Quote:
Dwarves are NOT easy to sex. Syrians, yes, they are very easy to sex...dwarves...not so much. Only way I can do it with any accuracy is to have a dwarf past weaning and look at them either either straight down or up from beneath (through glass or plastic) and look for a v versus a u shape. V's' should be females, U's should be males.....they have to be relaxed as well.
THANK YOU!
I also work at a pet store and that has been my exact experience. Dwarf hamsters are usually nasty little buggers who don't do well with other dwarf hammies, they'll kill each other like no bodies business and usually eat their whole litter. And pretty much impossible to sex.
Dwarves are NOT easy to sex. Syrians, yes, they are very easy to sex...dwarves...not so much. Only way I can do it with any accuracy is to have a dwarf past weaning and look at them either either straight down or up from beneath (through glass or plastic) and look for a v versus a u shape. V's' should be females, U's should be males.....they have to be relaxed as well.
They usually have their babies fine. They grow pretty fast and are very hardy......they are like rabbits....reproduce, reproduce, etc.....
I also disagree with this....you have to be very careful with female hamsters....they are, in my experience...the rodent most prone to infanticide when stressed, especially first time mothers.
I would treat the hamster as though she is pregnant and up her protein with some puppy biscuits or dog or cat food. Not all pregnant rodents look pregnant before they give birth. And the bulge doesn't reliably dictate litter size either.
I personally am not a hamster fan...especially dwarves...they are solitary and extremely territorial little spawn of satan creatures.....In the year and 3/4 I've been working in pet stores I couldnt' even tell you how many times hamsters, especially dwarves, have tried to bite me or have had to be separated b/c they were attacking one-another. I've heard of a *few* dwarves that were friendly and didn't bite....but not many...I will NEVER trust ANY hamster completely. Mice and rats make much better pets in my opinion...they are naturally social animals and their first instinct is to run when they are frightened....it is VERY abnormal for mice or rats to bite for no reason or even just when being caught (unless you are tailing them...they don't like that...but even then most still won't bite if you are quick about putting them on a solid surface like your palm or a table). I totally don't get why hamsters became SO much more popular than mice and rats....which are scores more friendly and trustworthy. Domestic mice and rats are genetically as far removed from wild ones as chihuahuas are from wolves....they are NOT the same thing as a wild rat or mouse...even so I don't get why people are so afraid of wild mice...its not like they're out to get you...
ok....I'm just a little partial.........sorry about my rambling...I'll stop now...lol
I also disagree with this....you have to be very careful with female hamsters....they are, in my experience...the rodent most prone to infanticide when stressed, especially first time mothers.
I would treat the hamster as though she is pregnant and up her protein with some puppy biscuits or dog or cat food. Not all pregnant rodents look pregnant before they give birth. And the bulge doesn't reliably dictate litter size either.
I personally am not a hamster fan...especially dwarves...they are solitary and extremely territorial little spawn of satan creatures.....In the year and 3/4 I've been working in pet stores I couldnt' even tell you how many times hamsters, especially dwarves, have tried to bite me or have had to be separated b/c they were attacking one-another. I've heard of a *few* dwarves that were friendly and didn't bite....but not many...I will NEVER trust ANY hamster completely. Mice and rats make much better pets in my opinion...they are naturally social animals and their first instinct is to run when they are frightened....it is VERY abnormal for mice or rats to bite for no reason or even just when being caught (unless you are tailing them...they don't like that...but even then most still won't bite if you are quick about putting them on a solid surface like your palm or a table). I totally don't get why hamsters became SO much more popular than mice and rats....which are scores more friendly and trustworthy. Domestic mice and rats are genetically as far removed from wild ones as chihuahuas are from wolves....they are NOT the same thing as a wild rat or mouse...even so I don't get why people are so afraid of wild mice...its not like they're out to get you...
ok....I'm just a little partial.........sorry about my rambling...I'll stop now...lol
THANK YOU!
I also work at a pet store and that has been my exact experience. Dwarf hamsters are usually nasty little buggers who don't do well with other dwarf hammies, they'll kill each other like no bodies business and usually eat their whole litter. And pretty much impossible to sex.
