Hamster questions

[nain]

I have 2 x 65 gallon aquariums that I would use for my fish. I cleaned out the tanks today with water and a sponge and now they are sparkling.

My question is if I can keep 2 small russian dwarf hamsters in one of the 65 gallon tank. Also what all accessories will I need other than the hamster wheel.. I use an acrylic sheet to cover the tank, since the tank has supports on top the acrylic sheets are 1 inch smaller than the size of the tank (from both sides) Since hamsters cant climb the glass (18 inches tall tank) I was hoping that they wont escape from the 1 inch spaces....

Also if you feel that I need to know anything about being a mum for 2 male dwarf hamsters then please do suggest! Thank you

[Julia_Austen]

I have 2 x 65 gallon aquariums that I would use for my fish. I cleaned out the tanks today with water and a sponge and now they are sparkling.

My question is if I can keep 2 small russian dwarf hamsters in one of the 65 gallon tank. Also what all accessories will I need other than the hamster wheel.. I use an acrylic sheet to cover the tank, since the tank has supports on top the acrylic sheets are 1 inch smaller than the size of the tank (from both sides) Since hamsters cant climb the glass (18 inches tall tank) I was hoping that they wont escape from the 1 inch spaces....

Also if you feel that I need to know anything about being a mum for 2 male dwarf hamsters then please do suggest! Thank you

Aquarium is not the best selection of housing for rodents.
Rodents do not feel very comfortable in the glass. You've got glass tank, right?
Why wouldn't you get two medium- sized cages?

[nain]

I did register on some hamster forums. According to them glass tanks are fine since hamsters cant climb and glass aquariums are good for viewing.. They also suggested bins but since I already have glass tanks I dint make a bin enclosure.. Glass aquariums are better to house hamsters since they are escape proof, cages on the other hand can be worn down and hence hamsters can escape (I have been reading up all I can   )

I did get 4 hamsters, 2 adult males are in a 40 gallon tank and 2 male hamster pups are in a 20 gallon tank, both the tanks are considered to be spacious....

The hamster pups are quite tame. I have not handled them much since  got them today.. The adults are not tame but I am working on taming them...

Here are some pics...

Barney and Teddy





Thunder


Flash

[Julia_Austen]

Your hamsters are 100% adorable!
I used to have hamsters too and know from
my experience how hard it is to catch them
when they run away. Glass is no good because
it does not let any air in, and in the summer time the glass may
get too warm your cuties may get health issues.

[AvaAdoreSmashing]

As long as you keep it rally clean the a 65 gallon tank should be ok for 2 small hamsters. Tanks are not suggested for Rats since they are so much larger and enjoy climbing. YOu might want to rethink the top of the tan for a wire mesh one to help with air flow. Obvioulsy a cage would be more ideal.

 I would bemore concerned about the Hay or straw you have in there. Might want to switch to aspen or something of the sort.

[KieruNatsuki]

A few years ago I kept a small group of Russian dwarfs in a tank and they were just fine. Just be sure to clean regularly and wipe down the walls. A screen top provides some ventilation. Just please make sure you have genders positive and seperate. They breed like MAD. At such a young age myself, I hadn't the slightest clue about how quick they breed and ended up with a total of 40 hamsters! They are also cannibalistic...  My 40 turned into 5 in less than a week -.-

[ema-leigh]

I havnt kept hamsters since I was a child. Are they fine being housed with the same sex? I always kept mine by themselves...

Also I would imagine a huge tank to be awesome for them, just keep an eye on ventilation and amonia build up.

[nain]

thanks everyone for replying.. They are so cute, I am totally in love with them

I am using an acrylic roof, the roof has vents for ventilation and I leave the fans on all day and night....

I will be wiping down the tank once a week when I change the bedding..

Yes same sex DWARF hamsters can be kept together as long as there are no fights.. Syrian hamsters on the other hand need to be kept alone..

I am using hay since we only get kiln dried pine bedding here.. Kiln dried pine bedding is fine (not the regular pine bedding) but my hamsters dont like it too much so I switched to clean hay, my hamsters love to burrow in hay and they havnt had any problems so far...

My rats are in a rabbit hutch, that is 3 x 2 x 2 feet.....

[ema-leigh]

Oh I see, dwarfs can be kept together. Thats interesting! Thanks 

I used hay with my hamsters and they LOVED it. The vet said it was great as long as it was a petstore bought dust extracted bag.

They are such cuties!!!

[nain]

Thank you..

I usually switch between using clean hay (parasite and dust free) the kiln dried pine bedding but as of now I am using shredded newspaper along with unscented white tissues...(From what I know, the papers these days use non toxic ink although earlier the ink was toxic)