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Old 12-17-2015, 10:18 PM  
mountaingirl95
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 5
Smile Re: University / college students with hamsters??

Hi! I'm also a college student living in a rented apartment with pet hamsters. I have had my 2 male Robo dwarf hamsters, Nugget and Burrito, for about 4 months now and absolutely love them!

They have been very little financial strain so far, only about $15 a month or so. I buy their food in bulk from the local pet store and I buy large bags of their bedding so that it can last a while. The most expensive part was setting up their cages with all the necessary equipment (I recently separated them into 2 separate cages due to fighting so be prepared to purchase a second cage if you have multiple hamsters).

It was actually my roommates idea to get the hamsters in the first place but she has since grown bored with them while I have grown to love them very much. She doesn't have a problem with them though since I take care of them and she doesn't have to do anything. Sometimes she will ask me to move them to my bedroom if she's watching a movie in our living room and their wheels are being loud, but otherwise they haven't bothered her at all.

A silent wheel is definitely a good investment. My hamsters usually stay in our living room but sometimes I can hear them running on their wheels at night if the wheels haven't been greased in a while. I've kind of tuned it out and it's turned into white noise but one time when the wheels got really squeaky I greased them with Crisco and that helped a lot with the noise.

I have never regretted getting my sweet babies. In fact, I never realized how fun and loveable hamsters could be and now I can't imagine not having them! Owning pets really makes a house a home and hamsters are a great inexpensive and fun option for college pets. They haven't affected my studying or grades at all. They are mostly active at night so I don't have to worry about them when I'm in classes during the day and I can just spend time with them when I get home in the evenings.

As far as holidays, I have had to bring them home with me twice now. I packed their cages in tightly in the back floorboard of my car and made sure they had plenty of food and water before we got on the road. They made it just fine both times (they're actually currently home with me for Christmas break right now).

Overall I would definitely recommend getting hamsters as a college student! You need to be willing to spend time taming them and playing with them, and be prepared for any emergencies such as medical problems or fighting between hamsters. But so far I have had zero regrets about getting them and they have been a fun relief from the stress of college! Let me know if you have more questions and good luck!
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