Hamsters - Which type would you recommend?

[wystearya]

Let me begin by saying that a week ago my little Robo hamster passed away.  He was old for a little hamster, somewhere around 3 years old.  I took good care of him, and he was active until the very last day.  Poor little guy, I found him in his little nest under his 'igloo'. 

I'm considering getting another hamster sometime, but I am not sure what kind I want.   I don't think I want a Campbells, as I know they are prone to diabetes.  Before I got Chip (my Robo) I had a Campbells hamster.  He was adorable!  But he developed diabetes quickly and suffered.  Diet didn't help him and he wasted away.  It was very hard to deal with and I don't want to go through that again.

I might get another Robo, because they are adorable!  But I never could get Chip to where I could handle him.  He was always 'wild'.  I'd like to be able to hold my little pet once in a while.  I don't have to have one out of the cage for long periods, but I would like to hold it without frightening it.

I know that the larger hamsters are supposed to be pretty tame.  But I do prefer the smaller 'dwarf' types.  I find them cuter.    Still, I won't rule them out!

I've looked up the 'Winter Whites' and the 'Chinese' hamsters.  I am not familiar with either of these.  I know that my local pet stores sell them though.   I've been doing some research on them, but I'd love to hear some owner stories!   

So, if anyone has (currently or in the past) any of these hamsters I'd love to hear what you thought about them as a pet!

Thanks so much!
~Wystearya

(Currently stuck home with the flu.)   

[fiwen30]

I've never owned a dwarf breed myself, but it's great that you can get each one seperately! It makes me a little sad when pet shops sell hybrids as 'russian dwarves', when the seperate breeds have such distinct characteristics.

Personally I love Syrians though I've had males and females, and found the boys to be friendlier and more sociable. I would love to own a robo one day though!

[kaoskat]

Chinese hammies can be very sweet. We never had any problems with ours. I do tend to prefer Syrians though, especially if you want a cuddly ham, particularly the males. Females are sweet too, but they tend to be more active. Robos will likely always be difficult to handle. While rarely aggressive, they are super small and ultra fast and they never stop moving!

[Eviecorn]

I've never had a hamster, but I see the person I'd trust with that info has posted above me.   

[TwistedWindSox]

I had lots of hamsters growing up... One that even lived to be six before a friend of my brother fell on him and killed him
We always ALWAYS had teddy bear hamsters (I'm not sure if this is the "technical" name for them, but that's what we were always told they were called). I was only ever bitten once, and I've had five or more. They're really friendly and sweet, I used to put them in a jacket or sweatshirt pocket and carry them around the house, and they'd just sit there. I even feel asleep in bed with mine once and it stayed on my chest all night.
If you do get one, males seem a lot more friendly. I dunno if this is the same with all hamsters, but it's what I've noticed from owning this particular type of hamster.

[BlackCurtains]

Campbells are indeed prone to diabetes and other awful things, which is so very sad as they usually have incredibly sweet personalities. Watching them waste away is horrid and something I've gone through too many times.

I looked into Winter Whites extensively after my RC passed away from Cushings and though they tend to be healthier you pretty much treat them the same way as you would an RC. The same diet - nothing sugary, no fruit, no carrots (too much sugar) since it's not unheard of them to get diabetes either as a lot of them are hybrids of WW and RC in the pet trade.

WW are cuddly (though it can take some time) and easier to maintain like RCs so if you can find them I would definitely reccommend them Just like RC they can be kept in same sex groups if they already know each other or siblings raised together but introducing two strangers together may not work out.

They also won't necessarily change color. Depending on your climate and artificial light they may never get a white coat but this doesn't have any negative effect on them.

When I was doing this research I had decided upon a WW or two, but I found my Stella instead, an RC, who sadly has a multitude of health problems (diabetes not being one them however) but she is so sweet and smart. She spoke to me, I had to get her Next time though, I will settle on WW. I have spent too many tears on Russian Campbells.

Good luck!

