Soon to be hamster owner - hi all

[jopop]

Hi all,
I'm brand new here so thought i'd say hi. We are soon to be welcoming a Syrian hamster to our family. This will be the first one I have had since I was 8 years old (30 years ago! )

I am keen to start off on the right foot so welcome any advice you can give.

I have a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. Even though they are begging for a hamster I know that i'll do the main caring for and all of the handling will be closely supervised and i'm pretty excited about this. Basically I am desperate for a hamster but i'm telling everyone "its for the kids" haha - its very much for me!

Anyway, I apologise in advance for the annoying questions I will inevitebly post - i will try to make use of the search function so as not to repeat too many posts that have been covered.

[souffle]

Welcome to the forum

[Hamsterita]

Welcome!


Don't apologise for wanting to know more! It's good for you and your soon to be hamster!

[jopop]

Originally Posted by souffle

Welcome to the forum

Thank you. I thought it'd be a good place for tips and ideas

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to HC

lol! @ telling everyone it's for the kids Never too old for a ham

Don't apologise for asking questions, we all have to begin somewhere & the only silly questions are the ones we don't ask!

[Drago]

Hello and welcome! Questions are excellent things, and the responsible way to go about owning a pet! Definitely ask if you ever have any and make sure to share photos of your new hamster

[InkyPen]

Welcome to the forum! I'm an adult hamster owner - no kids, so I can't even claim she's for them. Instead, she's the rather spoiled child of two twenty-somethings!

To be fair, I think they're actually pretty good pets for working professionals - they are awake when you're at home, asleep when you're at work, far lower maintenance than a dog and can be left for a night without chaos ensuing... that said, I've never quite worked out why they took off as a children's pet, given that they tend to wake up as the kids are going to bed!

Anyway, probably the best starting advice is to buy a cage that's big enough. They don't have to be expensive - Zooplus do three cages that are large enough for £33-70 inc. P&P depending on model (Alaska / Barney / Alexander) which is cheaper than many of the tiny bits of plastic shite that Pets at Home sell. Hamster Cages | great selection at zooplus

The wheel must be large enough so your ham doesn't have to bend its back or neck at all to run, even when fully grown, else it will develop spinal problems. Often something around the 12" mark is necessary by the time they're full grown (Trixie / Karlie Wonderland are two of the more popular ones)

Fitch is the bedding that many on here rave about - and it's very cost effective https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...bale-20kg.html

Harry Hamster is often mentioned as the best food, nutrition wise.

I say this now because it's best to buy what's necessary early on rather than buying something inadequate and having to replace it later on. I'm sure you'll find that the received wisdom on hamster keeping has changed a great deal in the last 30 years - but they are such cute little creatures

[jopop]

Originally Posted by InkyPen

Welcome to the forum! I'm an adult hamster owner - no kids, so I can't even claim she's for them. Instead, she's the rather spoiled child of two twenty-somethings!

To be fair, I think they're actually pretty good pets for working professionals - they are awake when you're at home, asleep when you're at work, far lower maintenance than a dog and can be left for a night without chaos ensuing... that said, I've never quite worked out why they took off as a children's pet, given that they tend to wake up as the kids are going to bed!

Anyway, probably the best starting advice is to buy a cage that's big enough. They don't have to be expensive - Zooplus do three cages that are large enough for £33-70 inc. P&P depending on model (Alaska / Barney / Alexander) which is cheaper than many of the tiny bits of plastic shite that Pets at Home sell. Hamster Cages | great selection at zooplus

The wheel must be large enough so your ham doesn't have to bend its back or neck at all to run, even when fully grown, else it will develop spinal problems. Often something around the 12" mark is necessary by the time they're full grown (Trixie / Karlie Wonderland are two of the more popular ones)

Fitch is the bedding that many on here rave about - and it's very cost effective https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...bale-20kg.html

Harry Hamster is often mentioned as the best food, nutrition wise.

I say this now because it's best to buy what's necessary early on rather than buying something inadequate and having to replace it later on. I'm sure you'll find that the received wisdom on hamster keeping has changed a great deal in the last 30 years - but they are such cute little creatures

What a fab reply! Thank you. I'm very much the forward planner so I'm going to buy everything this week and next - great tips. I want to get the right stuff from the start.
Totally agree they're fab Pets for adults. Depending what time hamster tends to wake yo my kids will get a bit of play time before bed but yes the majority of it they will be asleep - yippee! That means I get to play with hammie more.

[MaryRobinson]

Hi all!
I was about to post a new intro post but read this one and it made me giggle. We don't have the excuse of kids- our new arrival will BE our kid! We are two thirty-somethings and are planning to get a Syrian hammy in the summer. I totally agree about doing all the research first and not getting why pet shops market plastic rubbish at hamster owners. I've been horrified doing my research at the little plastic prisons sold as hamster homes... so sad.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi
Mary

[jopop]

Originally Posted by MaryRobinson

Hi all!
I was about to post a new intro post but read this one and it made me giggle. We don't have the excuse of kids- our new arrival will BE our kid! We are two thirty-somethings and are planning to get a Syrian hammy in the summer. I totally agree about doing all the research first and not getting why pet shops market plastic rubbish at hamster owners. I've been horrified doing my research at the little plastic prisons sold as hamster homes... so sad.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi
Mary

Hi
So much to learn to do a good job isn't there. Wish more people would do same though. So many cages are little prisons. Makes me rage!