How do you vet prospective homes?

[Mollz]

I have had an email from a lady that sounds lovely, detailing how much they miss having hamsters and that they have had 3 rescues so this is the first time they get to actually choose what they want. She said about there last hamster and how he used to snuggle with her daughter in her dressing gown - they obviously cared for him! But obviously, sounding nice isn't everything.

I've emailed back, giving details etc. and giving our requirements for a home for any of our babies (e.g. good sized cage/wheel, giving back to us rather than taking to a rescue) and intend on asking her to bring the cage when she collects him/her.

Is there anything else I should ask/do?

[Mollz]

Ooops, this was meant to be in breeding, not shows - please move it!

[I_am_plankton]

Hmm perhaps just have a general chat but not sounding too patronising regarding vet fees etc, since some people won't pay them if they are too high :S

I guess it is hard to vet everybody, especially for those breeders who sell to the public at shows and have no idea where their hams are going to etc, I guess you just have to trust that they will be cared for

[Mollz]

Hmm perhaps just have a general chat but not sounding too patronising regarding vet fees etc, since some people won't pay them if they are too high :S

I guess it is hard to vet everybody, especially for those breeders who sell to the public at shows and have no idea where their hams are going to etc, I guess you just have to trust that they will be cared for

Yes, that may be a good idea. I know big breeders can't vet everybody, but with private sales (not at shows) I might as well make sure they are a good enough home and give advice. :D
From a first impression I am pretty confident that they will provide a good home. Especially considering their 3 other hamsters have been rescues and that she spoke so lovingly of their last hamster (called Robbie Williams lol), who lived until he was almost 3.

[souffle]

I think you can usually tell by gut instinct especially when you meet the person, if it will be OK. If this lady is willing to wait for your litter and keeps waiting and in touch then she is likely to be serious. Invite her to join the forum and keep up with the babies when they arrive. Always make some charge unless it is a friend and ask them to sign an agreement of which you should keep a copy saying the animal will be returned to you if they are unable to keep it. We like to ask people to come and see the babies at around 4-5weeks. Then bring the cage about a week before and we settle them in the cage for a week sometimes with a sibling as it makes the move so much easier. If this is not possible try and get them to visit at least once anyway to make sure they are serious.
Sometimes I worry about sales at the large public shows as I feel people buy on a whim there as few come to buy a hamster at a show like this and you never know where they will go or where they will live :?

[Matty Day]

I am just glad that it looks like 6 of my current litter.are going to good homes

so if my estimate of numbers is correct then only 1 will need a home found :x

were keeping 2
3 are hopefully going to forum members
and 1 to a good friend of mine

and there one left so if anyone want to give him or her a home get me a pm

they will be ready to go from the north somerset show :x

[Bunsey]

i pretty much went off instinct. i could tell from e-mails. Just to be rude, if they sounded poor it put me off because i thought what if they won't pay for a vet. It also put me off if they couldn't spell, use grammer, punctuation or just generally seemed thick. I know lots of perfectly nice people can't write, but it did put me off. :oops:

[Holly]

I'd go on gut instinct, Mollz - there are some people on forums and in emails asking for hamsters and you just know letting one of yours go to them is a bad idea.

On the other hand you just might be wrong - I had an email from a woman wanting two babies out of my current litters which immediately made me a bit suspicious - was she planning on keeping them together/breeding etc etc. I emailed back and she actually has two cages ready and wants the babies because her daughter's hamster died last week and they really miss him. They are happy to look after two becasue they miss him so much and they seem to know what they are doing :)

So if you have doubts you could delve a bit further!



Sometimes I worry about sales at the large public shows as I feel people buy on a whim there as few come to buy a hamster at a show like this and you never know where they will go or where they will live :?

I agree totally. Whilst I've come round to the idea of selling babies at shows (only if I'm unable to find homes for them via other routes - that will always be my aim and, hopefully, what I'll always be able to do as I only have litters when I've got people waiting) there's no way I, personally, could sell my babies at any of the large public shows. The "Village Hall" shows are different - the babies are sold almost exclusively to hamster people or to locals who come back again and again for a healthy, tame animal.

