The questionnaire in the journal

[Bunsey]

i thought it would be fun to post answers here. I am sending mine in, but of course they can only print one person per month, so how about we post our answers here?

Name and Prefix: Bunsey, Harvey Hams (not officially )
1) How long have you kept hamsters?
I bought my first hamsters in August 2005, so nearly 3 years.
2) What started your interest in them?
I went into a pet shop to kill time and fell in love with the Roborovskis. A week later I bought a pair.
3) How did/do you family and friends react.
I lived with my parents and my mum was ok with them but my dad was not pleased. He learned to love them very quickly and plays with them himself. My friends thought they were cute, but I suspect they now think I’m crazy for having so many and driving 5 hours in a day to show them!
4) What species/variety did you start with and what do you keep now?
I was captivated by Robos at first. I naively bought a Robo colony after the first pair, that turned out to be mixed sexes and I had 14 babies. I now have Robos, Syrians, Winter Whites and Chinese.
5) How many did you start with and how many do you have now?
I started with the robos and I now also have 5 Syrian, 4 winter whites and a Chinese.
6) Where did you get them from?
My first few were from a pet shop until I learned about hamster shows. I then bought from the sales table instead. I have also taken in 8 rescue hamsters over the last 2 years, which I find extremely rewarding.
7) Where do you keep hem an in what type/size of cage?
I keep them in my living room! 4 of my Syrians have a Gabber Rex cage and 1 has a Savic Cambridge. 2 of my Winter Whites have a Gabber Lux and 2 have a tub cage. I have a Ferplast Galaxy prepared to breed my first Winter White litter! My Chinese used to have an Imac Fantasy with extension level, but since she is now 2.5 years old I have reduced her to a Savic Peggy as she was struggling with the tubes. My Robos are mostly housed in Savic Rodys with one in a tub cage and one in a Ferplast Duna Fun.
How do you furnish your cages? (substrate, bedding, house, toys etc.)
I use Finacard for my long-haired syrians, Megazorb for my Robos and for the rest I use a mixture of Finacard, Megazorb and Carefresh, depending on what I’ve got. They all have the shredded tissue paper style bedding. My hamsters get the choice of 2 houses to sleep in, usually a large one for deep sleeping and then a napping house. My Chinese also enjoys a third house, as she likes to separate her monkey nuts. For the dwarves I have a great variety of toys. I prefer wooden ones and have lots of wooden logs, bridges, forts, castles and things. I also give cardboard tubes and a sand bath. For Syrians, the choice is more limited. I give them large cardboard tubes that my dad gets from work, along with Guinea Pig toys! I also give them hanging swings, tubes and bridges. My Syrians all have either a Comfort or Wodent wheel. My dwarves have either Wodent wheels or Silent Spinners.
9) What do you feed them on?
I use Harry Hamster food and add my own organic lentils and barley. For treats I feed egg biscuit, yogurt drops and Harry Hamster treat sticks to name a few. I also give broccoli, spinach, carrot, courgette, cabbage, apple, chicken, ham and boiled/scrambled eggs. I feed young hamsters on human baby food.
10) How long after starting out did you first enter a show and when did you start winning?
I joined the Midland Hamster Club in November 2006 and went to Kingswinford in December where I bought Harvey my first breeder hamster. I showed him in March, where he got 76 points but he was unhappy so I never showed him again. In May I got my first Winter Whites, Max and Paddy. Paddy has gone on to win his class 4 times. He has also won 1 Best in Show and 1 Reserve Best in Show. I intend to breed from Paddy this month.
11) What is the best thing about the fancy?
Realising that I aren’t crazy for having 16 hamsters and chatting to people who share your interest.
12) What do you think is the best single piece of advice that you could pass on to a novice?
Check the sex of your pet shop hamsters!

