Phodopus campbelli (Campbelli dwarf hamster)

Origin: Campbelli dwarf hamsters are native to the steppe region of Altai, Tuva, Northern Mongolia, Northern China and Manchuria.
Length: 10 to 12 cm.
Age: 1.5 to 2 years on average.
Campbelli dwarf hamsters are small soft hamsters that are on the rise again in the pet market. They are easy to keep and easy to handle. They come in many different colors and coat types, so they are very diverse animals.

Grooming
Experience: None.

Food: There is special hamster food on the market for dwarf hamsters. This is fine as a basic food. Campbelli's dwarf hamsters eat about 10% of their body weight per day. This amounts to 3 to 6 grams. Dwarf hamsters are very sensitive to diabetes, so it is advisable to give a piece of fruit no more than once a week.

Water bowl: Not required.
Water bottle: Yes.
Change water: Daily.

Food
It is best to use a stone bowl for the food of the hamster. Make sure that it is firmly standing and that it cannot be easily overturned or soiled by the ground cover.
Water: You can also place a water bowl instead of a water bottle. Make sure that it cannot be easily walked around and that it does not become easily contaminated by the ground cover.

Cleaning:
Cleaning the hamster house does not have to be difficult as hamsters often defecate in one fixed place. In this corner you can therefore place a toilet house that is easy to remove from the accommodation. You then have to clean it every two days by removing the toilet bowl, emptying it and cleaning it and then refilling it with clean bedding.
In addition, you still have to clean the entire stay every week. This is fine with soap and water, but make sure that the soap is odorless. Hamsters have a strong nose and cannot tolerate scented soap.
Then there are also cleaning jobs that have to be done daily. These are only the water bottle and food bowl.
Handling: Handling a hamster is best done by scooping it out of its cage with both hands held together as a sort of bowl. Be aware that the animal could bite if your hands smell like food or scented soap.
In addition, hamsters can be very territorial, so it is best to find a good, quiet place in the cage where you can pick up the animal.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for 1 hamster: 70 x 40 x 40 cm.
Temperature: 18 to 23 degrees. The animals will become less active at a lower temperature.
Hours of light: 12 hours. (no heat lamp or additional lighting required.)
Ground cover: Campbelli hamsters need a good layer of ground cover because they like to dig. They need a minimum layer of ground cover of 20 cm. This ground cover can consist of: grain residues, hemp fibers, linen residues or fine hardwood grains. If your hamster is allergic to this, you can also use Miscanthus litter.

Design:
There must be a food and water bowl (or a water bottle) in the loft. Furthermore, the animal must have some sleeping houses and a small sandbox, so that the animal can roll in here and clean its coat. You can use chinchilla sand for this sand bath.
A running wheel is also handy to have. This must have a minimum diameter of 20 cm for the campbelli dwarf hamster.

Behaviour
Lifestyle: In the wild, these animals live in small groups. They are animals that do a lot together. In this way they feed on all their nests in the wild. This is of course not possible in a cage, so it is best to keep two (or more) animals of the same sex.
Furthermore, these animals also dig a lot in the wild and mainly live in burrows. But this animal can also travel long distances at night. So there must also be enough space to move and to lose energy.

Character:
Campbelli dwarf hamsters are very territorial and can therefore sometimes bite or attack. But furthermore, once the animals are in the hand and used, they are very quiet animals that are easy to handle and keep.

Points of attention:
Campbellis are prone to obesity. So be careful with feeding and make sure they don't get too much snacking.
Be careful if you let your hamster walk freely around the room. The animals sometimes want to chew on power cables and this is very dangerous for the animals and your devices.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation: None
One-off costs: With one-off costs, you should think of the costs for the stay, the food bowl, the water bowl, the sand bath, the sleeping house, toilet house and other parts of the stay. These costs can run into the hundreds of euros, depending on the size and quality of course.
Fixed costs: With fixed costs, you should think of things that are needed more often, such as the feed and sand for the sand bath. These costs can run in the tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Unexpected costs can also arise if, for example, your hamster has become ill and you have to go to the vet.