Dwarf Hampster Herman

[Bulletdance]

I've been pretty sick for a while now and sadly I lost my cat to cancer a few months ago. My sister wanted to cheer me up so she surprised me with an adorable pet dwarf hampster named Herman! He's an adorable bundle of tiny craziness and I really like him,but I've never had a hampster before and am having a tiny issue with his wheel. I'm wondring if anyone here would know how best to handle it.

His old wheel came with his house and it was so loud it kept me up at night so I got him one of those silent wheels, however... It seems he gets it going real fast goes completely around in a circle and flies out of it! He gets up fine and does it again,but I'm worried the little stunt man will hurt himself. People at the pet store said it was normal,but I'm wondering if I should get either a bigger silent wheel or maybe just another incased one. I'm going to post a pic of him when I get my pc, he's so cute!

[zedxrgal]

Just keep an eye on little Herman. He should be just fine really. It's very common for hamsters to crash off their wheels. Heck I've seen hamsters do head on collisions with stuff while in a hamster ball and be just fine.
Let him keep it up but ........... obviously keep an eye on him.

I would suggest getting him a hamster ball to that may help him run around and burn off some of that energy.

What may help also is removing his wheel at night.

[Finduilas]

I've had four hamsters so far and I can agreewith zedxrgal: it's normal for them to fall off their wheels. Once I tried getting my hamster a bigger one, but he didn't like it at all and never used it until I put the old one back in. One thing you should watch if you have one made of plastic: they sometimes get sharp edges when the hamster runs a lot in them. Check it once in a while and change it, if you notice something, so he doesn't hurt his tiny paws.

If you have a room without any dangers for the hamster (like cables from laptop or lamps, or tiny holes he could disappear in) let him run there after he got up and is fully awake. I usually used my bathroom for this, because there was nothing he could hide under or disappear behind. I let him explore everything and after a few times he liked to run around the floor and check out every corner. After these adventures he was always quite exhausted and went to sleep after I put him back in his cage.

But I wouldn't remove the wheel at night. A hamster's most active time is during the night and he needs to do his exercise then. They run a lot in the wild (several kilometers each night) and without the wheel he would probably get depressed. I saw my hamster once his wheel broke and I had to replace it two days later, he was very sad during these two days. Hamsters get kind of addicted to the wheel. You could try out a bigger one, but it could be that he will have problems moving it as a dwarf hamster.

Hope this helps If you have any questions feel free to pm me.
And I'd love to see some pictures!

edit for some spelling

[Miyon]

But I wouldn't remove the wheel at night. A hamster's most active time is during the night and he needs to do his exercise then. They run a lot in the wild (several kilometers each night) and without the wheel he would probably get depressed. I saw my hamster once his wheel broke and I had to replace it two days later, he was very sad during these two days. Hamsters get kind of addicted to the wheel. You could try out a bigger one, but it could be that he will have problems moving it as a dwarf hamster.

No, don't remove the wheel at night. You want a happy healthy hamster, not a fat, unhealthy one
What breed is your hamster? I have had several, and the tiniest I had, a Roborowski something, could run in her wheel just fine. When they fly out of their wheels, it's usually because they stop. Keep an eye out for him, but I don't think it will be too dangerous. If the wheel is making a lot of noise, use some food oil in the middle of it to make it glide smoother. It doesn't hurt the hamster, and makes it easier to run in.

[Bulletdance]

He was marked as a Chinese hampster, but my best friend used to work in a pet store and when she saw him she said he's without a doubt a Russian. He has a white belly and is grey with a dark stripe on his back. She said they are a little harder to handle than a Chinese,but he's at the point now where I can pet him and pick him up without scaring him. I'm glad to know the wheel flying is pretty normal I'm going to stick with that one,but watch him if he doesn't use it enough or falls off too much I'll get a bigger one and see if he can move it.

[Miyon]

One of those?


I have had three different ones, but they had another name than 'Russian'.

[Finduilas]

I know the one Miyon posted as Dsungarian Dwarf Hamster. They are really cute and can sometimes even be held in pairs (female+female or male+male) because they are not as hostile and single-life-loving as other hamsters.

[zedxrgal]

Removal of the wheel is only for at night when sleeping. I've worked with vets who've recommended this if a rodent is keeping it's owner up at night. The wheel is replaced in the morning so there is no real loss and what this usually does over time is trains the animals to be a bit more of a day time creature even if it's not fully. "Depression" as you're calling it doesn't happen because the wheel is presented to the animal in the morning. The method is sound and is simple in that you exercise the animal outside the cage enough, before bed, (like in a ball) and at that time remove the wheel. Most hamsters will head straight for their nest and conk out.
I've trained rats to do this.
Any feline I've own sleeps at night simply because they've been taught from kittens to sleep in a crate. This does not "depress" them or adjust them being a kitty. All it does is make life more tolerable for their human companions.
So yes it can be done and done safely to the animal.

Edited for spelling errors

[Bulletdance]

One of those?


I have had three different ones, but they had another name than 'Russian'.

Wow! That's him exactly! It explains why I've been having some trouble looking up info on them if the name was wrong. He loves sunflower seeds and likes sitting in my hand. I'm going to get some baby carrots tomorrow too so he can have little pieces now and then.

[Chimera]

Yea if you keep them really active though the day (giving them breaks for naps and food/water) they'll adjust over a week or so (i dunno if he'd change for good or revert back over time tho) and he'll become dirunal, something im teaching my rat right now since she looooooves climbing the walls of her cage and does it all night long. I too have been advised that, if i get her a wheel, to remove it before bed and replace when i wake up. Once i get a little money ahead im gonna buy her a wheel and rearrange her cardboard hoises and paper towel rolls (shes weird, she sleeps in the cardboard cup holders you get from mcdonalds if you buy several drinks), and Herman is absolutely adorable <3 the fluffy tan and white hamsters are usually the only ones i ever see so ones like Herman are so unique for me to see

[Miyon]

I know the one Miyon posted as Dsungarian Dwarf Hamster. They are really cute and can sometimes even be held in pairs (female+female or male+male) because they are not as hostile and single-life-loving as other hamsters.

Yes, that is it, I just couldn't remember the name.
My first one, she was lovely and she loved sunflower seeds. I think these hamsters become very old.
The two others I had, were both female and I kept them together, but one of them appeared to be pregnant, and the other one didn't like that, so they fought and I had to separate them. I think she ate the babies or something.

If you train the hamster up so it knows it gets the wheel in the morning, he should be okay. Mine made a lot of noises aswell, but we didn't sleep in the same room, so there was never any problem. Where do you keep him?

[Bulletdance]

I keep him on my desk across the room away from the windows. That way I can sketch with a side kick.

[Kurasu]

I have to agree with the 'hamster ball' idea. I've never had a dwarf hamster, but my teddy bear hamster loved hers. And it kept her busy. She'd chase the cats because she knew they couldn't get her in it. She even learned how to go down stairs with it (backpedaling very, very carefully) but I wouldn't suggest trying that with most hamsters; they can get pretty badly scared, if not hurt, if they take a tumble down stairs in their ball!

Plus, it's a lot of fun to watch them in their ball. It's safe, they get to explore, and get plenty of exercise while they entertain you! Really, a hamster ball is an excellent investment.