Hello!

[Elaine67]

Hi,
I joined this site a very long time ago (2006 I think!) when my son's much loved hammy was about to cross the bridge. At the time I was wondering whether to get another Syrian or whether to consider a dwarf breed...

To that end I read up on all things Russian, Chinese etc, only to be told by my then 9yr old that he didn't want any more hamsters of any kind!

Fast forward to 2014. My 15 year old daughter expressed a desire for a personal pet. I had to wonder what on earth she had in mind as we already have a Samoyed dog, a Lhasa Apso, an African Spotted Eagle Owl, a Barn Owl, 2 African Pygmy Hedgehogs and a very old ferret... What else could we have? I was pretty stunned when she suggested a hamster - it was like a blast from the past! I bought her a couple of books (cos' even though I'd kept them for years, she hadn't) which she studied meticulously. When I was satisfied that she was competent I bought a second-hand tank-type cage (the sort with a tray and clear plastic shell with a grill on top) the essentials - food, bedding and a pile of hammy toys along with what have turned out to be 2 of the sweetest natured dwarf hammies I've ever met! I'm really pleased with my daughter so much so that this week I bought her a brand new cage for her hammies lol!

...It's my youngest's birthday in a couple of weeks. She'll be 11 and would
love a hamster. I'm looking into it. Should I go for a syrian or another pair of dwarfs? I remember a couple of my son's Syrians were a nightmare (petshop bought) and have the scars on my hands to prove it... I suppose it'll be a case of sourcing a well handled one!

Anyway, I hope I haven't bored you too much.
Thanks for reading!
Elaine

[Artisans_uk]

Hi Elaine and welcome back to HC after a long gap. I'm glad that your daughter is enjoying her dwarf hamsters, learning good, responsible petcare is vital and it's great to read that she's doing really well.

As for whether to get a Syrian or dwarf hammies for your other daughter, as I've only got dwarf hams, I can't really comment but just a word of caution about getting pairs of dwarfs; unless they are roborovskis then it is very likely that at some point they will need their own cages as the vast majority of dwarf hamsters, with the exception of robos will not tolerate sharing their space, even as siblings.

There is no guideline as to when they start to squabble but almost certainly it will happen and you and your daughter will need to be aware of when they start to fall out as a happy cage can quickly descend to chaos and they will fight to the death unless separated. Fortunately I've not experienced this but others have, so thought I'd mention it because if you go for another pair of dwarfs hams for your other daughter, you may quickly end up with 4 cages!

I'm sure others will give plenty of advice regarding the choice between Syrians and dwarfs.

[dave123791]

Welcome to HC

Just to correct what Artisans said: Robos do fight and often have to be separated. For example my ones had to be separated.

I owned Syrians before and i decided to get robos after a long break. I used to own 5 Syrians and now i have 2 robos.

Tbh robos are much more entertaining to look at and the fact that you have to put more effort into taming them than with Syrians make them my favourites.

I'm not sure what it's like with breeder robos as i only own pet shop ones.

Syrians are bigger and much easier to handle and to tame. All my Syrians came from the same breeder so they were already tamed so it was just a matter of getting them used to you.

I'm not a hamster expert so I'm sure there are other members here that will give you better advice than i did

[SinNyx]

Welcome back to the forum!

I think your choice of species depends on how confident your daughter is in handling a hamster, and how prepared you can be for getting a pair in case of fights and having to split them up.

Personally I always find Dwarf hamsters harder to handle, but very fun to watch. I've never owned a Robo, only hybrids and I love them, just wish they were more cuddly, as I have had a lot of cuddly Syrians!

Not sure if there are any hamster breeders near you but that could be an option as any hamster from a good breeder may be better than in a pet shop as you can never truly tell what you are getting, unless you ask to handle the hamster before a purchase, and make sure that if you did get a pair, they are both the same gender as many pet shops make this mistake!

I've always found male Syrians a little more laid back than females too as I've had a few wacky females.

[jemmalg]

Welcome back to the forum! I'd say a Syrian is best for children, they tend to be much easier to handle. There's actually a show near Coventry at the end of August, in Fillongly, might be worth you going along, there may be breeder hams - likely to be super tame! - for sale and also you'll probably meet some nice hamsters and people to help make up your mind

[Elaine67]

Hi Everyone - and thanks for the kind and helpful feedback.

Helicia's hams -Tiny and Titch - are Winter Whites. Even though they're best friends at the moment, we're very aware that things could change when they hit their 'teens' lol! That's why I'm hanging onto the 2nd hand cage they used to live in. If the worst happens then we've got the cage situation covered.

As for Annice's pet(s). I think taking her (and Helicia) to a show would be brilliant! A hamster we'd know the history of and who's grown up with hand-manners as in doesn't bite the hands that feed'n'fuss it would be lovely! I'll have a couple of weeks to fit out a second cage. We go through Fillongly quite regularly so it won't be a problem to get there and I could take a carry cage with us in case we are lucky enough to find Annice's special pal.

Helicia is keen to pursue her new interest and as we have the space my hubby and I can encourage her to a degree. It would be nice if both girls could share an interest... The idea of both of 'em finding actual common ground is pretty amazing lol!

I was suggesting that we join a club or society, so I might look at the Midlands club in a minute and see if ordinary hammy lovers can join.

Thanks again.
Elaine

[jemmalg]

Definitely a good idea to keep hold of the spare cage -hopefully they'll stay happy together but it's best to be prepared.

There's not a schedule up at the moment for Fillongly so I'm not sure where will be, but it's August 30th, and will probably start from 9/9:30 but it tends to get a bit hectic early so I'd aim to get there around 10:30 If Helicia's hams are quite friendly you could take them along as there will be a pet class at 2 as well.

I'd recommend joining a club, you can get Family and Junior memberships which will get you monthly journals and that might be a nice way for them to pursue their interest - and if you do get a breeder ham you could show in the main class.