My new Chinese Dwarf
Well, I did it. I got a Chinese Dwarf Hamster today. It just felt right. At the pet store they had about four males and three females. I picked the largest one which was male. He’s still un-named, I haven’t been hit with that spark of inspiration but, he’s the sweetest little guy and I’m already in love. My roommate hasn’t met him yet, but he already gave me his approval via text.
I’ve never had a small pet before with a prehensile tail. The Syrian Hamsters, Campbell’s Dwarf Hamster, Winter White Dwarf Hamster, and the African Pygmy Hedgehog all had short little nubs. But this Chinese Dwarf Hamster has an honest to god, real tail.
If you don’t know what prehensile means allow me to explain. Prehensile is an adjective used to describe an animal’s limb, or appendage that is capable of grasping. For example, you’ll never see a dog grab something with their tail. On the other hand, a monkey can grab a vine with its tail, allowing it to swing from tree to tree. A monkey’s tail is prehensile while a dog’s is not.
I was holding my hamster and he clung to my hand with his tail. When I tried to put him back down, he used his tail to wrap around my palm, it was so cute. In that moment, I could feel my heart melt.
He's also got the cutest eyes. This hamster has the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen on a small pet. I stared into them and just knew he was coming home with me. He’s got a brown sandy coat that sticks out in his white bedding. I also got him a jaguar print hammock to make sure he’d be able to fashionably lounge.
Now I’ve got two hamsters in my apartment. Don’t worry, they’re in separate cages. I have no intention of ever letting them interact, they’re both male and would surely fight. Unless you are trying to breed hamsters you should not let them interact or cohabitate.
However, I am going to try and keep their cages next to each other. This is simply due to the way my apartment is laid out and spacing requirements. If the animals don’t notice each other, I’ll be fine. But, if their proximity to each other becomes an issue I will have to put one in my room to separate them. I am not against doing this by any means, it’s just my less preferred option.
I’ll have to write an article one day specifically on keeping multiple hamsters. I’ve touched on certain key details already like cage requirements, but it’d be good to tackle the whole subject in detail. The odds of me and my roommate fighting (we’re best friends and have yet to have any serious issues) are higher than that of my small pets. If you don’t hear anything from me about the relationship between Ghost and his yet-to-be-named brother, assume no news is good news.