We came home with Rolo from Rotherham because I'd just watched a boy and a woman (who said she was his mum but I'm not convinced) buy a hamster. I wouldn't have sold them a grape to keep safe and I bought Rolo because I just wanted one less baby to have the risk of a dubious (at best) home. The whole thing really upset me and is one reason why I, personally, could never allow mine to be sold through a pet shop.

I was talking to the lady in our local pet shop on Saturday about our liters and she said I'm lucky to be able to vet prospective owners - she said sometimes she really doesn't want to sell a hamster (or other animal) to a particular person because of a gut feeling - but unless they actually tell her they are planning to feed it to a snake, she HAS to sell it to them. Even if people say they are going to breed from it she still has to sell it - different to P@H where they tell you they can't sell them for breeding.

[Matty Day]

Yes that concerns me about pet shops. Although it is a good shop and I would recommend people to buy a hamster there if I have none available. I would worry about send even a small amount of my litter there.

Particularly with the Chinese because they look mouse like and people thing there vermin want a cheap fix to strap him or her a firework etc.

I would still worry about the Syrians to the same extent but I would still worry about them none the less.

that’s why id prefer this litter and all the rest to have homes with hamster people or good friends I can trust.

Though I would put pups on the sales table or the pet shop if I had to but only as a last resort.

And I again prefer the village shows to the big ones

[Tammy22]

Hi Mollz,

i completely agree with the others when they say that you can usually tell from the very first email!

I have my phone number on one of my adverts and i have only had about 10 or 15 calls ever since i have been breeding hamsters, in my oppinion, only people who are serious about buying a hamster will ring you - the idiots will send you stupid emails!!

Since the 2nd of April i have 5 replies from just one of my adverts. Only one of these actually sounded serious! The others were one line emails saying something similar to 'I can i have one of your hamster'!!! (that is a direct quote!)

Like i said, i can usually tell from the very first email and i will only reply positively if they sound genuine. On my reply back to them i always include my phone number and hopefully, they will ring me, then i have a long chat about the Roborovskis and who the hamster will be for etc.

I also like people to believe that i am sincere and not just a person breeding for money. I ask them to visit when the babies are about 4 weeks old just to see if they are suitable for them.

I always advise people with children under 10 that Roborovskis are not the best pets for children, and i let them hold and pet my Syrians to see if they would prefer a Syrian - i then put them in touch with a reputable Syrian breeder, instead of selling them an unsuitable pet!!

I always ask to see the cage, or pics of the cage and i send them a long document on the equipment they will need, the food, toys, bedding etc. and i also tell them to get back to me straight away if they have any problems.

By the time they actually come to collect the babies at around 7 or 8 weeks old, i have usually spoken to them 3 or 4 times and already seen them once or twice too, so you can soon tell if they are sincere!

Just go with you first impression of them, or maybe give them a second chance, but if you feel that they are not suitable then just say no! The choice is definately down to you in the end, and never feel that you have to sell someone a hamster, even when they are actually there to collect it! If you feel that something isnt right, then it usually isnt!!

Kind Regards,

Tammy x

[Basia]

I think you can usually tell Molz. I prefer people to ring because it gives me a chance to talk to them and see how I feel about them.
However, even after speaking on the 'phone, if someone came to my house and I didn't feel comfortable with my baby going to them I would refuse to let it go. I have done this in the past with my rabbits and guinea pigs. :oops:

[Bunsey]

i don't know if there's something about prospective roborovski owners that makes them crazy, but i got stuff just like that quote from Tammy! People from Singapore saying "i would like buy some hamster. give me hamster. i pay for postage."

then there was uk people who thought i would deliver all over the country, driving for 8 hours to take them hamsters! A lot of people clearly thought i made money off them. haha!

One person strung me along for weeks. I had a pair of robos waiting for her to turn up and every weekend she said sorry, i can't make it, i'll be there next weekend! i ended up keeping them because they got to an age where no-one else wanted them! I'd never breed robos again. it was so stressful dealing with all the freaks.

