Stop! Thinking of getting a pet hamster? Please read first.

[babyboos]

Some things you really need to seriously consider carefully before getting a hamster as a pet. If you are not willing to accomodate these things then I would recommend you choose a fish :shock: (NO, I love fish, I am a marine biologist after all!) okay a Cyber Pet then:



You MUST be willing to put aside a "vet fund" in case your hamster needs medical attention. (If you are planning to hold an animal in captivity, please take responsibility for his medical needs - he really cannot leave his cage to get what he needs now can he?!?)



You must be able to provide you hamster with more than his basic physical needs. Water bottles ideally should be refilled daily - you don't like stale water and neither do hamsters. But there is more to caring for your hamster than giving it food and water, he also needs more than his usual four walls to look at day after day. You do not need to be rich to provide some extra stimulation for you pet, just a willingness to be creative in making sure his natural need to explore different sites and objects DAILY is met. If you want some ideas please ask!



In hand with this you must also be able to stay up past 8:00 p.m. (sometimes later) to play with your nocturnal pet, (mainly Syrians) and/or make time during the day to play with your hamster while he is active (mainly dwarves). The idea of keeping a hamster means you are willing to spend time with him daily. You will need to provide for his emotional/stimulation needs during his waking hours. (Failure to do this will make for a very lonely, lethargic, unfriendly hamster.)



You should only have a cat, dog or ferret in the house, IF, you are able to keep the hamster in a seperate room, including runaround ball time. (Dogs have been known to knock over hamster cages, and some will even injure or kill hamsters. For example, I know of one little furball who got a fright from a dog barking in his face, fell and broke his leg as he was climbing his wall bars at the time. Cats and ferrets are extrordinary climbers, so putting your hamster somewhere "high up" is not always a solution. Cats are very determined, and will usually find some way to get what they are after, even if you think they can not).



Finally you really must be willing to put up with the inevitable noise that will come from your hamster's natural nocturnal activities. If this will bother you, or you do not have an extra room, away from other pets, to place your hamster in so that his noise will not disturb you, you should re-think buying a hamster. Also, many people will resort to removing thier hamster's wheel to cut noise. This is not fair to your hamster at all - it would be like someone locking you in a small room with nothing to read, look at, no one to talk to, and no way out. Your only option would be to stare at a wall. Once again, please think it through before you buy him!



I am sure there are other aspects to consider but this is all I can think of at the moment. Please do not think I am trying to put anyone off buying a hamster. I adore hamsters, and think they are great pets, but working with rescue hamsters I really think their numbers would be dramatically reduced if owners thought before they bought!



Thank you for listening and remember an older hamster still has plenty of love to give - give one a chance!

[Emma]

Another thing to consider is what you are going to do with your hamster when you go on holiday. Hamsters are quite good in this respect in that (in my experience) they travel well and are not too big to take with you if possible. Other options are to board them either at a pet boarding establishment (some rodent rescues will board small pets as a little money-spinner) or with your breeder if they offer that service. Finally you can ask a friend to look after your hamster for you, ensuring you provide them with all the information they need!

[babyboos]

Great point Emma, thanks :oops:

[Emma]

Another thing to consider before you get a hamster.....



The dwarf species are social species, so you should always get at least a pair, preferably litter mates. However, they may fight especially upon maturity, so you must be prepared to separate them and have separate cages for them.



The possibility of fighting IS NOT a reason to only get a single dwarf hamster - they need company of their own kind, it would be wrong to force a dwarf to live solitarily. However there is always the odd one that decides he "vonts to be alone!", and it is a possibility you must be aware of and prepared to deal with.

[hamster _hayley]

Thats really helped me thank you :lol: My cage will be at the foot of my bed in a cosy corner out of direct sunlight. Since I have a high bed the noise won't affect me. And I sleep like a log so if a bomb goes off I probably won't hear it. :D I have 2 dogs but under no scircumstances are they allowed upstairs. Not long to go before I get my hammy :lol:

[Jill Bayles]

I've just gone through this thread as an "aide memoire", given that our new hammy is imminent...thankfully I'd already considered everything mentioned...Aidan and me are nocturnal creatures so we should both get along fine with our Syrian!