[Ness]

Name and Prefix:
1) How long have you kept hamsters?
Around 2 and a half years
2) What started your interest in them?
I use to keep rats but due to my landlady I wasn't allowed to, but hamsters was a yes. robos are my favorite, and really it was the way they look while asleep!
3) How did/do you family and friends react.
My dad thought I was tsupid due them costing too much. My friend thought they smelt but still played with them. My partner thought 'they were lovely', my cat thought yummie (though he never got any of them of course!).
4) What species/variety did you start with and what do you keep now?
I started with robos first, two males. Now I have 9 robos in different groups, one winter white, one chinese, and one golden syrian (which is my first syrian). robos are my fav. but really it's the different personalities that I love.
5) How many did you start with and how many do you have now?
I started with just 2 robos, now I have 9 robos, one winter white, one chinese, and one syrian. more and more arrive all the time now really.
6) Where did you get them from?
My first 4 robos were from a local breeder, 3 of my recent girls were from p@h, two of my male robos are from tammy the breeder. my winter white is from a local petshop. my chinese is from p@h adoption. and my syrian is also from tammy.
7) Where do you keep hem an in what type/size of cage?
I have one gabber rex, one duna fun, 2 bin cages as big if not bigger than rexs, one really big rotastak (which I hate cleaning) one zoozone 2. they are all one a big shelving unit in my bedroom. I like it really, and they have more room than me really, lol.
How do you furnish your cages? (substrate, bedding, house, toys etc.)
Well at the moment I use woodshavings for the floor. they have shredder paper stuff as bedding you know not cottonwool (I'm as frighten of that as my hamsters proberly are). they all have sand baths even the syrain. they have chews, plastic hidaway places, climbing toys of all kinds, egg boxes, kleanex boxes for the syrian (she loves these), food dishes, silent spinners, wodent wheels and a few flying saucers, tunnels (wooden), other wooden toys. emm I'm not sure really on everything, thats most of it.
9) What do you feed them on?
harry hamster food, different treats depending, egg treats mainly. tofu, small amount of cheese, all kinds of veg it'll take forever to list it all. they really like these rice cracker things though.
10) How long after starting out did you first enter a show and when did you start winning?
I've never showed a hamster before, I would love to though.
11) What is the best thing about the fancy?
I'm happy.
12) What do you think is the best single piece of advice that you could pass on to a novice?
always health check hamsters, and never think twice about the vets. I guess there is loads of advice to give.

[ami_j]

Name and Prefix: Jaime and not got a prefix as of yet
1) How long have you kept hamsters?
as an adult since january 07
2) What started your interest in them?
i went into PAH and fell in love with my mink girl mocha
3) How did/do you family and friends react.
my mums accepted it now lol shes used to all the cages
4) What species/variety did you start with and what do you keep now?
i started with syrians i now keep syrians and russian dwarves that i know are hybrids thanks to the shop...they also bred lol. getting 2 new chinese today aswell
5) How many did you start with and how many do you have now?
started with one and now have 16 syrians and ten dwarves due to a litter from two males hmmm
6) Where did you get them from?
couple from pet shops but ive got a pair from breeders and bred some myself and kept them
7) Where do you keep hem an in what type/size of cage?
most are in the living room and some in my room. they all have different cages
How do you furnish your cages? (substrate, bedding, house, toys etc.)
they get dust extracted woodshavings and safe bedding the flannel paper type. they have wheels and get time out of the cage too
9) What do you feed them on?
supa hamster. i give baby food, egg, bits of meat and cheese for mums for extra protein and yoggies for teats
10) How long after starting out did you first enter a show and when did you start winning?
ive not been to a show as of yet its finding them near enough without my own transport...once i can drive...
11) What is the best thing about the fancy?
findind people who also love having alot of hammys and dont think your insane lol
12) What do you think is the best single piece of advice that you could pass on to a novice?
quarantine new hamsters if you do buy from pet shops

[internet_nobody]

