chestnutmare Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 OH and I were only going in for essentials, as you do. But we came home with this... I've always loved hamsters and thought about getting one someday and here he is. Named Nibbles because the first thing he did when we held him was nibble our hands. He's a Russian Dwarf Hamster. Small but fast. He's a sweet little thing isn't he? Dwarf hamsters tend to live with others but him and his buddy had been seperated due to squabbles so he's best having his own place, he's an independent kind of guy and likes to have the food to himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 You lucky thing!! I always wanted a hamster, but was never allowed (I'm still not!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Aw, he is very sweet and has lovely colouring . Congratulations . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 You should get one. They're not expensive to keep, they're only ickle. I had a couple of Syrian hamsters as a child and I remember my brother having a Russian Dwarf Hamster. OH had never even held one but he's very, very fond of Nibbles now - he's very entertaining. Thanks ANH. He's a cutie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Ahh he's very sweet. I love his colouring. We've had hamsters in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddie Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 We have three cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Thanks Seagazer. Freddie, We have a jack russell terrier, who until recently, enjoyed the free-ranging life at a smallholding and all that goes with it. But the dog is downstairs and isn't aloud upstairs and we keep the upstair's door closed so Nibbles is safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Are you saving up for an Omlet hamster cage ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 ANH, was thinking about the new Omlet product when I started this thread. Is it a hamster cage? No doubt it'll be designed for specific gadgets = ££. It depends how impressed I am with it - but I'd never pay money for a hamster cage. It's not like I need to keep my hamster in a fox proof home or warm from the outside temperatures. ...But I won't say no just yet. I can't wait to see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 What a little sweetie I may have to book a visit and snuggles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I'd be scared of squashing him, they are quite "squishy" from my memory of handling them as a child He is very sweet, what sort of cage/house does he live in? I'm very tempted to get a tortoise too, (much harder to squash ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Awww isnt he a little cutie, i love the stripe on his back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Hello He is a cutie and I love hamsters but it's a shame your cage is so small. It's really not very suitable as he will want to climb and will definitely need space for a dust bath, tubes to run in and out of etc. He really needs more than 1 level. We have 2 rehomed 2 Roborowski hamsters which are smaller than Russian dwarfs and they came in a very similar cage as yours. We immediately upgraded to something very similar to this from Zooplus. Our hamsters have a great deal of space and use every inch. It is pricey but it's also about your pet's welfare. The important thing to remember is to get a cage with bars of less than 7mm for any of the smaller varieties of hamsters as they are terrific escapologists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 he's like our Willow.... cute! we have one of those Ferplast modular cages - started off with the basic one and now it has tunnels extending to different pods all over the place! quite funky, and also quite secure - went in this morning to find that Bad Cat Stanley had knocked the cage off the box it sits on, but Willow was still nestled in tight in the middle of one of the pods!! have reminded youngest about keeping her bedroom door shut at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Lydia thanks for the advice - please bare in mind we only got him Saturday, we've bought loads of toys for him since, taken the pet shop's advice and no animal that I own will be neglected. Bramble, he lives in a cage with plastic and small bars so he can't squeeze out of them, not a regular hamster cage. It has two different levels and we've added more toys to it - it's amazing what can be bought for hamsters - things have moved on since the times when I had syrian hamsters as a child. You wouldn't squash him, he's too fast to get squashed. I like tortoises too... also at the pet shop. Thanks for the lovely comments, and Debs, you must call in as soon as we get our living room sorted. I don't want to offer you a cuppa on our sun lounger. The living room is (still!) in the middle of being decorated... but that's another story. You can see the hens then too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ooo my sister and I used to have one of those Russian hammies. We called him 'Ivan the Terrible' . We used to put him out for a run round the bedroom every evening and despite his very sweet looks he used to run after us and sink his teath into our bare feet. He lived a good long time, several years, which is long for a hammy, but at one point had to go to the vet with an impacted pouch. For years after the vet, who was a huge, hulking man, used to say with a look of dread, 'I'll never forget Ivan the terrible'. Believing the story about Russian hammies getting on with other hammies we bought him two wives, Lara and Lali. They got on together but Ivan once bit the tiny tail right off of poor Lara so ever after that he had a bachelor existence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy chick Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 When I was at uni in a student house we decided to get a pet and bought a dwarf hamster just like yours. We called him Dave He had a wheely thingy to run in and he would run and then stop dead so the wheel kept spinning while he went round and round in it, it was hilarious. So we then called him 'dare devil Dave'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ha love the name, CC. Nibbles comes out of his cage every evening, has a run around and plays in his ball. Several years is good for a hamster! My syrian hamsters lived longer than expected too. I have assumed the dwarf hamsters have to be with their own gender.. maybe that is because they don't get along (males fighting over the ladies) or because they might get along 'too' well. I bet he enjoyed the bachelor life though! FC, I love the name - they are so entertaining aren't they? I love watching them play with their little toys and trying to work out how to get to their treats. Ahhh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Oh just remembered, one thing that really worked well was potty training our hammy. We put a bit of his wet sawdust in a small glass jar on its side in his cage and that was from then on his loo. We washed it out, of course, every day, and it certainly kept things easy and smelling sweet. As you say things have moved on rather since when I was with my sister and now you can buy hammy loos, but a jar works just as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yes, the only thing that is missing from the hammy loo is the flush! A small jar would make a nice little snuggle too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
