Advice on child-friendly hamster(s) :) - Page 2

cathface · 05-14-2012, 06:04 AM

not necessarily - my sister did have a pair of brothers who were housed together, but as they got a little older, they started squabbling, even though they had two of everything so we had to separate them in the end. then one escaped the bin cage and was never found again.

the remaining WW didn't seem to miss his brother at all when they were separated, in fact he seems a lot happier now!

Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters · 05-14-2012, 06:16 AM

Winter whites are the ones who more commonly need to be separated, not always but more often than not. However they do terrifically alone if you were to buy just the one, my WW is a beautiful plody lady, very laid back and more docile than my Syrian. She will come out for cuddles everyday, sleep on my lap and do her own thing to keep her entertained (mostly sleeping

) They tend to prefer human companionship over other WWs

samzyzg · 05-14-2012, 07:33 AM

Thought i would mention that I agree with a syrian hanster as a first as dwarfs tend to be a lot faster plus it tends to be easier for children to handle syrians. Although when i was younger, around your eldests age I had a my first hamster who was a hybrid and absolutely lovely. Also pairs can be very hard and can be time consuming.
Also if you look on the forum there is a section for breeders so you might find one near enough to you on there.

Nush · 05-16-2012, 10:00 AM

Hi ECS, I’m from London and last year I was looking to get a hamster from a breeder like you are. I got one from the Country show in Hertfordshire where the Southern Hamster club had an outlet.

My hamster came with a family tree and a vet check certificate. The breeder also handled her in front of me and flipped her on her back – boy she wasn’t happy – to show me that the hamster was healthy. I also got to see her mother.

I called the breeder a few weeks later to ask her advice, when Spinny, my hamster, had a skin issue which I thought was an allergy.

The Country show was a little bit out of the way (especially since we don’t have a car) but it was a great day out to be honest and I would do it again. They had a variety of Syrians and dwarfs for sale (although I’m not too sure of the exact breeds they had on display).

If you want to look more into this, here’s a list of the upcoming shows for 2012 Shows and Results 2012 - National Hamster Council. I called the Southern hamster club beforehand to ask whether there would be hamsters for sale because some shows are display only.

TracyMM · 08-05-2013, 08:44 AM

Hi ECS,

I think that Moose is selling a Creteci 15 cage which is the same size as the one yu mentioned? She is in Warwickshire but will post out, if you PM her (I guess).

Good luck with finding a hamster. I have a Syrian for my 11 year old son. A breeder Syrian will be bigger than one from a petshop and although they are all fragile creatures, a chunky Syrian is easier to handle than a hamster which is smaller and jumpier. (IN my humble opinion!)

Tracy x

Anthorn · 08-12-2013, 03:35 PM

As might be expected, I differ with the foregoing

Due to their waking and sleeping hours there are no child-friendly hamsters and I advise that you seriously think about it. Be prepared to be pestered to stay up late to play with the hamster and pleading to stay off school so they can play with the hamster in the morning. Being active at night they can't be kept in the child's bedroom and should be kept in a quiet, dimly-lit room during the day.

If you eventually decide on a hamster, a Syrian is larger and therefore easier for a child to handle but it's a fallacy that Syrians are slow. Probably the best place to buy a Syrian is Pets At Home because they come with a 10-day guarantee: If it develops wet-tail within 10 days take it back and get a new one.

Children absolutely love Guinea Pigs so if you have room in a sheltered part of the garden a pair would be a good alternative. A pair of gerbils is also a good alternative but be prepared for excessing gnawing on just about everything.

Gizmoandfriends · 08-13-2013, 12:29 AM

My hamster is awake whenever i am in the room! He loves being out, syrian hamsters are the best! (LH)

icklemunch · 08-13-2013, 01:03 AM

Anthorn its no wonder so many hamsters end up unwanted and neglected with the attitude and option of they have a 10 day guarantee. Take it back!

Personally i would stick with everybody else's advice and try and go with a breeder ham. Not only will they have been handled from a young age they are far more likely to be healthy.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

Anthorn · 08-15-2013, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icklemunch

Anthorn its no wonder so many hamsters end up unwanted and neglected with the attitude and option of they have a 10 day guarantee. Take it back!

Personally i would stick with everybody else's advice and try and go with a breeder ham. Not only will they have been handled from a young age they are far more likely to be healthy.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

We have to be realistic here. Some hamsters have a weakness for wet tail and will get it when they get stressed when moved into a new environment. We can't tell just by looking at them which have that weakness. When I buy a hamster I'm buying a healthy one and if it becomes clear that it's not a healthy one then I'm not going to spend money on a vet bill and bump up the cost of it to maybe £75 with the likelihood that it's not going to survive the next month anyway even after treatment. It's going back whether it has a guarantee or not. Awful to say that I know but as I said we have to be realistic here.

LavoChain · 08-15-2013, 11:53 AM

I agree with most of the above, that you should go to a place where you can find a hamster with a suitable personality. I would like to add that many rescues are good for this too, you needn't always go to a breeder, although this is a better alternative than pet shops. Many hamsters make lovely pets for children, it's all about finding the right match. They are no different from guinea pigs as they're both 'prey animals' and will not be tamed if handled in an incorrect manor.

As for the '10 day guarantee' a well known pet store offers. I sincerely hope that those wanting to not pay for vet bills consider that once this is up the hamster is your responsibility. You are obligated by law to seek vetinary attention for any animal in your care that is showing sickness. It is abuse not to care properly for these animals. I also hope that anyone who views creatures in this manor, like 'toys' even, does not even consider keeping an animal as they are clearly not suited to being a good carer. They are real creatures with needs and feelings, not cute fluffy things that can be returned for a better model as and when you wish.