Videos of Mouse-like Hamsters
Handling & Taming Mouse-like Hamsters
Mouse-like hamsters are still relatively uncommon in the UK pet trade and so it may be difficult to find ones that are handtame. Ones less used to human contact are unlikely to bite, but their general speed, unpredictability and athleticism may make taming very difficult.
Whether your Mouse-likes are tamed already or not, handling them does require more experience than most rodents on this site. Akin to the African Pygmy Dormice they are extremely fast and will speed up your arm or climb across your back quite freely. They seem more unpredictable than Dormice however, though they share the tendency to leap suddenly to the floor or to a piece of furniture.
My pair were obtained already handtame, and are extremely friendly. I've found that since their activity levels speed up over the course of a night that it is better to handle them earlier on, around 9pm. Handling at 11pm or later is much harder, as they have much higher activity levels.
Handling them is just a case of placing your hand in close proximity and waiting for them to leap on! they will sniff it first and investigate and then this will lead to them climbing you arm. A gently cupped hand can pick them up from a shoulder or back and moving them back towards their cage means they will generally just leap straight back in. I do not tend to move far away from their cage since they show no fear of heights and would be likely to jump straight to the floor. I keep periods of handling quite brief and if both want to come out you may initially want another person to hand in case one decides to leap onto something other than you.
Mouse-like Hamster Environment
Mouse-like hamsters possess a suprisingly amount of agility and energy. They are very good at climbing, athletic and able to make powerful jumps. Whilst this can make them challenging to handle it does make them extremely entertaining to watch!
A 60cm Exo-terra cube gives a good amount of space for a pair. This gives a good floorspace, but also can provide a decent amount of vertical climbing. They may not have the prehensile tails of Harvest Mice but they do have good balance and agility. Sisal rope, cork tubes, wooden branches and hammocks can be used to furnish their vivarium.
A decent depth of substrate such as megazorb and a layer of hay works well. It is important to allow them plenty of places to hide and nest since in the wild they would spend a significant part of their time alone.
It is important to give your Mouse-like Hamsters a sand bath. Chinchilla sand can be used for this and this will help them bath to prevent buildups of grease in their fur. Although they don't seem to foul it so it can be left in long term, it will still needs semi-regular cleaning since they do seem to like to eat in there. Some keepers use a sand-based substrate for the entire setup for their Mouse-likes.
Like all rodents they should not be placed in direct sunlight or near drafts. You should not let the temperature drop below 15-18 ℃.
Mouse-like Hamster Behaviour
Mouse-like hamsters sleep throughout most of the day becoming increasingly active in the later evening in the Summer months, although Autumn and Winter may find them foraging more during the day. They are full of energy and extremely fast, making a solid based wheel a great addition to their cage.
They are excellent both at balancing, climbing and jumping; they use their long, furred tail to balance although it is not prehensile like a Harvest Mice.
If your Mouse-likes have been obtained from a good breeder they can be extremely friendly, as they have a strong sense of curiosity and will want to investigate strange noises or movements. They do not appear to be easily stressed, although they do react to surprises with fast, long jumps so care should be taken when their cage is open least your mouse-like leap out!
Handling mouse-like hamsters does require experience with exotics, since they can be quite unpredictable in their movements as well as being able to make surprisingly long jumps for their size and vertical leaps of up to a foot. It needs a level of confidence and quick reactions.
Mouselike hamsters are not very vocal, although some keepers report high-pitched twitterings.
Mouse-like hamsters can be kept on their own, but company of their own kind is preferable. They sleep huddled together in their nest or shelter, much as they would do in the rock crevices of their natural habitat. They do not appear to enjoy burrowing, although they will dig a little in a sand bath so if kept entirely on a sand substrate this might be different.