We have no pets and we've got holidays covered so there's no problem there. As for stimulation etc I'm sure that we'll both find it very difficult to leave our new addition alone to begin with although we are aware that "he" (really a "she" but Aidan doesn't know that as he really wanted a male) will need "hammy time", just as we need our own space. He will be housed downstairs so our sleep regimes shouldn't be affected.

I found this really useful. Thanks a lot.

[pauljono1120]

EMMA - you said dwarfs like to live in pairs?

I tried this when I bought 2, and they were okay for a while, but then one day then both went through a toilet roll tube, the opposite end, met in the middle and almost killed each other.

Female + Male (brother + sister.)

If kept together should it be the same gender?

[Tammy22]

Hiya Paul,

First of all, you should never keep a male and female together if you are not intending them to breed, as this is what will happen eventually - but you should especially not let a brother and sister live together as it is not a good idea to let them mate with each other!

Even species who can be social and sometimes live together in the wild can prefer to live alone sometimes, and when you have more than one hamster living in the same cage you should always keep a very close eye on them for any signs of squabbling or fighting. This can happen very suddenly as you have found out, but once they have drawn blood then they should be split up and are usually better left living alone.

Hope this has helped,

Tammy x

[RCalabraro]

I let Tiberius run in his ball for at least an hour per night. I recently upgraded his habitat to give him more space and more mental stimulation. I like to take him out. He likes it when I handle him and let him run around outside of his cage, but I don't want him getting lost in the house.

Any advice on how I can give him more mental stimulation?

Thanks

Ron

[Nikorusama]

Another thing to consider before you get a hamster.....



The dwarf species are social species, so you should always get at least a pair, preferably litter mates. However, they may fight especially upon maturity, so you must be prepared to separate them and have separate cages for them.



The possibility of fighting IS NOT a reason to only get a single dwarf hamster - they need company of their own kind, it would be wrong to force a dwarf to live solitarily. However there is always the odd one that decides he "vonts to be alone!", and it is a possibility you must be aware of and prepared to deal with.

German hamster forum members would argue against this...they prefer all hamsters to be kept on their own due to fighting. You can't always be there to split them up 24 hours a day. I'd be inclined to listen to their advice as I had two sisters who fought. One almost died from "bullying" they had LOTS of space so I didn't think it would be much of a problem but it was. Plus Germans seem to keep their hamsters in much better environments than we do do over here so I like to follow their advice.

[samincittagazze]

I let Tiberius run in his ball for at least an hour per night. I recently upgraded his habitat to give him more space and more mental stimulation. I like to take him out. He likes it when I handle him and let him run around outside of his cage, but I don't want him getting lost in the house.

Any advice on how I can give him more mental stimulation?

Thanks

Ron

Have you tried a playpen, Ron? I'm not sure how easily available they are to buy in the US, but you could probably make one. It's how my dwarfs get their run-about time, as otherwise I would lose them down the backs of my bookcases! Be sure to get one plenty high/with solid sides, else they may escape, especially Syrians.

[RCalabraro]

Have you tried a playpen, Ron?

I've seen these online. I was thinking of doing this. I could pen off a section of the living room carpet and put toys and tubes and stuff in it.

Ron

[galaxymouse]

Because we have a cat & children (2yrs 5 mo, 6 & a half yr & 10 yr) I have a locked rodent cupboard which has the small wire mesh doors on a wooden frame. It has 3 shelves & is well out of the way of sunlight. It is situated in the dining room so they can have quiet time & so can we!

[StarlightSerenity]

Because we have a cat & children (2yrs 5 mo, 6 & a half yr & 10 yr) I have a locked rodent cupboard which has the small wire mesh doors on a wooden frame. It has 3 shelves & is well out of the way of sunlight. It is situated in the dining room so they can have quiet time & so can we!

Sounds like a great set up! 3 shelves? How are you going to resist getting three hamsters?? :P

[galaxymouse]

Well I have thought about getting a couple of dwarf hammys when Rhubarb moves out of his cage into a bigger one. The mice are gonna have a massive cage on the middle shelf.

[njwilde]

German hamster forum members would argue against this...they prefer all hamsters to be kept on their own due to fighting. You can't always be there to split them up 24 hours a day. I'd be inclined to listen to their advice as I had two sisters who fought. One almost died from "bullying" they had LOTS of space so I didn't think it would be much of a problem but it was. Plus Germans seem to keep their hamsters in much better environments than we do do over here so I like to follow their advice.

