About to become a Hamster Mum

[PoppyGeorge4611]

Hi!

After a lot of persuasion to my landlord my boyfriend and I have just had the go ahead to get our first pet together, a hamster!
I’m just looking for some general advice.
After looking at cages and tanks I like the Kerry Pet Tamk the most, so will be ordering this, I’m after some coloured bedding, is there any reccomended brands for the UK? How much bedding should I buy to put in the tank?

Are there any reccomended toys and treats and food?

I’m also unsure as to what species of hamster would be best to get, any advice?

I just need general advice as of what to get for when my hammy first moves in!

Please help a beginner out!!

[Josiesloth]

Congrats becoming a hamster mum! It is so much fun u won’t regret it! I’m not an expert but from owning 6 hamsters and different breeds I would definitely recommend a syrian. There a lot bigger and slower and have great personalities!

[Pebbles82]

Hi - I would think about the species before the cage The Kerry terrarium is good for a dwarf hamster. There are better options for a Syrian hamster but it depends how big a cage you can fit in. Assume you've seen the Kerry on Zooplus? The other cages on there that are good for a Syrian are the Alaska, Barney and Alexander cages.

Syrians need larger toys, wheels and houses and it can be hard fitting everything in to a Kerry Terrarium and still having enough space - but it could be workable.

Hamster Cages | great selection at zooplus

I have the Barney cage for our Syrian (and it's quite a bit cheaper than the Kerry and comes with a good house and shelf). And I have the Kerry for our Robo but am thinking of moving him to a cage instead because it annoys me too much only having top access.

Anyway whichever cage you get and whichever species of hamster - you basically need substrate (litter), a good house they can build a large nest in, an appropriate sized wheel (6.5" to 8 or 9" for a dwarf hamster, 11" usually for a Syrian hamster), food bowl, water bottle and some "toys" for enrichment - just a cardboard tube or tissue box or egg box is fine. You can also buy some fun toys but rat sized toys are better for syrians. Most toys sold for "hamsters" are small and only suitable for dwarf hamsters or syrians can get stuck in them.

Once you decide what you're getting, we could recommend some favourites. I agree with getting a Syrian as a first hamster as I find them more cuddly and easier to handle as a first pet.

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to HC

I agree that you do need to think about which species you would like before deciding on the cage, I had the Kerry too but tbh I found it too small even for a dwarf hamster & the top access & noisy door aren't ideal, some of the other cages Serendipity suggested would be a better option especially if you do decide on a Syrian.
I think the only safe coloured substrate would be Carefresh, you need at least 15cm depth, preferably more if you can, so it can work out quite an expensive option, if you're not set on coloured substrate & would be happy with white the best & most economical is Fitch which you can buy in large bags, 10kgs would last you a while with one ham but the larger 20kg bag works out cheapest if a bit harder to store!
https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...r/bedding.html
Which food you decide on would again depend on species, for Syrians most people use Harry Hamster, for the dwarf species either Burgess dwarf hamster harvest available from most pet shops or the Bunny dwarf hamsterdream expert from Zooplus.

[Pebbles82]

You need a lot of substrate I would go with a 10kg bag of Fitch and a bag of Carefresh colours to sprinkle on top.

[SimonandSyril]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VoBRJrr2_0