I’m new to hamsters and advice

Wolfquake23 · 01-16-2018, 07:46 AM

Like the title says I’m new to hamsters and new to this site. I have been wanting a hamster and my parents are thinking of letting me once my room is clean. I am just hoping for some advice like what to avoid, what to do, and basically anything a new hamster owner could mess up on. Thank you for your help.

cypher · 01-16-2018, 09:54 AM

Hi & welcome to the forum

Have a browse around the different sections of the forum & you'll find lots of useful info.
If you need any advice on the right kind of cage, substrate & food can you let us know what country you're in so we can make suggestions.
To begin with get your cage all set up so you don't have to change anything while your ham settles in. Lots of deep substrate, a nice big house & wheel are the essentials.
One mistake many new owners make is getting a wheel that's too small, there's a guide to hamster wheels here if you need help with that.
The second mistake many people make is over cleaning which can be stressful for a hamster, you need do very little other than spot cleaning where you ham pees for at least the first few weeks & never need to clean the whole of your cage at once.
If you're getting a syrian hamster be aware that many toys, houses etc sold for hamsters will be far too small, for things like tubes & some other toys you really need rat size! If you plan on getting a dwarf hamster then some things sold for hamsters are big enough.
Those are just a couple of pointers that might help, if you have any questions or are unsure about anything just ask & someone will always try to help

Pebbles82 · 01-16-2018, 11:05 AM

Hello and welcome. What country are you in? Cage choice is one of the first things. While cleaning up your room you can work out where a cage could go

It can be quite creative rearranging things. Something like a 90cm Ikea Lack coffee table or a chest of drawers, can be a good place for a cage. You won't want a cage smaller than 80cm for a Syrian or 70cm for a dwarf hamster.

Plus all Cypher's advice above!

Wolfquake23 · 01-16-2018, 12:38 PM

I am in the U.S and the nearest pet store is about an hour away. The stores are Petco, PetSmart, and pet expo. Is there a certain store the best for getting hamsters

cypher · 01-16-2018, 11:01 PM

A lot of people use Petsmart & Petco, haven't heard of the other one, but I have no idea which would be better.
Good hamster cages can be very hard to find in the US, I'm not sure what's available at a reasonable price now so you may have to hunt around a bit or someone else may have some links to cages, do bear in mind that modular cages & things like crittertrail cages really aren't suitable at all, the floor space (one large area, not smaller levels) is the most important thing plus enough height for a large wheel but not too high with multiple levels which a hamster could fall from.
If you can find it Hazel Hamster food (the US version of Harry Hamster which many people in the UK use) is probably the best mix for a syrian.

CarlyGrey · 01-17-2018, 06:51 AM

Hi there! I'm in the US too. As far as I know, there aren't any cages here marketed towards hamsters that are actually appropriate. Your best bet for a cage is either a 40 gallon (or bigger) aquarium tank or you can make a cage out of a large bin (just search the forum, I'm sure there are plenty of threads about that)! Petco is having a sale on tanks currently that ends sometime in February though so that is a good option if you plan to get a hamster soon.

For food, I use a mix of Higgins Sunburst Hamster & Gerbil and Mazuri Rat & Mouse blocks. This is the combo many US hamster owners are using now because we don't really have one single hamster food that meets all of their needs.

Other than the ham itself and possibly a tank, I wouldn't purchase any of your supplies from any of the shops unless you just happen to find some extras on clearance while there. Some stores way overcharge for most things and you can get much better deals online. For example, a wheel I just purchased is $20 at my local petstores and I ordered it online for $10 shipped.

Since your shops are a bit of a drive, it makes sense to order supplies ahead of time anyway.

It's best to have everything in order before you bring your hamster home because the shops don't always carry everything you'll need. Neither of my 3 shops don't carry wheels big enough for Syrians, for example.

Anyway, hope that helps, good luck!

Wolfquake23 · 01-18-2018, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarlyGrey

Hi there! I'm in the US too. As far as I know, there aren't any cages here marketed towards hamsters that are actually appropriate. Your best bet for a cage is either a 40 gallon (or bigger) aquarium tank or you can make a cage out of a large bin (just search the forum, I'm sure there are plenty of threads about that)! Petco is having a sale on tanks currently that ends sometime in February though so that is a good option if you plan to get a hamster soon.

For food, I use a mix of Higgins Sunburst Hamster & Gerbil and Mazuri Rat & Mouse blocks. This is the combo many US hamster owners are using now because we don't really have one single hamster food that meets all of their needs.

Other than the ham itself and possibly a tank, I wouldn't purchase any of your supplies from any of the shops unless you just happen to find some extras on clearance while there. Some stores way overcharge for most things and you can get much better deals online. For example, a wheel I just purchased is $20 at my local petstores and I ordered it online for $10 shipped.

Since your shops are a bit of a drive, it makes sense to order supplies ahead of time anyway.

It's best to have everything in order before you bring your hamster home because the shops don't always carry everything you'll need. Neither of my 3 shops don't carry wheels big enough for Syrians, for example.

Anyway, hope that helps, good luck!

What about rat cages I’ve heard people use rat wheels for Syrians and that’s the one I want is a Syrian

Crystalroborovski · 01-20-2018, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfquake23

What about rat cages I’ve heard people use rat wheels for Syrians and that’s the one I want is a Syrian

Hi there!

Rat cages are pretty tall and don’t have as much floorspace as they do height. I’ve seen some people use rat cages, but I wouldn’t say they’re the best option. In my opinion, I think the best options for hamster cages in the US are bin cages, aquariums and DIY cages.

Bin cages are excellent because they’re really cheap and super easy to make! One of my robos lives in a homemade bin cage which has got about 650 sq. inches of floorspace (the recommended minimum is around 450 sq inches). It only cost me about $30 to make- just a bin from Target, and some wire mesh and zip ties from Home Depot. There are plenty of threads on here about making bin cages

The second option, aquariums, is a good one as well, but definitely more expensive. My second robo dwarf lives in a 40 gallon terrarium. It certainly wasn’t cheap, but 40gals aren’t hard to find in the US and they look nice imo.

The third option is DIY cages. If you or your parents have the time and skills to make one, by all means go ahead! I’m sure there are users on here who would love to help you out on figuring out how to put one together.

Of course these aren’t the only cage options, there are many others but these are the three that are more easily available in the US.

In terms of research, there are plenty of threads on here about toys, cages, bedding, and general hamster care, so take a look around! YouTube is also an excellent resource. ErinsAnimals, HammyLux, HoppingHammy, and Victoria Raechel (formerly ChocolateColors26) are all great hamster youtubers who have videos on hamster care.

Good luck, and if you have any more questions please ask!