Temperament and company
The Roborovski is the smallest of the hamsters kept as pets, and very fast. In the wild it lives in the deserts of Mongolia and China. It is a pet that is fun to watch as it runs, digs and tends its food stores, but not one you will carry around in your hands.
Sources disagree on keeping them together: some say Roborovskis can live together with the right care and conditions, others that they are essentially solitary. The safest choice is one hamster. If you keep two, they should have grown up together, with a separate home ready in case they start to fight.
Housing
For an animal this small, a well-ventilated tank or a cage with very narrow bar spacing suits best: it can squeeze through ordinary bars. It needs plenty of room and a deep layer of bedding to dig burrows. A few houses and hideaways let it retreat.
A sand bath recalls its native deserts and helps it clean its coat. The wheel must have a solid running surface without rungs. Keep the home somewhere quiet, away from sun and heaters.
Feeding
In the wild Roborovskis eat mainly seeds and plants. At home the basis is a food made for dwarf hamsters, with a little fresh vegetable and an occasional insect. Do not give fruit or sweet food.
Clean water must always be available. Its bowl should be shallow so the hamster can reach in easily.
Handling
A Roborovski is so fast it is out of your hands in an instant, so it is better watched than carried. When you need to move it, for example to clean its home, use a small container or a tunnel: let it run in and carry it across.
If you do tame it to your hands, do so over the floor or inside a large box, so it does not fall from a height if it escapes. It does not suit small children as a pet to hold.
Everyday health care
Check your hamster closely every week: clear eyes and nose, a dry coat around the tail, and that it is as active in the evening as usual. The easiest way to weigh it is in a small container on kitchen scales.
Find a vet who sees rodents before you need one.
What you will need
- A tank, or a cage with very narrow bar spacing Cages · 923 products
- A deep layer of bedding Bedding · 401 products
- A wheel with a solid running surface Wheels · 74 products
- Food made for dwarf hamsters Food · 2,670 products
- A shallow bowl and a water bottle Bowls & Feeders · 258 products
- A sand bath and a few houses
The links lead to product categories, never to a product or a brand. Not a recommendation.
When to see a vet now
See a vet straight away if your hamster stops eating or drinking, the fur around its tail is wet, it has diarrhoea, breathes with effort, stays dull in the evening, or you see wounds or blood.
Sources
Lifespan, weight, social needs and diet are taken from these sources. The text is our own.