Hi I am due to collect my dwarf winter white on 1st May from a private breeder first time having a hamster so please be kind if I ask what may seem to be silly questions I am trying to learn from you more experienced hamster loving people. 1st question is it possible to train a dwarf to use a specific toilet place my sisters Syrian always "went" into her jam jar on its side of course made cage cleaning so quick and easy. Tia Jain
Little Pete
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Hello,
All hamsters tend to naturally prefer to use specific places. For dwarfs that's often the sand bath or the wheel, or sometimes in/near their nest. With the sand bath, you can sieve it as needed and replace it every few weeks. Plastic wheels are the easiest to clean for hamsters who like to pee on them. You probably won't need to spot clean the cage for at least the first couple of weeks so that will give you time to work out what your hamster's habits are.
Looking forward to hearing all about your new hamster
Winter Whites are probably my favourite hamsters.
All hamsters tend to naturally prefer to use specific places. For dwarfs that's often the sand bath or the wheel, or sometimes in/near their nest. With the sand bath, you can sieve it as needed and replace it every few weeks. Plastic wheels are the easiest to clean for hamsters who like to pee on them. You probably won't need to spot clean the cage for at least the first couple of weeks so that will give you time to work out what your hamster's habits are.
Looking forward to hearing all about your new hamster
Winter Whites are probably my favourite hamsters.
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Hello and welcome There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to hamsters! Congratulations on your dwarf winter white hamster - you must be excited. Did the breeder have a pedigree lineage for your hamster by the way?
Ok so the answer to that one is - maybe. Generally russian dwarfs tend to pee in more than one place in the cage. And so do roborovski dwarf hamsters. However, I found when I gave my roborovski dwarf hamster a labyrinth/multiroom house with a compartment for a litter tray - he used it! So I can highly recommend getting a multiroom house - they aren't cheap but they mimic a burrow with a room for nesting, toiletting and hoarding and because of the design the nesting area is completely dark inside - which is why hamsters like them and usually move straight in and build a nest.
It's still a fairly quick easy clean providing you use plenty of depth of substrate. At least 6" and ideally 8" or more. With that you then just "spot clean" most of the time, and don't need to change the substrate that often. Even then most of it is clean and dry so it's recommended to replace the clean half back in with the new so things smell familiar. There's a whole article on cleaning tips and toiletting tips on the home page
What cage do you have for her?
I have a labyrinth house like this for our robo - it's a dwarf hamster sized one. I also have the Syrian sized one. Rodipet actually sell a dwarf hamster sized litter tray to fit inside it as well.
This one also has a rough granite slab on the roof which is good - it's a cool place for them to sit in hot weather and it roughens their nails every time they walk over it (helps keep their nails short). And it's a good place to put a food bowl so their nails get roughened every time they go to eat.
So I take it it's a boy called Little Pete!
There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to hamsters! Congratulations on your dwarf winter white hamster - you must be excited. Did the breeder have a pedigree lineage for your hamster by the way?Ok so the answer to that one is - maybe. Generally russian dwarfs tend to pee in more than one place in the cage. And so do roborovski dwarf hamsters. However, I found when I gave my roborovski dwarf hamster a labyrinth/multiroom house with a compartment for a litter tray - he used it! So I can highly recommend getting a multiroom house - they aren't cheap but they mimic a burrow with a room for nesting, toiletting and hoarding and because of the design the nesting area is completely dark inside - which is why hamsters like them and usually move straight in and build a nest.
It's still a fairly quick easy clean providing you use plenty of depth of substrate. At least 6" and ideally 8" or more. With that you then just "spot clean" most of the time, and don't need to change the substrate that often. Even then most of it is clean and dry so it's recommended to replace the clean half back in with the new so things smell familiar. There's a whole article on cleaning tips and toiletting tips on the home page
What cage do you have for her?
I have a labyrinth house like this for our robo - it's a dwarf hamster sized one. I also have the Syrian sized one. Rodipet actually sell a dwarf hamster sized litter tray to fit inside it as well.
This one also has a rough granite slab on the roof which is good - it's a cool place for them to sit in hot weather and it roughens their nails every time they walk over it (helps keep their nails short). And it's a good place to put a food bowl so their nails get roughened every time they go to eat.
So I take it it's a boy called Little Pete!
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They also sell legs for those houses. So they're supported underneath with the deep substrate and it means they can bury hoards under the nest (which ours do). It all helps with normal behaviours.
