Care for Winter White Dwarf Hamsters

The winter white dwarf hamster is one of the popular hamster species to own and care for! These fascinating pets really attract a lot of hamster lovers, but you need to care for them too! Here are some tips for caring them.

Steps

Housing the hamster

  1. Get a suitable cage. The minimum cage size for one hamster is 360 square inches of floor space; the minimum for two is 720. It is recommended that you have cages larger than that, though. You can house two or more winter whites, as long as they are from the same litter. Make sure the cage is put where there is no direct sunlight.
  2. Provide the cage with lots of bedding. About {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of bedding or more. Do not use pine or cedar bedding for your winter white. Softwood beddings such as pine and cedar have dangerous chemicals which may cause respiratory problems for your hamster.
  3. Place the cage with care. Do not place the cage in front of a window. The hamster should not be under direct sunlight.

Settling in

  1. Don't do anything with your hamster for 2 - 4 days after bringing it home. If you do, it may cause stress. Stress can sometimes kill your hamster. After 2 or 4 days, you can start talking to your hamster and start to pet it.
  2. If you try to pet your winter white and it squeaks or hisses at you, this is a sign that means: 'I'm scared' or leave me alone. If that happens, leave your hamster alone for a while longer. Also, be careful when you're around your hamster and don't make any loud noises that may cause stress.

Feeding the hamster

  1. When you feed your hamster, use a seed mix with not too much sugar (winter whites are prone to diabetes). Refer to the following nutritional values when looking for suitable food mixes:
    • 17-22% protein
    • 8-10% fiber
    • 4-6% fat
  2. Give your hamster proper food. Never give your hamster human food. Foods with too much sugar such as fruits are to be fed very, very sparingly.
  3. Check on the winter white's water bottle frequently to make sure the water level is full and the water is fresh.
  4. Don't give your winter white too many treats or it will gain weight. Many treats also have a lot of sugar, which can cause diabetes.

Enrichment for the hamster

  1. Exercise your hamster. For helping them exercise, provide them with a solid wheel in their cage. Do not use wire or mesh wheels as it can cause bumble foot. Make sure the wheel is big enough so that your hamster's back isn't arching when it runs in the wheel, as that can cause back problems. If you want to bring your hamster out of the cage, provide a hamster ball or a playpen. Don't leave your hamster out for too long, because it can get stresses.
  2. Provide chew toys for your hamster. A hamster's teeth really grow fast, especially dwarf hamsters. Provide them with chew toys such as wooden chews to help trim their teeth.

Grooming and hygiene

  1. Make sure your winter white's teeth aren't too long. If they look like they have overgrown, give them a chew stick or something to trim their teeth.
  2. If your hamster is dirty, never bathe it with water. The proper way to bathe a hamster is with certain types of sand, preferably children's play sand. (Never use dust) Leave a dish of it in the cage for your hamster to roll around in.
  3. Try to check when your holding your winter white that there is no infection in the eyes, tail, scent glands, or anywhere else around your hamster's body.
    • Never squeeze your hamster! This will cause stress and your hamster will most likely squeak, hiss, or bite. Always handle them gently!

Tips

  • When picking them up, keep your hand below them. A hand coming from overhead scares them.
  • When picking a pet hamster, make sure it doesn't have a wet tail, has bright eyes, does not have overgrown teeth, is alert, and it relaxes in your hand. Tame it for 3-4 days.
  • Make sure you wash your hands before and after you handle your hamster.
  • Clean your hamster's cage once or twice a week.
  • Your hamster will be shy at first, give it time to get along with its surroundings.
  • When taming your hamster, put down a towel in the bathtub with NO water and practice handling it. Make sure to put a hut and a wheel in the to comfort it, and be patient!
  • Dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes and usually giving treats like ozone and meal worms help.
  • Don't put hamsters in water they can die if they get too cold, wild hamsters only swim because of predators.
  • Your hamster can die from eating too much, remember to limit their food supply.
  • Hamsters are prone to bite or nibble on people they don't know, so warn your company before they handle your hamster. Also provide good handling tips, if someone inexperienced is going to handle your hamster.
  • Make sure your hamster is happy at all times. If your hamster seems to be acting quite different than usual, try to find out what's wrong by bringing it to the veterinarian.

Warnings

  • If your hamster hisses at you, this is a sign that it will bite you if you come near it.
  • Make sure that your water bottle doesn't leak to the bedding.
  • Never bathe your hamster in water!
  • Do not use round cages. They may not have enough space to run about.

Things You'll Need

  • Hamster cage (wire spacing should be a a maximum of 10 millimeters)
  • Hamster food
  • Hamster bedding
  • Water
  • Hideouts (for example, empty toilet paper roll)
  • Chew toys
  • Exercise wheel or exercise ball

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