Good point for discussion here as I am really confused with this one. I am German and recently watched a programme from my area where there is a rescue centre specially for dwarfs who ended up there mainly because they have been kept together and started fighting. The bites and other injuries looked awful so the thought of inflicting that on them seems really mean but when I see some of these forum entries there also seem to be a lot of dwarf hammies living happily together. I am considering getting dwarfs (or a dwarf) after the summer so I am unsure what to do. The cages they were showing were of very impressive size (they made hamster heaven look like a toilet roll) so I think they take their hamster care serious. Any advice? I suppose I could get two of the same gender with a spare cage just in case?

[StarlightSerenity]

Good point for discussion here as I am really confused with this one. I am German and recently watched a programme from my area where there is a rescue centre specially for dwarfs who ended up there mainly because they have been kept together and started fighting. The bites and other injuries looked awful so the thought of inflicting that on them seems really mean but when I see some of these forum entries there also seem to be a lot of dwarf hammies living happily together. I am considering getting dwarfs (or a dwarf) after the summer so I am unsure what to do. The cages they were showing were of very impressive size (they made hamster heaven look like a toilet roll) so I think they take their hamster care serious. Any advice? I suppose I could get two of the same gender with a spare cage just in case?

It can be done, but does take a lot of hard work and you really need to know your stuff to be able to notice warning signs etc.

You can only get two of the same gender, unless you want babies ;) and must always have a spare cage available incase they have to be seperated.

Are you new to hamsters? If so, I'd say stick with a single ham. I've been a hamster owner for 16 months or so, been a member here for just a bit longer than that and I've picked up a load of information regarding keeping pairs but I don't feel remotely ready to own a pair or group.

Research obviously needs to be done no matter how many hamsters you get, or what breed they are but keeping a pair means that you need to do extra research on top of that. It's just best to get to know hamsters, on their own, in the flesh before getting a pair. You will then be much more capable of recognising problems between a pair.

It also costs double the amount - even if you only have one cage you still need to buy two of everything (wheel, bottle/bowl etc) and not having the extra cage is asking for trouble.

It can be very stressful as well, ask anyone here with a pair lol!

If you would like to know more about keeping a pair, just post in the Hamster Chat forum, there are a number of people here with pairs (and groups) who will be able to give you more advise than I can.

[kyrilliondaemon]

If you get a pair you should definetly have a spare cage handy. I personally don't like to split dwarves from cagemates just incase they fight, so maybe find a rescue ham who already lives alone?
Then you get the ham and skip the pair/single debate completely because someone else made the choice for you. Plus you get a rescue ham which is always a plus :)

[TheFeldhamster]

@njwilde: experiences with group housing vary wildly depending on which country you are in. On US/UK forums you'll see a lot of happy dwarf groups, Italian and Spanish forums are strictly solitary housing only - you'll be kicked off the forum if you even bring up the the topic of group housing and on German forums it used to be strictly solitary but is now moving towards a mixed approach (depending on the forum). Dwarfs are complicated - they are not that easily classifiable into "definitely social" like mice or rats or "definitely solitary" like syrians.

So, why is it different between countries? There are several reasons - eg. in the US there are many more campbell's dwarfs than winter whites (at least from what I see on forums) and there is scientific evidence that campbell's dwarfs are more social than winter whites. In Germany there are much more winter whites and very ww-like hybrids than campbell's. So it's not that surprising that in the US many more groups will go well while in Germany many groups will fall out - the worst of which will end up at the Hamsterhilfe. Also, there is other stuff to consider - eg. the sociality of a line. In the US and UK the lines of robos seem to be very social while in Germany the lines seem to be less social. I suspect that the lines in Italy and Spain are very unsocial, too, because otherwise the forums would not be that strict.

If you are in Germany I'd suggest getting a single WW/WW-like hybrid from a Hamsterhilfe as your first ham. If you get your hamster from such a rescue you have the advantage that they will be able to tell you whether the animal is shy or tame and it's guaranteed not pregnant (which happens a lot with pet shop hams). They always have a lot of young hamsters, too, because they take in pregnant hamsters or litters from people who bought a pregnant hamster.