[Pachitastic]

Personally, I love Syrian hamsters. I had... four I think over a span of several years. They're easy to handle and pretty sturdy little critters, considering one of mine had his cage on a shelf and escaped  several nights in a row and was just fine when we found him (usually in the closet) the next morning. The only downside is that they're really, really solitary (unlike dwarfs).

Beyond that, I don't know much. I didn't even know all these kinds of hamsters existed besides teddy bears!
The Russian Campbells are depressing though ;-; Poor little things.

[Pickenprod]

Sounds like you know your stuff when it comes to hamsters! I used to work in a pet shop, and all too often I'd have to explain to people that you can't keep two Syrians together. AND had to contend with people, even the manager of the store, claiming that "black bear" hamsters are friendlier than the other Syrians! I don't think I can help with your decision, as I've only had a Syrian and a Campbell's. But I too have been intrigued by winter whites for some time.

[kellyponyfeathers]

Don't know if you're interested, but as a former vet tech, I would actually recommend rats. They're much friendlier than pretty much any other pocket pet. Fairly hardy too. I know lots of people hate the tails though. I had a sweet white one with half a tail, so maybe that wouldn't be so bad if the naked tails creep you out.

[melodys_angel]

It looks like you have alot of good information

[HavACrumpet452]

I agree with kellyponyfeathers on another species, but maybe a mouse since you like smaller creatures. Rats and mice have been domestically bred much much longer than hamsters and have much less tendency to bite.

[nessa16]

I don't know much about hamsters.  I had one but only had her for a few weeks because I was used to mice and gerbils.  She was a dwarf hamster and she never came out when I was around and was very grumpy all the time.  I adopted her out and just stuck to the gerbils I have. 

I would suggest gerbils and mice.  Gerbils are fun to watch and if handled carefully and enough they can become pretty tame and come in a variety of colors.  The only thing with them is they should be kept in same sex pairs.  They are pretty social.  Mice are also a great choice.  I kind of want to get mice again sometime even though my husband has forbidden it.  They have more of an odor than gerbils do because they urinate more than the desert-native Mongolian gerbils.  They are easy to handle and friendly.  They were also really fun pets.  If you go the mouse or rat route, I would suggest females as they are less odorous than the males (at least I know this for mice and have heard this with rats).

Good luck in searching for your new pet.

[ZennaBug]

Don't know if you're interested, but as a former vet tech, I would actually recommend rats. They're much friendlier than pretty much any other pocket pet. Fairly hardy too. I know lots of people hate the tails though. I had a sweet white one with half a tail, so maybe that wouldn't be so bad if the naked tails creep you out.

I was gonna say.  I never kept hamsters as pets, they're just not for me (love to look at them, but I've been bitten too many times).  I had lots of rats though and they are super duper sweet.  I only ever had one mean one and she was an undersocialized rescue (though my other rescues who were unsocialized turned out sweet.  Even my Zenna, who was a brat and a half when I got her, was sweet once she accepted that I was the bringer of yogies).  Some rats are born manx, with no tails, but they have balance issues.  Honestly, I adored their tails.

[kellyponyfeathers]

I think the tail of my white one was broken off in an exercise wheel, but that was before I got her.  I might as well mention that "Wodent Wheels" are great exercise wheels for pocket pets; they're designed to be very safe.  You can get them on Amazon, and some pet stores carry them.  Make sure you get the right size:  "Wobust" for ratties, "Junior" for mice and hamsters, and "Senior" for the medium-sized rodents/small pets that fall in between (Senior size for pocket pets weighing approximately 100 grams).

And you probably noticed that there's a Pet Rodent Appreciation Thread going on right now to help you decide what kind of pet you want to get next.

--Oh, one more thing:  I preferred the female ratties too, but they are prone to mammary (breast) tumors.  Spaying them does A LOT to prevent this, but that is an understandably big investment for a pet with a short life span (1 and 1/2 to 3 years).

[HavACrumpet452]

I liked my boy rodents best. Much more cuddly. Boys cats too. BTW; teddy bear, panda, black bear in long and short hair are all forms of Syrian hamsters.