Hi welcome to Hamster Central
Umm... That sounds a little bit odd, I think that you were very wise not to get a hamster from there. If you are at all uncertain or worried about the pets it is safer to get a hamster for somewhere else, also if one hamster is infected it is very likely that all the others will be as well! I am afraid that I don't live in Cheshire but I if it helps I brought my Syrian hamster from a small independent, well run pet shop, also I got my Winter white for I advert that I saw on preloved.
I would high recommend looking on places like preloved and gumtree, because if the breeder is fully registrated the pups will most likely have been handled for a very young age, free from illness and generally well cared for. While I love my Syrian hamster, she came from a pet shop she hadn't be handled and therefore took my three months to tame her fully as she used to nip a lot. Where as my Winter white has never (touch wood) nipped me.
Everyone has been a first time owner at some point and I believe that everyone has made mistakes at some point or another. I personally got my first hamster, a Syrian about a year ago and made some mistakes that I learn from and have corrected. My Syrians first cage was a actually a fairly big DIY cage but I could not fit a big enough wheel in so for my birthday I was given a ferplast duna fun large. This cage is expensive and too small, plus I have to remove a floor to put the wheel in. My next brain wave was to buy a small cage to attach to the larger one. So my hamster could use it a bedroom and kitchen area. This was a very stupid idea of mine as I then spent £35 on a crittertrail cage that was badly made, wouldn't connect to my ferplast cage and was dangerous to my Syrian hamster (as the tubes etc are too small for a Syrian hamster- they get stuck in them). Shortly afterward I came across hamster central and learn so much my head was about to explode! I corrected my huge mistake and brought one cage that was well over the guide lines. This mistake cost me about £200. I now have two hamsters which I try to give the best care I can.
I don't know but I am guessing that you are a first time owner so I thought that you wouldn't mind a few basic tips...
All hamsters no matter what species need at the very minimum a 70cm x 40cm cage though many people still prefer to provide more space, myself included. Buying a smaller cage will most likely cost you more money as you will have to pay for a new very shortly. Also a small cage wouldn't be able to fit a suitable sized wheel in as Syrian hamsters need at least a 8" wheel though this is too small for many Syrians and most really need a 11" wheel which is what I have for my hamster. Please remember that most pet shop don't have any clue what they are talking about and are more interested in making money than taking proper care of there pets. So ignore most of their advice.
If you do you research before getting a hamster you can save money and care for you hamster properly, the fact that you have found hamster central and asked a question is a really good sign. The best place to find good hamster cages at the fair price is Zooplus. The Alaska cage is the cheapest cage of the right size there is if you are on a budget. There are other good cages like the Barney and Alexander. Other cages not on Zooplus are Savic hamster heaven, Zoozone 2, Ferplast Mary and Ikea detolf. Please avoid store brought cages, crittertrail cages, rotostack cages and tanks under 20 gallons long.
If you are on a budget second hand cages can be a really great option, I personally have had some great deals on things. If you look on places like gumtree, freecycle, ebay and preloved you might be able to grab yourself a bargain.
Homemade or DIY toy can also great, as they can be fun and cheap to made as well as a source of entertainment for you hamster. If you look on YouTube you will find a load of videos full of idea's, for most of which you need no more than some cardboard, egg boxes for toilet roll.
Here are a couple of other tips... As for food Harry hamster is a very good mix that has all the right amount of protein, fat and fibre in. It is the one that I use as my hamsters main diet.... Since your hamster will be a Syrian you won't need to pick out all of the corn and peas but you could pick out some as they are very fattening, if you had a dwarf or Chinese hamster you would have to that it all out as they are prone to diabetes.
For bedding cedar woodshavings are a big NO as they have very harmful oils in them that cause breathing problems, the same goes for pine bedding if you are outside the uk, in the uk it is ok as it all has to be kine dried to remove the oils. There are other better beddings like megazorb, fitch etc. Never use fluffy or cotton bedding as a nesting material as it can kill hamsters and is very dangerous. Torn up toilet paper is much better and is safer.
I hope this helped
Got new cage now need to find hamster
Re: Got new cage now need to find hamster
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