I just saw Daisy posted as well You can use the same sand in the litter tray as in the sand bath and your hamster might decide to pee in both!
I just saw Daisy posted as well
You can use the same sand in the litter tray as in the sand bath and your hamster might decide to pee in both!
M
Member ID2
Hello and welcome to the forum!
Looking forward to meet your new hamster once he's home and settled in.
Looking forward to meet your new hamster once he's home and settled in.
Hello & welcome to the forum.
I’ve found most of my Russian hams will tend to pee in one place, they do usually take time to settle on a particular spot but that’s just part of the settling into a new home process.
They will often pee in the sand bath & I put another small container with sand in the house as well, it will only work if you have a large enough multi chamber house but they will use that.
I’ve found most of my Russian hams will tend to pee in one place, they do usually take time to settle on a particular spot but that’s just part of the settling into a new home process.
They will often pee in the sand bath & I put another small container with sand in the house as well, it will only work if you have a large enough multi chamber house but they will use that.
Thank you for your replies I have much to learn. I love seeing your photos and will introduce you to Little Pete with photos once he is settled in obviously I am so excited just waiting to collect him on Monday. To answer your questions I have the smallest cage recommended 80cm x50cm but a secure playpen where he will spend most of his time every evening its like hamster Alton Towers in there his cage is roomy enough for a good sized wheel plus tubes and hides and a gooddepthto it. As for his pedigree the breeder classed him as a winter white and said both parents are winter whites I will have another conversation about that now I know a little more about hybrids. Sorry for such a long post so much to say in one go x
No need to apologise for long posts, there are so many questions & things to learn when you first start out with hamsters, we’ve al been there.
Which cage do you have? I was just wondering if it might be the Hamster heaven or something else with tubes attached? If it is the hamster heaven it’s best to remove the tubes & penthouse thing & close the holes off with the blockers as they can cause a lot of problems.
Maybe you’re just referring to tubes in the cage, like cardboard or cork which are fine.
It will take some time for him to settle in the cage before he’ll be ready for out of cage time so be prepared for that, they also vary a lot in how much they enjoy or want out of cage time, I’ve had some spend almost all day in the playpen & others that really didn’t like it at all, they’re all different so just take some time to get ot know him & let him guide you.
Which cage do you have? I was just wondering if it might be the Hamster heaven or something else with tubes attached? If it is the hamster heaven it’s best to remove the tubes & penthouse thing & close the holes off with the blockers as they can cause a lot of problems.
Maybe you’re just referring to tubes in the cage, like cardboard or cork which are fine.
It will take some time for him to settle in the cage before he’ll be ready for out of cage time so be prepared for that, they also vary a lot in how much they enjoy or want out of cage time, I’ve had some spend almost all day in the playpen & others that really didn’t like it at all, they’re all different so just take some time to get ot know him & let him guide you.
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I can imagine you’re excited! The main thing on bringing them home is to make sure everything is set up on the cage in advance so ideally you don’t need to tweak anything for at least the first two weeks while they acclimatise.
It can take a lot of patience at first, because they need to be left alone in the cage for two or three days to settle in, scent mark and decide where to sleep and so they don’t get too stressed. Whereas most people are itching to handle them straight away!
If he’s from a breeder he may be fairly hand tame already but they can be fairly skitty with the change of environment and new people. The other main thing is to have plenty of substrate in the cage (ie fill the base to the top at least) and don’t clean anything out for the first two weeks. They like to burrow down and dig the odd tunnel. Spot cleaning is just removing the odd handful of substrate and replacing it with a new handful and mixing it in a bit so it still smells familiar. It’s only their pee that is unhygienic. Poops can be picked out as and when necessary - they are just like tiny seeds and quite dry. And they sometimes eat them (which is normal). So unless they start taking over in a big way, don’t worry about those at first.
The key to a happy settled hamster is to not clean everything at the same time. So the wheel as and when needed. Change the sand on the sand bath when needed (pee clumps can be scooped out for a while). And mainly spot cleaning of substrate. When you do come to need to change the substrate - even then it’s good to keep at least a third of the old substrate that’s clean and spread that on top of the new substrate - so everything still smells familiar. That layer will get spot cleaned out eventually . Also a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper in the cage mean he can start on building himself a cosy nest to feel secure. They often bury hoards under their nest and snack in bed
The reason for all this is that hamsters scent mark their territory by rubbing against things - so they can claim it as home and feel secure.
It is exciting and it’ll be lovely to meet little Pete when he arrives. He will probably explore his cage and check everything out
It can take a lot of patience at first, because they need to be left alone in the cage for two or three days to settle in, scent mark and decide where to sleep and so they don’t get too stressed. Whereas most people are itching to handle them straight away!
If he’s from a breeder he may be fairly hand tame already but they can be fairly skitty with the change of environment and new people. The other main thing is to have plenty of substrate in the cage (ie fill the base to the top at least) and don’t clean anything out for the first two weeks
. They like to burrow down and dig the odd tunnel. Spot cleaning is just removing the odd handful of substrate and replacing it with a new handful and mixing it in a bit so it still smells familiar. It’s only their pee that is unhygienic. Poops can be picked out as and when necessary - they are just like tiny seeds and quite dry. And they sometimes eat them (which is normal). So unless they start taking over in a big way, don’t worry about those at first.The key to a happy settled hamster is to not clean everything at the same time
. So the wheel as and when needed. Change the sand on the sand bath when needed (pee clumps can be scooped out for a while). And mainly spot cleaning of substrate. When you do come to need to change the substrate - even then it’s good to keep at least a third of the old substrate that’s clean and spread that on top of the new substrate - so everything still smells familiar. That layer will get spot cleaned out eventually . Also a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper in the cage mean he can start on building himself a cosy nest to feel secure. They often bury hoards under their nest and snack in bed The reason for all this is that hamsters scent mark their territory by rubbing against things - so they can claim it as home and feel secure.
It is exciting and it’ll be lovely to meet little Pete when he arrives. He will probably explore his cage and check everything out
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M
Member ID2
Regarding Winter Whites: my two dwarfs are hybrids but i also had a pedigree winter white from a registered breeder.
The personality with hamsters varies as much as with humans, regardless of their ancestry.
Some sleep all day and get up late and others are active during the day like our dwarf Lilly who is out of her cage and in a dig box right now.
Some love playpens or freeroaming and others prefer their own company and mostly want to stay home like our dwarf Eddie.
There are threads here about cages and set ups including the 80cm x 50cm cages i use for my dwarfs. I have Hamster Heavens which is probably the cage you have as well. I always remove the external tubes and penthouse but use some inside as runs providing the hamster doesn't pee or nest in them which ours don't do because they have enough houses and substrate.
We are always chatting at length about our hamsters here so don't ever feel that your post is too long or that you ask too many questions.
The personality with hamsters varies as much as with humans, regardless of their ancestry.
Some sleep all day and get up late and others are active during the day like our dwarf Lilly who is out of her cage and in a dig box right now.
Some love playpens or freeroaming and others prefer their own company and mostly want to stay home like our dwarf Eddie.
There are threads here about cages and set ups including the 80cm x 50cm cages i use for my dwarfs. I have Hamster Heavens which is probably the cage you have as well. I always remove the external tubes and penthouse but use some inside as runs providing the hamster doesn't pee or nest in them which ours don't do because they have enough houses and substrate.
We are always chatting at length about our hamsters here so don't ever feel that your post is too long or that you ask too many questions.
Hello again yes my cage is the Hamster Heaven 80cmx50cmx50cm it is the largest one i have room for but it will be used in conjunction with his playpen and also maybe free to roam occasionally. I was thinking of using the tubes in his play pen what problems did you encounter with tubes
Using the tubes in the playpen would be fine, the problem is just when they’re attached to the cage.
Very often hamsters will try to nest in the tubes, store food and pee in them which very quickly gets very unhealthy & it can also make getting them out really hard, it happens so often with that cage but if you just use the blockers for the cage & use the tubes separately that’s fine.
Other than that the Hamster heaven is a nice cage, I’ve had one for years & several different hamsters have enjoyed living in it.
Very often hamsters will try to nest in the tubes, store food and pee in them which very quickly gets very unhealthy & it can also make getting them out really hard, it happens so often with that cage but if you just use the blockers for the cage & use the tubes separately that’s fine.
Other than that the Hamster heaven is a nice cage, I’ve had one for years & several different hamsters have enjoyed living in it.
F
Frida
Hello and welcome to the forum. I have a dwarf russian hamster that also lives happily in a HH.
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