Kinda having problems,newbie btw :)

HamsterMaster · 10-02-2014, 12:16 PM

Hello everybody,
I'm from Montenegro.I was walking by a local pet shop the other day and some guy just came up to me and asked me if i want to adopt his hamsters,there were three of them,i'm an animal lover but i wasn't sure and he said he has nowhere to put them and he already has 2 hamsters that reproduce all the time,so i said ok.I have them for 4 days now and the are so afraid of me,when they see my finger in their cage then run to their tube.Two days later when i was walking next to the same pet shop some guy having a hamster walked up to me and said they won't take back his hamster,he bought it for his kids,but they got bored with him and he doesn't want to feed him so i had no other choice.

Now i ended up with 4 hamsters and i never had one in my life,while i was looking for info on the internet i found out about this forum and heard that you are the best advice givers around

.I seriously don't know anything about raising hamsters,i don't even know which species are they.I'm not a rich guy and i don't really have the best resources,but i try my best.So i turned to you for help.That one hamster that was given to me separately is pretty old i think,his teeth are kinda yellow and he is slow and he likes to cuddle but the 3 hamsters i got in a bundle are only 2 months old and they are running like hell away from me,i think they just need time to adapt to me and my scent but i don't even know if they are males or females,three of them are in the same cage and i really need your help with ANY information regarding my hamsters i would appreciate any help.Oh and i also need help about feeding time and what food exactly.
Thank you for taking your time for reading this and i wish you could help me

becky1412 · 10-02-2014, 02:36 PM

You need to find out what species the 3 are if they're Syrians they should be seperated as they're solitary I'm pretty sure that goes for chinese as well. Dwarfs can live together but you will need to have extra cages in case they fight. Find out if they are male or female and seperate different sex because you don't want babies on top of your new hams. Get suitable cages, some hamster food, wheels, toys and most importantly get reading this forum and soak up all the great info and advise and don't be scared to ask any questions you want answered!

Pebbles82 · 10-02-2014, 02:54 PM

Hi - do you have a photo? Basically syrian hamsters (which are the most common as pets) are about 4 or 5 inches long. Dwarf hamsters are much smaller - 2 to 3 inches - but then baby syrians could be quite small as well. Photos would be good! I think, even if they are dwarf hamsters, you are going to need at least two cages, but don't worry, you can get them second hand on ebay for a good price, or you can make bin cages quite cheaply - its a plastic box adapted by meshing the lid. (There are a lot of experts on here who can advise on how to make bin cages, but I'm not one of them!). It won't cost a lot to feed them or look after them generally, but they do need to be in the right cage set up, with enough space, and separated. I find a £4 bag of hamster food lasts about 6 weeks, for one hamster. Bedding costs me about £4 a month too, for one hamster. Other than that, the odd tiny bit of fresh fruit or veg daily - just bits off your own vegetables. And I mean tiny - one tiny sprig of broccoli or one small cube of apple. Like a centimetre cube - so feeding won't break the bank and bedding can be got cheaply and in bulk. It's sorting out cages really. Did the fourth hamster not come with a cage? Anyway it would really help if you could post some photos of them just to be able to tell what type they are.
Well done for taking them on - they can be great fun and little pals

You'll probably get someone who knows more than me on tomorrow, it's late at night in the Uk at the moment.

Almiraswolf · 10-03-2014, 08:11 AM

Hello

welcome to the forums.

Wow! 4 hamsters, its a shame the previous owners couldn't look after them anymore but its lovely that you gave them all a home with you.

As the comments above mine suggest; you need to find out what type of hamsters they are/if they are mixed sex ASAP (you don't want more surprise hamsters). If you can take a photo of them and post it here there will be members who will help you identify them/help you sex them.

HamsterMaster · 10-03-2014, 09:19 AM

Thanks everybody,all i can do is take pictures from their cage because they are too afraid of me at the moment,i guess they heaven't gotten used to me yet and they are constantly in their tube...I'll send pictures as soon as i can,im kinda busy with school but when i catch some free time i will surely sed you guys pictures

Mousenibbles · 10-03-2014, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HamsterMaster

Thanks everybody,all i can do is take pictures from their cage because they are too afraid of me at the moment,i guess they heaven't gotten used to me yet and they are constantly in their tube...I'll send pictures as soon as i can,im kinda busy with school but when i catch some free time i will surely sed you guys pictures

An easy way to tell between hamster species is that Syrians can get long and spread out like little sugar gliders, and the rest of them really just look like tiny round poofs of fur.

BrainGirl · 10-03-2014, 09:29 AM

Wow, what a story! I'd be like you though, I couldn't leave the little fluffs behind if someone asked me for help either

As far as species, any photo you can post will probably help with identifying the species but of course, the clearer the better.

Hope to see them soon!

ETA: Oh, and yellow teeth are normal and healthy in rodents. White teeth are actually a sign of a problem with the enamel

Skeever · 10-03-2014, 11:25 AM

It's a bit of a learning curve, but not a bad one....trying to know it all at once doesn't really help you.....basics like food, water, cages.....then taming. And yeah, unlike other rodents I've had, I found hamsters need to be tamed/socialized. They're quite happy without us in the picture.....especially the dwarfs. It takes a bit of time. Some more than others.

What you've described is normal about them. First week? expect some hams to still be frightened if you enter the same room. Some will cuddle and play much faster.....

Let the hams decide how comfortable they are. For the time being, if a hamster wants nothing to do with you, let it do what it wants....its adjusting. Some will never be cuddly or even very happy about being touched....others will seem like a friendly needy cat.... hehe

No matter what the next sob story is though, I wouldn't take any more in atm, till you know how much time you need to take care of these four, lol. Good thing hamster are happy many a time to be left alone

Skeever · 10-03-2014, 11:32 AM

It's a bit of a learning curve, but not a bad one....trying to know it all at once doesn't really help you.....basics like food, water, cages.....then taming. And yeah, unlike other rodents I've had, I found hamsters need to be tamed/socialized. They're quite happy without us in the picture.....especially the dwarfs. It takes a bit of time. Some more than others.

What you've described is normal about them. First week? expect some hams to still be frightened if you enter the same room. Some will cuddle and play much faster.....

Let the hams decide how comfortable they are. For the time being, if a hamster wants nothing to do with you, let it do what it wants....its adjusting. Some will never be cuddly or even very happy about being touched....others will seem like a friendly needy cat.... hehe

No matter what the next sob story is though, I wouldn't take any more in atm, till you know how much time you need to take care of these four, lol. Good thing hamster are happy many a time to be left alone