When you have got some experience and want to have a group later on I'd get in contact with one of the few reputable campbell's breeders and get a group from one of them. Your chances of the group working well are much higher than with two pet-shop bought WWs.

I'm Austrian and currently have two groups of Campbell's (from a German line) but I also have two Campbell's who live solitary.

[njwilde]

Thanks a lot guys, this was really helpful:D Really really appreciated. I have had Syrian/Teddy hamsters since I was little but never dwarfs so it is like a new animal to get to know so I want to be as prepared as possible before I get one.

The differences is countries actually does make sense, Feldhamster, when you think about the breeding going on. Funny, though as it is a bit like humans from different countries, they all have different personalities:)

[Gizmo_Gonzalez]

Very nice post however hamsters are not nocturnal. (Sorry to nit pick but this is a pet peeve of mine when it comes from people who profess to understand these animals)

[CariNichelle<3Tink]

im glad this thread was made, alot of people dont think about the commitment that it takes when buying a hamster (or any pet) for the frist time.

[Alright]

I think it all just depends on the hamsters and how they feel about each other. They might be fine with each other or they might not. It's the same with all animals, really, whether they are social or not. The choice is whether or not you want to take that risk.

Anyway, this thread is great. It's always better to research before you get a pet so that you won't waste your time and money on things that you don't need or are unsafe for your pet (or will make them unhappy). Always a good idea to set up everything and buy everything before you get your pet. That way, you can make sure you have everything needed right away, AND the transition between the ham's old environment to his new one will be much smoother (as he doesn't have to wait 30 MORE minutes for you to set everything up).

[RCalabraro]

Very nice post however hamsters are not nocturnal.

The textbooks say they're crepuscular but all my hams have always slept all day and run in their wheels all night.

[Alright]

I've seen these online. I was thinking of doing this. I could pen off a section of the living room carpet and put toys and tubes and stuff in it.

Ron

Ron,

There are also play pens at Petsmart (and I believe at Petco as well).

AR

[Hammy Ham Yam]

Great points.

[SueJ]

Some things you really need to seriously consider carefully before getting a hamster as a pet.

Hi I'm new here so maybe it's a bit cheeky of me to jump straight in, but I was wondering if I could add these to the list, as I believe they are also among the most important things to consider before getting hamsters.

!. Cage Sizes.

On the whole (obviously there are exceptions to this rule) I don't think it's advisable to blindly trust the advice you might get from pet stores on cage sizes. Many of them are way too small and highly unsuitable. Syrian hamsters for example run up to 5 miles a night in the wild, so to be housed in a tiny cage with an undersized wheel is simply cruel. If you have already bought a cage that is too small, please try and rehouse your hamster as soon as you can. You will be rewarded with a much happier, healthier and friendlier hamster.
The RSPCA (UK) give this advice for Syrians:
"Syrian hamsters should be housed in as big a cage as possible. They are large active animals and need space to move around. The RSPCA recommend that the minimum size of cage for a Syrian hamster should be 75cm x 40 cm x 40 cm. (29 ½ inches x 15 ¾ inches x 15 ¾ inches)."

Rat cages are generally very good for Syrian hamsters.
Please check carefully for suitable cage sizes of dwarf hamsters, they also need a lot more room than they are often given.

2. Temperature. Risks of hibernation and untimely death...

Please make sure the room you intend to keep your hamster in will be warm enough. I believe that hamsters can go into hibernation at 60ºF, although an apparently very reliable source recommends the temperature should not be below 70ºF.
They should not be placed in draughty areas or areas that get direct sunlight.

I hope this helps. If you take time to read up on hamster needs and lifestyle, and provide the best care you can, I imagine you will be as thrilled with your hamster as I am with mine! (That's a lot by the way! And I've only had her for 6 weeks) ;)

[Mweekie]

Excellent thread here Babyboos and everyone who has added extra information and advice. I have copied this into my favourites, so should I encounter any problems I can refer back to this as a guide xx

[MissLina]