[Tammy22]

Tell me about it Bunsey!!

I get those kind of questions every day, identical too, lol! asking me to deliver etc.

It's rediculous!!

Tammy x

[I_am_plankton]

Also although it doesn't help, some people are shy on the phone - I usually try and initiate email contact first before ringing, which I have done in the cases of rescues online for example - I email first and if I don't get a response in 24 hours then I ring, or if there is no email I will ring.

For example, when I contacted Basia on HH about Pearl, even if she had put a phone number up, I still would have PM'd because I am a shy phone speaker!

[Tammy22]

Yes, that is completely true.

Actually, i would prefer to speak by email than on the phone as i find that i stutter and sometimes cant find the right words lol!

Tammy x

[Bunsey]

me, too. i never phone anywhere when i can e-mail! i always just try to make myself sound as intelligent and articulate as possible in my e-mail. if i phone i tend to sound like a dumbo as i'm just not good at it!

[Bourne Valley Hams]

I appreciate that there are concerns about selling hamsters at the big craft/country shows. We can, and do, refuse the sale of animals at these shows if the people who want to buy do not appear suitable. Usually you can do this quite subtly by encouraging them to take away information sheets and contact details so they can consider at their leisure whether a hamster is a suitable pet for them. Sometimes though, you just have to say no. (We usually give Pete that job!!) I remember an occasion last year when one family created an enormous fuss when we refused to sell them a hamster, but they had very small children who were clearly out of their parents control and the poor creature would have had a miserable life. Once they had stormed out of the tent shouting expletives at us the rest of the public in the tent just congratulated us!
You do have to go on your gut instinct and make sure that people have the information sheets they need and contact details for the breeder.
Some people do come miles to these shows year after year specifically to buy a hamster, and many go on to become valued club members and exhibitors.
We always make a point of arranging the tent so that the initial point of contact for visitors is a display and information boards, the sales being postioned to the back or side. Our prime purpose of being there is education and information, not selling as many animals as we can.
There are, I admit, one or two members who like to help behind the sales table who do tend to push sales however much you try to tell them not to. We just have to make sure that they are well supervised and butt in if need be!!

[souffle]

I know it is hard at the shows Sue. You get people who think they can actually keep the hamster in the small Hagen it is sold in :? I am happy we try to educate the people who buy the hamsters and many do become members and come back to the breeder when their hamster passes on which can only be a good sign. Sometimes the tents are too small and it is very difficult to allow the people to handle and discuss the pet they are buying but I guess they do get more help from the clubs than in many pet shops.

[Holly]

I appreciate that there are concerns about selling hamsters at the big craft/country shows. We can, and do, refuse the sale of animals at these shows if the people who want to buy do not appear suitable. Usually you can do this quite subtly by encouraging them to take away information sheets and contact details so they can consider at their leisure whether a hamster is a suitable pet for them. Sometimes though, you just have to say no. (We usually give Pete that job!!) I remember an occasion last year when one family created an enormous fuss when we refused to sell them a hamster, but they had very small children who were clearly out of their parents control and the poor creature would have had a miserable life. Once they had stormed out of the tent shouting expletives at us the rest of the public in the tent just congratulated us!

Oh that is brilliant! That changes my mind a bit - if I ever need to bring babies to a big show I'll make sure you and Pete are there then! :wink:

Just out of interest - do you know if there are sales at Blenheim, Sue? I'm hoping that I'll have homes for all of mine by then but they'll be seven weeks old that weekend so, if I can rely on you and Pete being there, I'd consider bringing any that are left (though I have a feeling you said there won't be any sales there already?). Leanne and I are planning to make a weekend of it so we can help out.

