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Hamster Breeds:
Hamsters are Broken into two groups. Dwarf and Syrian. All hamsters are active at night. They hold food in cheir cheaks.
They are small rodents that love to run on wheels and climb about. They come in many colors and require attention and things
to do in their cages.
Dwarf Hamsters:
dwarf hamsters are a smaller sub spices to hamsters. They come in many colors, and are usually allot
smaller then common hamsters. They love to run and are easy to hold. unlike other hamster breeds, dwarf hamsters enjoy company
and are very lonely without a friend. they live well in colonies and will live with their siblings or mate for life if given
the chance. they are very social and hate being alone. There are Four Types of Dwarf hamster: Campbells, Robovorski, Winter
White and Chinese. Champells and Winter Whites are very similar. Campbells come in many colors and get along well together.
Winter whites fur , as their name sugests, turns lighter in winter. Campbells and Winter Whites are the only dwarf
hamsters that can breed together to produce fertal offspring. Thus, many people do no know they are breeding two
diferent hamster breeds together when they have both Winter Whites and Campbells. Robos are the smallest of the
dwarf hamsters. They are known for their bushy eyebrows and beards. They are a little more jumpy and tend to fight more then
campbells do when housed together. The chinese are in the "rat like" hamster section. They have longer tails and short fur.
Not the most beautiful hamster, they are often a little shy, and rarely bite. More often then not, they like living sepratly
like syrian hamster when they are fuly grown.
Syrian hamsters:
The bigger hamsters. They like to live alone in their own cage. They will fight if kept with other
hamsters. Falsely these hamsters have been called things such as "teddy bear" "black bear" "fancy" and others. The truth is
they are all the same breed, same type only pet stores choose to seperate them by color so to make more money off the
colors that are prettier. They are easy going and very nice pets to keep.
Food:
Hamsters are omnivorous, which means they eat both vegetables and meat. Their natural foods include grains, seeds, vegetables,
and insects, and they will like corn, oats, or wheat mixed with dry dog food. Premixed hamster food from a pet store has complete
nutrition, but some hamsters won't eat it.
Either feed the hamster at the same time each day or leave a constant food supply.
Hamsters will not overeat but will often store food in their cheek pouches and put it in a hiding place to eat later. Remove
food that is no longer fresh each day, and clean out the "hidden" food once a week. Put food in heavy ceramic or plastic food
dishes (so they won't tip over) and clean them weekly.
Treat Tips: Try Fresh Fruits and Veggies
Bedding:
No cedar or pine!! Both contain oils called phenols that cause liver and kidney failure, a long term,
slow process that will shorten the animal’s life. Acceptable bedding include, shredded aspen, and CareFRESH™ (a
paper product). Gentle Touch™, a pelted aspen product, is very good at odor control. It can be used as a base for the
bedding, followed by a layer of bedding.
Thin shredded aspen is very good nesting material that is easy to dig holes in
that stay. When your hamster is pregnant do not use fluff, which is easy to get stuck on, or have babies loose limbs. Use
toilet paper as a nest that will protect the babies
Water:
Water should be available at all times in a gravity fed water bottle. These are available at any pet store. A dish of water
will only get spilled or walked in, getting both hamster and bedding wet. Water bottle holders are also available that come
with chew guards and caps to prevent destroyed water bottles.
Toys:
In the wild, hamsters travel great distances in search of food, so lots of exercise is needed. Be sure to include a wheel
in their cage. Hamsters also like a house to hide or burrow in. These come in wood or plastic. Plastic is easier to clean,
and wood gives them something to chew on. Small cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, and paper towel rolls make excellent
toys as well. Hamsters also like tubes and tunnels. They enjoy mazes and Puzzles, and live the wheel's that roll on the floor.
Be creative, Hamsters are Mischievous animals, and each hamster is different, so you may find a hamster that likes to do things
you never thought a hamster did before!
Handling:
It is best to handle hamsters very
gently by scooping them up and cradling them in the palms of your hands. The more a hamster is handled, the tamer it will
become.
When taking a hamster out of its cage, some precautions should be kept in mind. Hamsters can’t see very
well, and they aren’t the most agile or sure-footed creatures. They can easily fall off tables and counters, possibly
doing some serious damage or injury to themselves.
Dwarf hamsters are social animals. They like to have a friend with them, and get very lonely and inactive
when not with a friend. When you introduce a new friend in with your hamster its always best to get a baby under 5 weeks old
to put in, because a dwarf hamster will not harm a baby hamster.
FOR MORE QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION PLEASE EMAIL ME:
shadowhamster_rescue@yahoo.com
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