Species: Roborovski
Gender: Male
Est. Age: 7+ months
Likes: Sprinting in his wheel, rolling around in sand, making tunnels deep underground, flax sprays, mealworms
Dislikes: Being touched, being grabbed, loud noises, looming shadows, soldier fly larvae, basil
If Dinner could erect his own sign in his cage, it’d probably say: See no touch! Dinner (affectionately named by his previous owner; his brother is named Supper) like many of his Roborovski counterparts, is an extremely skittish boy who will sprint all the way to the other end of the cage once he realises that someone’s nearby. Other times, he’d run into his wheel and start sprinting, thinking that the faster he runs in his wheel, the farther he’d get from you, even though he’s still in the same spot.
This adorable little fella led his entire life without any sand and came to us looking very greasy. He had to teach himself what sand was for and how to roll in it. Now, you can always catch him tossing and turning in his sand bath, especially when it’s been freshly cleaned out. His fur has also gotten much softer and cleaner ever since.
When he is not busy rolling in sand, he is often underground, buried deep under bedding and making tunnels for him to get from one end of the cage to the other without revealing his position. His new owner will benefit from placing him in an acrylic cage so they can observe him snoozing and digging underground when he’s not foraging above ground.
Do note that taming Dinner will take weeks, if not months, of constant practice and plenty of patience and love. Even so, it may or may not succeed and is dependent on the hamster. Some Roborovskis may not want to be tamed due to the species’ general disposition and if so, it might be a better idea to leave them be to minimise stress.
Things to note when adopting Roborovskis:
1. Adopters should make sure to get a glass tank/bin cage/acrylic cage that does not have bars as roborovski hamsters are smaller and can squeeze through the gaps.
2. 1/3 of the cage should be covered with sand as roborovski hamsters tend to become excessively ‘greasy’ when an appropriately sized sand area is not given.
3. A wheel that is minimally 21cm should still be provided even if they are smaller in size as compared to dwarf hamsters.
4. They are fast and might not be suitable for children. Some may also nip/bite.
5. Taming is not guaranteed, but possible with lots of patience, time and love!
