Dwarfs

Winter White Russian Hamster - Phodopus Sungoris

   

                                                          

          The Winter White hamster is a friendly and cheeky little hamster. In the wild it is found in the arid steppe lands, semi desert mountain foot hills and grasslands of Russia, northern China and Kazakhstan.  Depending on the season, the temperatures can range between freezing cold in the Winter to unbearably hot in the Summer. Due to the shortened daylight hours during the winter, for camouflage, their coats turn a greyish white to pure white. They are more active during the night, but can be found foraging for food during the day.

Temperament

          Winter Whites are friendly little things that enjoy human company.  They enjoy being handled, and once tame, will happilly sit still in your hand. In all the time I've had Winter Whites, I've only ever been nibbled when I've been near a female close to delivery or when she's had pups in the nest. They are best kept in pairs.They are one of the most vocal of the hamster species, and will make a noise at almost anything, sometimes even their own shadows. They do not do well in overcrowded conditons, and if kept in colonies they need a large space with pleanty of things to keep them occupied. Single sex small groups can work, but you should be aware that there can be bullying.  If there is quiet in the hamster room, it usually means that you have a good set-up.

Feeding

          There are many different ways of feeding your hamster. Food bowls can be used. Fresh hamster mix can be given everyday in the bowl, but be aware that hasmters mark there food by urinating on it, and this can cause the dry mix to go off, and become mouldy. If this happens, the food bowl should be changed at least every other day, to ensure the food is clean. Another way of feeding is sprinkling a large handfull of food into the bottom of the  cage. This allows the hamster to forage for its food, and there seems to be less likelyhood of them urinating on it. this only needs to be done every 4 or 5 days.

          Fresh vegatables need to be given every day, in pea sized portions. Any fresh food left over, must be removed, in case it goes off, as this may harm the hamster. If you want to find out what you can feed you hamsters look in the FOODS section.

Handling

         Handling dwarfs is slightly different to hamdling Syrians. Due to their size, its not always easy to keep them safely in your hands, as well as that they are considerably faster than Syrians. As with Syrians, its advisable to handle them either on the floor or on the bed. they don't tend to be as cage protective as Campbell's arebut its still advisable to treat them carefully when picking them out of the cage.

            Never try to grab at them, as their instincts will cause them to think that you are a predator. Depending on what type of cage you have, will depend on which is the best method to take them fromthe cage.

If its an enclosed cage like this one :-

 

and  its only got a small door, the best way to do this is to open the door of the cage and allow them to come out on their own.

If its a Sterilite Container like this one :-

 put your hand in the container, and at the same time talk to them genlty, and let them sniff you. Once you've done this, gently scoop them up with both hands, or use a cup or ladle, to scoop them out. Once away from the cage, put them in a cardboard box or something like that so that they are safe and secure. That way, if they escape from your hands, they cant escape altogether.

Taming

           Taming Winter Whites, I think is a lot easier than taming Syrians. Winter Whites respond better if you are confident with them. Click here to get the information on taming.

All Pictures used on this page were used by permission of those who took them.