If you want to adopt a Chinese dwarf hamster, the first thing you should do is check with your national and local governments. Unfortunately, in the case of this pet, you can’t trust your local pet store to only sell legal animals. In Australia and New Zealand, all hamsters are banned; in some of the US states, Chinese dwarf hamsters are specifically prohibited. Governments impose controls on the types of animals that people can bring into their jurisdiction. If safety practices that are common in laboratories working with, for example, the Ebola virus are not implemented, it is likely that any life form will eventually escape. And governments don’t want non-native species to invade native populations. (Unfortunately, this is unprecedented. For example, the Mediterranean Sea is being invaded by a type of seaweed that is commonly used in fish tanks. It is causing dead zones where nothing but this plant can survive. Clearly, it is important that you follow the laws of your government.)
Once you are sure that it is legal to adopt the Chinese dwarf hamster, great pleasure awaits you. These animals are adorable and charming. Unlike the other hamster species that are kept as pets, these animals are more adapted to climbing. They are relatively easy to tame and can coil tightly around your finger.
Another thing you may discover about Chinese dwarf hamsters is that they are masters of escape. Who when stretched to the ground, their bodies can seem to slim down to nothing. You will get this impression because you will be amazed at how small a hole can be for a Chinese dwarf hamster to fit through.
This is a species that should be kept only one per cage.
In the Chinese hamster kingdom, the females are in charge. Although smaller than males, females rule through the threat (and act) of violence. The females fight each other for dominance; they also fight with the males. As a result, once a dominant female has established a nesting area, other females, males, and juveniles of either sex know to stay away. Female Chinese dwarf hamsters will also attack and kill any weak or sick member of their species. This ensures that the desert’s limited resources are only consumed by those most likely to survive.
All hamsters use their scent glands to mark their territories, and Chinese dwarfs are no exception. According to laboratory hamsters, edited by G. L. Van Hoosier, Jr. and Charles W. McPherson, the most widely used tagging pattern is “vigorously scratching the flank gland with the hind paw, immediately followed by a perineal drag which consists of pressing the anogenital region onto the substrate “. You may find it quite strange, even disgusting, when you first see your pet doing this. But keep in mind that in the Chinese dwarf hamster world this is perfectly normal and acceptable behavior.