end in the death of one or both hamsters if done incorrectly.
Russian Winter white, Russian Campbells and Russians
All of the Russian hamsters are very similar in terms of looks, size and requirements. They are typically quite fat looking, have very soft fur and are usually quite friendly with Winter Whites being the friendliest.
Chinese
Chinese hamsters are very different to all other domesticated hamsters. They have a much more mouse like appearance and they also have the ability to cling onto items like a field mouse can. Chinese hamsters are very fragile so should not have tall cages, and preferably they should not be kept in barred cages at all.
