New Hamsters

Question
Hi, I have two female Roborovski Hamsters which I bought today. They've been put in a cage which is the 'Rody Hamster Cage' by 'Savic', and they have a wooden climbing frame sort of thing, a tube, and an edible log by snak shak.
I'm feeding them a mix for Dwarf Hamsters and they have pine shavings and 'snuggle wool' in the housing area as well as the wheel that came in the cage.

I was wondering if this is adequate for them, but also what sort of extra fruit and vegetables I can feed them with. My guinea pigs eat cucumber, carrot and red pepper with apple once every two weeks as a treat. I'm also concerned about the water bottle - In the pet shop they had a bowl and if they're used to a water bowl will they be ok with the bottle now?

Answer
Dear Helen,
thank you for your question.
Pine shavings are not really suitable for rodents because it can cause respiratory disease due to the resin that may be left in the shavings. Wood shavings made from hardwood are fine for hamsters, as well as flax or hemp bedding. Roborovski hamsters need a sand bath filled with chinchilla sand for their fur (not bird sand or play sand, that's too coarse).
Hamster wool/hamster bedding is usually not digestible and can be dangerous. Hay and unscented toilet paper/paper tissues and much better (and cheaper). The cage is a bit small, for dwarf hamster I would recommend a cage no smaller than 30x15x15" long, wide and high. Plastic can be chewed and the hamster may escape. Swallowed pieces of plastic can kill them. Old tanks with a lid made from wire netting that are no higher than wide (for good ventilation) make nice hamster homes. Here are pictures of good hamster homes, most of them homemade:
http://www.diebrain.de/zw-gehegenadine.html
http://www.diebrain.de/zw-gehegedaniela.html
http://www.diebrain.de/zw-gehegeeigene.html
http://www.diebrain.de/zw-gehegetanja.html


Since they are susceptible to diabetes, they shouldn't have any fruit or sweetened treats (most commercial treats contain honey, sugar or molasses). You can give them dandelion (leaves, root and flowers), daisies, chickweed, cucumber, marigold, pansies, zucchini, chard /mangold), pumpkin, beetroot, swede (turnip), carrot (with greens), celery (stalks and root), fennel, parsley, basil, grass seeds, parsnip,  and leaves and twigs of hazel, apple, pear, willow, poplar, alder, currant, beech, birch or maple. Anything you gather outside must be untreated and shouldn't grow near a busy street.

The food shouldn't contain too many sunflower/pumpkin seeds, nuts or corn, all those are very fatty. They need small seeds, so you can mix your own food. Use 2 parts budgie food, 1 part canary food for the small seeds and add 1 part a grain mix, most health food shops sell mixtures containing five or six different grains. Or you just add some bird seeds to the food you already have if there are not enough small seeds in it. You can add a handful of sunflower seeds to that or give them as treats. They also need animal protein: mealworms, crickets, silkworms, brine shrimp or locusts at least three times a week, one per hamster.

Roborovski hamsters are not really social. They live as breeding pairs in the wild, with huge territories. Living with another hamster of the same sex is not natural for them and in most cases, the hamster will fight sooner or later. Offer a hiding place for each other them and keep an eye on them. If they squeak a lot during the night or if you notice small wounds on one of them, you should think about separating them, even if they keep sleeping in the same nest. The fights can turn serious very fast and can end with a dead hamster.

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer