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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.
Diet
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.
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