Name (no prefix!) Emma
1) How long have you kept hamsters?
9 years, with a 4 year gap in the middle. I had hamsters from 8-13, then 19-now
2) What started your interest in them?
First time round my next door neighbour had a beautiful silver grey, and we looked after him while they were on holiday and I fell in love.
Second time round I really missed having a pet after going to uni, and needed something small that could be moved around if I needed to go home for holidays and popped in the wardrobe when the house was inspected. I'd shown my OH robos in a pet shop about 6 months earlier so we got a pair.
3) How did/do you family and friends react.
My parents thought i'd have got over hamsters (I wasn't allowed one after my last died as school was busy, i'd be going out at weekends etc), friends think i'm a bit mad. I work in an office thats all blokes apart from me, so get teased when they ask what i'm doing this weekend and the answer is "going to a hamster show".
4) What species/variety did you start with and what do you keep now?
Started with Syrians, the "Russians" around in the mid 90s were nuts, and you were likely to loose a finger. Now I have robos, winter whites, and a random pair of campbells.
5) How many did you start with and how many do you have now?
1 syrian, which crept up to 3. Then this time a pair of robos, I now have 10 WWs, 3 robos and the pair of campbells.
6) Where did you get them from?
WWs all breeders, baby WWs from Orna and Mysteron. Robos, two from a breeder (who got the parents from Duncton Hams), one "second hand" from Bunsey after her robo explosion, Campbells from Nooboo.
7) Where do you keep hem an in what type/size of cage?
Mysteron & Mysters - ZZ2, Orna & Ornlets - ZZ1, Robo girls - ZZ1, Redrum (robo boy) - Rody, Peggy (WW) was in a ZZ1 until her hubby Hank died, then I moved her into a mini-duna as she seemed lost. Vande & Graaff (campbells) are in a gabber rex. Mysteron, Orna and their brood are in the bedroom, the rest are in the hamster room.
How do you furnish your cages? (substrate, bedding, house, toys etc.)
I use megazorb or aubiose, depending on what is easiest to get. Everyone has silent spinners (1 for one ham, 2 for two, 3 for 4 and 4 for 5), log bridges, a sand bath. Robos & campbells have puzzle playgrounds, WW girls have a load of wooden toys (logs, houses) and a grass nest, WW boys just have a large log bridge and a grass nest (i'm worried about fighting). Pegs has a few plastic toys too.
9) What do you feed them on?
Harry with millet and oats. Veg a couple of times a week in the shape of courgette or pepper, boiled/scrambled quail egg, and at the moment a pack of yoghurt drops won at hamster racing for the WWs and robos.
10) How long after starting out did you first enter a show and when did you start winning?
My first show was Quinbourne in 2006, which was about 8 months after getting my first WWs. Being the only Novice I won that class straight away Won novice and intermediate a fair few times (lately there's been competition! I've had a fair few 3rds and reserves in Sapph and Perl and normal campbell.
This year I have shown my first home-bred hamsters, so I think my best achievement to date is coming 4th in normal WW at Lymm with Bjorn (one of the Mysters), its nice to do well with a hamster you've bought but somehow it being one you have bred really does make all the difference.
11) What is the best thing about the fancy?
The people, although they're scary at first they're really nice and give you as much help as you ask for.
12) What do you think is the best single piece of advice that you could pass on to a novice?
Do some reading before you leap in, and never underestimate the cost of small pets!

[agatecrystal]

Name and Prefix: Samantha (no prefix yet! )
1) How long have you kept hamsters?
2 years
2) What started your interest in them?
My sister had hams when i was younger
3) How did/do you family and friends react.
They think I am crazy for having so many hamsters and tell my to shut up constantly when I talk about them (which is all the time)
4) What species/variety did you start with and what do you keep now?
I started with syrians and I know keep syrians and winter whites
5) How many did you start with and how many do you have now?
I starteds with m1 syrian. I now have 6 syrians and two winter whites.
6) Where did you get them from?
I have bought 7 from pet shops, one from a breeder and one rescue
7) Where do you keep them an in what type/size of cage?
All in my bedroom in various cages including a gabber, plastic tops and wire tops.
How do you furnish your cages? (substrate, bedding, house, toys etc.)
substrate: I use sawdust for my short haired syrians and dwarves and wood based cat litter for LH.
Bedding: string tissue type.
most have a house (one has a space ship type bedroom and one does not like houses.)
Toys: Carboard tubes, bird rope toy, bird ladder, empty packets, jars etc.
9) What do you feed them on?
A pre-mixed hamster food from a local pet shop.
10) How long after starting out did you first enter a show and when did you start winning?
going to first show in july where I will have been a member of the Midland Hamster club for 4 months.
11) What is the best thing about the fancy?
Being able to talk to people who don't think you're crazy for non-stop talking about cutie little hammies.
12) What do you think is the best single piece of advice that you could pass on to a novice?
Always read up!

[WE55EX HAMSTERY]

Wow! I did not expect this to make its way here.

There has been a great response to this, much better than I expected.

[suga]

Its really interesting reading how people got started and etc - so thanks for sharing everyone.

When responding to the thread you may want to keep the first line as blank or just include your hamster central id or your prefix if you have one.

eg Name and Prefix: suga

I know we won't be putting our full names in the response but just want to ensure we are all keeping safe

suga