PETS Downsized hamsters: territorial but social

Some of the dwarf hamster breeds may not be suitable for kids.
By DENISE FLAIM
LONG ISLAND NEWSDAY
Think of them as Hamster Lite.
"Most people like them because they're small and cute," says Tosha Stutts of Chickasha, Okla., who used to keep mice and rats until her husband persuaded her to get into something a little less, er, rodentlike.
So, five months ago, Stutts bought her first dwarf hamster.
"Almost everyone who's had a kid has had a hamster, but they're usually the Syrian ones," says Stutts, referring to the standard-size animal also known as the golden or teddy-bear hamster. "I think a lot of people just don't know about the dwarves."
As their name implies, dwarf hamsters are about half as big as their Syrian counterparts, growing a whopping 3 inches long. Dwarves have an average life expectancy of 1 1/2 to 2 years, compared to 2 to 2 1/2 for Syrians.
But size and longevity aren't the only differences between the two.
Characteristics
Syrian hamsters are solitary creatures; dwarves are highly social and live happily in pairs, even of the same gender. (Opposite-sex pairs will be prolific: Females generally get pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth.)
Both types are nocturnal. But dwarves tend to be more active, and their seemingly perpetual motion can be more entertaining than that of the more sedentary Syrians.
"They are definitely more social among themselves, and I find them to be more social toward people," says Linda Price of Lake Forest, Calif., who breeds Syrian and dwarf hamsters.
But dwarves also can be more territorial than Syrians, and bites are not uncommon. Dwarves are not as tolerant of rough handling, which makes them less appropriate for smaller children.
"If you cross the threshold to their cage, they will actually charge you," Price says. "But once you get them out of the cage, you can do anything to them."
To circumvent this homeland defense, Price recommends lowering a coffee mug into the cage. "Most learn quite quickly that they can climb in, and it's an elevator out of the cage," she says, adding that some owners use toilet-paper rolls or hamster balls for the same purpose.
Various types
There are three types of dwarf hamsters: Campbell's are the most common species available. They often are confused with winter whites, also known as Siberian hamsters, which are slightly smaller and far more private.
Shipping is expensive. It costs more than $100 for Price to ship a $10 hamster on a commercial flight, "and yet people want to pay nothing because it's just a hamster."
When it comes to feeding, dwarf and Syrian hamsters have the same basic requirements: commercial hamster food supplemented with veggies and fruit.
"Before people buy a hamster from anyone, they should handle it," Price stresses. "They should pick it up themselves and see how it responds.
"If it bites in the pet store," she concludes, "it's going to bite at home."