Help choosing a hamster

[RedTiger]

I’ve got the cage etc now, all ready for a hamster but I can’t decide on what to get! I know I want a Syrian, when I first started looking I couldn’t find any available in rescue so I enquired with a local-ish breeder. Now there are a few Syrians to choose from in my local rescue.

We visited the rescue today and met the hamsters they recommended ie easiest handled / friendliest. From reading information online I had decided on a male Syrian however the most tame one at the rescue is female. She is around 5-6 months old (the others that are available are of unknown age, they think they are older by the way they move around etc but don’t know for sure). So we are now trying to decide between a baby hamster from a breeder, or a rescue. I had decided to go for a male because I’d read females can be smellier due to being in heat approx every 4 days and males are generally more laid back. I’m wondering what people on here would recommend?

[RodentLove]

A lot of the experienced hamster owners have said no 2 hamsters from the same litter are the same. Each have their own unique personality like humans do. If the female is more tame, it's her personality. She might also already be tamed.

I would recomend whatever hamster seemed to get along with you the best. When I got my boy Herman I had a lot of other hamsters to chose from. But he seemed to have got along with me the best amongst the rest and it's been great having him!

[Pebbles82]

Some people find the female heat smell doesn't bother them or isn't noticeable, others find it overpowering - and some females are smellier than others! I have always had males so far. These decisions are so hard. You want to rescue one - but on the other hand it's wonderful having one from babyhood from a breeder and giving them a good start and home for life too. Is the breeder a bona fide one with the NHC? If not, I would go with a rescue hamster.

In terms of choosing one from the rescue, I wouldn't go with how tame the hamster seems, but more on their personality and whether you just feel a bond for a particular one. Although if a hamster is a year old and untame it may be hard to ever tame them. With a baby hamster you can tame from the start (although that can take time too as they are so fast and a bit nervous!)

So I would say - if the rescue doesn't have a male hamster that is tame or of an age to be tamed, and the breeder is registered with the NHC then go with a baby from a breeder. Especially if it's your first hamster.

But do check if the breeder is bona fide because inexperienced breeding can lead to unseen genetic defects. A hamster that has survived ending up in a rescue is likely to be quite hardy healthwise!

If the idea of the smell of a female bothers you then don't get a female.

[RedTiger]

We were shown 2 males & 1 female today, and handled them all - all 3 were lovely but the female was probably the most interactive and lively although I appreciate they wouldn’t normally be awake during the day so it’s not the ideal time to see them. The males all came from 1 rescue case where a total of approx 90 small furries were taken in and mostly don’t seem to have been handled much, the 2 we seen were the only ones who they recommended as being tame enough. I haven’t seen the babies from the breeder in person just in photos and videos, they’re not nhc registered. They mostly breed mice and I have a couple of friends who have bought mice from them and are very happy with them, it was through friends I found out about them. It will be a couple of weeks before the babies are ready to leave.

One of the main reasons I considered a breeder was because the hamsters would be well handled and have better genetics (although not nhc registered, both parents are pedigrees from this breeder so presumably that’s better than a pets at home hamster?!)). That and there being no rescues available at the time I started looking! We are completely split over this, my son loves the female we met today and my daughter wants to get one of the babies! My other son keeps changing his mind, as do I

Another thing I’m wondering is could the smell of a female in heat affect other animals? The hamster will be in the living room with my 3 rabbits, I couldn’t risk the smell affecting the bond between the rabbits.

[actual junk]

I have only had a male syrian, but I can't imagine the smell would affect the rabbits, and I don't think the female would have much more of a small animal smell than buns do! I would 100% go for the rescue. You are giving a ham a second chance and you can rest easy knowing you aren't accidently supporting an unethical breeder! There isn't really anyway to be sure that the breeder is fully ethical and responsible unless they have some sort of recognition from the NHC or another reputable breeder. Good luck with your decision - getting a baby for the sake of it being smaller* and cuter** may be tempting, and there are definitely benefits to raising a hamster from 5 weeks, but rescue hams need homes and if you can provide one that would be so wonderful!


*not for long
**debatable

[RedTiger]

Oh no, wouldn’t go for a baby for the smaller & cuter aspect. Simply didn’t want to buy from pets at home & couldn’t find any available in rescue near me. I volunteer for a rabbit rescue which is always full and with a huge waiting list & assumed there would be a hamster equivalent locally but actually there isn’t (that I can find anyway). I would never consider getting a rabbit from anywhere else except a rescue so really I feel I should do the same with a hamster if possible.

[Pebbles82]

Get the female - your son loves her and she needs a home It won't affect the rabbits and I'm sure your daughter will love her too. And if she does happen to be a whiffy one every four days, you can get one of those air purifier things. Gets rid of odours. Plenty of people have females and don't notice anything much. How old are your children?

From what you've said so far - I'd get the female from the rescue. I know what you mean saying this breeder is probably better than pets at home, but not necessarily. Even if both parents are pedigrees they need to know the history of the genetics of those pedigrees and only mate certain colours. I don't know much about breeding mice but breeding hamsters takes a lot of knowledge and care. Personally I would steer clear.

[Pebbles82]

We went through this when stepson was 6. Went to look at a hamster and that was it - he loved the hamster. We then went away to think and he was desperate to get the hamster once he'd seen it and they'd had eye contact! Your son will probably be quite disappointed if you don't get the female now. Whereas the baby hamsters are just a thought and can be explained away.

[RedTiger]

Yeah I think we have decided to get the female. My daughter will be living in another country from September so she won’t see much of the hamster no matter which one we get! The children are 9, 13 & 19.

What sort of air purifier do you mean? I know someone who sadly lost one of her small furries as she had placed an air freshener in the room not realising the effect it would have on them so if there’s a safe option to neutralise any smells I would be quite interested.

Just need to actually set the cage up and see what else I need to get

[cypher]

The only air purifiers that are safe are the ones that actually filter the air, not fresheners that mask smells.
I haven't tried it myself but one member here puts a container of bicarb of soda near the cage & says it absorbs smells really well.