I so agree with you! I am only a newbie and i wil get my first hammie friend really soon but i read as much as i poddibly could about hamster care before even deciding to really get him. When i was in the petstore the other day this lady really annoyed me by saying that her daughter was graduating tomorow and she really wanted a hamster so what would be a more cheaper graduation gift. All this while looking at a recomended pet store hamster cage about half the size of a recomended cage for dwarfs. It just made me really angry that this lady decided to just get a hamster cause they are cheap without knowing all there is before getting a hamster. And also at the petstore for selling and recomending those tiny cages! I ordered a nice big cage of 40cm by 60 cm and i would have gone even a bit bigger if it wasnt that i would run out of space. I just really hate it when people get pets without the proper knowledge...
Sorry for the rant...just needed to let it out of my system 😁

[LeoTheRoboHamster]

Hey, this was really helpful, thanks guys 😃

[Winterjay]

I've never heard that dwarfs are social. I have winter whites and the research I did said to keep them apart (more than just for WW). However, my dad still thought they should be put together.

They are both females and they were kept in the same cage before purchase. They were fine for about 5 minutes, then they began to fight. I mean FIGHT fight, not like a little squabble I've seen among my other pets (many different species, in varying situations).

Needless to say, they are now kept separate. I haven't had any problems as a result. I've also kept them both near and far from each other and I really haven't seen any change.

I would suggest that before you purchase any pet, that you do your research. The internet will give you a lot of information (both good and bad) so I would always talk to a person who has had experience with the animal in question. And look at several sites/books, not just a couple or 'easy' ones.

[DamienAO]

To touch on vet fund. Make sure you have enough to cover the possibility of having to go to the vet every 2 weeks. Also exotic pet vets can be way more expensive. When i took my kiku in for her vet visit the consoltation itself was $70 the tooth trim was $51 and the anesthisa was $43 talk about a shocking vet bill. Now its about $70 every 2 weeks (the vet was nice cut the cost of the tooth trim in half and they dont charge for a recheck on pets). I didnt relize this and to be honest never expected to have to take her to the vet. Though she now goes every 2 weeks i wish i had a better prepair for it. I did alot of research but none of it ever said the real possible costs and of course they vary by area but this is just 1 example. Also make sure there is an exotic pet vet in your area. I live in a middle sized city and there is only 1 in a 25 mile radius.

[HammyBoy1000]

What species of hamster should I buy. A Syrian,Chinese or whatever. Which one is the easiest one to tame.

[Winterjay]

Definitely not a Chinese or Roborsky (robo). They are both very small and from what I understand are the two hardest hamster breeds to tame.

Both of my winter whites (or Siberian) while still tiny, were both very well tempered and easy to handle.

My cousins short-hair Syrian is also very well tempered and likes to cuddle. However, they are on the larger scale.

Both species require different set-ups, space, and ect. The cost will also vary as well as any potential health issues.

My recommendation would be to do some research on species that you're interested in and discover what are you willing to deal with and what you are experienced enough to handle.

There is also a breed section on this forum you can visit and see peoples experience with various breeds.

[Imogen]

This sounds a bit overboard but I actually wrote out a whole handmade handbook for anyone looking after my hamster if I go away for the weekend.

It includes things you should never give a hamster, my hamster(s) feeding schedule, when fresh water should be provided and etc. including various other fun hamster tips for people to learn as they care!

[LunaTheHamster1]

This sounds a bit overboard but I actually wrote out a whole handmade handbook for anyone looking after my hamster if I go away for the weekend.

It includes things you should never give a hamster, my hamster(s) feeding schedule, when fresh water should be provided and etc. including various other fun hamster tips for people to learn as they care!

That's a great idea Imogen, I should really do that in case i ever have to go into hospital or something.

[Imogen]

That's a great idea Imogen, I should really do that in case i ever have to go into hospital or something.

It would really help you out, I promise!

It's so handy as it makes sure the hamsters schedule stays on track and that they're not given anything bad that they shouldn't have.

It's pretty much in the format of a bullet journal, my family found it really easy to read in points as I asked everyone under my roof to look through it and see if they could understand his feeding time and schedule. Everyone got it down to a t!

With the schedule, for feeding, I pretty much did the rest of 2021 in a spreadsheet column style and highlighted the days he's to be fed. So they can just refer to it like a normal calendar. Obviously, it's up to you how to lay it out, go crazy with your imagination and decorate it however you want! I plan to get some polaroid photos of Remy and get some DIY stickers made at some point. x