[Bourne Valley Hams]

There are always sales at Blenheim, and that is one show that people do make a point of coming just to buy a hamster.
It is the North Somerset show that does not allow sales.
Blenheim is great as Living Heritage really look after us and we usually have a 40ft square tent to ourselves.
I will certainly be at Blenheim on the Saturday but may have to go and supervise at Romsey on the Sunday and Monday.
That was previously a BHA display but now that is NHC we need to make sure that it is run as we would like! :wink:

[Matty Day]

by the way sue speak to Andrew for me and tell him if he needs help for blenheim behind the sales table. ill volunteer as I really enjoyed my self at thame :x

[I_am_plankton]

There are always sales at Blenheim, and that is one show that people do make a point of coming just to buy a hamster.
It is the North Somerset show that does not allow sales.
Blenheim is great as Living Heritage really look after us and we usually have a 40ft square tent to ourselves.
I will certainly be at Blenheim on the Saturday but may have to go and supervise at Romsey on the Sunday and Monday.
That was previously a BHA display but now that is NHC we need to make sure that it is run as we would like! :wink:

Me and Julie will be there on Sunday and Monday to help in your absence then Sue!!! Will speak to Pete at Monmouth as I am helping there also, as well as helping to setup on Friday

[Bourne Valley Hams]

It is lovely that you are all so keen to help.
Sometimes in the past we have really struggled to cope - infact Chris has put a piece in this months journal about it. (yes, I know you haven't had your journals yet - I only got them myself this afternoon. They will be posted in the morning!)

[Bunsey]

ooh, could i have a prefix reg form popped in with my journal if you have one? :lol:

[Bourne Valley Hams]

ooh, could i have a prefix reg form popped in with my journal if you have one? :lol:

Are you a Midland member or Northern?
If Northern, then no, I don't send your journal!! :D
And if you are Midland - who are you really? :wink:

[Tammy22]

Hi Sue,

have you taken over from Elaine? (if she ever was secretary! :oops: ) sorry, i dont know too much about this sort of thing :oops:

It's just that when i joined the Midland Hamster Club, it was at the Kingswinford show and i gave my money and form to Elaine directly, and i 'm sure she gave me some knid of handbook.

The problem is that i have never seen that handbook since Kingswinford - i think i must have left it at the show, as i had to carry out two brothers! a rabbit and a hamster, lol!

Is there any way i could get another copy sent out with this months journal?? I can pay for a copy of it i need to - i dont really know what it is :oops: - i remember being given it, but i never even looked at it :roll:

Thanks,

Tammy x

[Bourne Valley Hams]

Hi Tammy,
Yes, I have taken over from Elaine - I am still trying to sort it all out!!
At the moment the handbooks are being reprinted so I don't have any but I will put a note on your card to send you one when they come in.
Sue

[Tammy22]

Thanks very much Sue :)

There is no rush at all, i understand you are very busy.

Kind Regards,

Tammy x

[Bunsey]

ooh, could i have a prefix reg form popped in with my journal if you have one? :lol:

Are you a Midland member or Northern?
If Northern, then no, I don't send your journal!! :D
And if you are Midland - who are you really? :wink:

i'm Amy Cartwright :lol:

[Bourne Valley Hams]

Okey dokie - gotcha!

[Mollz]

Right from first impressions and a second email - I definately think that she sounds like a wonderful home. The way she talked about her last hamster shows how much she loved him. They are now having one!

I have no problem with selling at shows (large or small) after helping out at Thame, and intend to do so if I haven't already found homes for any of my babies.

Sue: Any show that me and mum are going to (most southern and midland shows) we will help out at. If one of us forgets to let you/Chris/Pete know - then just presume we are!

[Louby]

I think gut instinct and experience must help.

When we went to collect Alvin after I had spoken to Sue on the phone, my dear, inexperienced OH asked Sue if Hamsters needed injections???!!!???!!! :roll:

I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me!

Sue still let us come away with Alvin though, so I guess she thought that we were ok in the end! :D

Thanks Sue!

[Bourne Valley Hams]

If anything that made me happier to let you have him - it showed that he wanted to make sure that Alvin was looked after properly and had everything he needed.
:lol:

[Spuds Mum]

When we went to collect Alvin after I had spoken to Sue on the phone, my dear, inexperienced OH asked Sue if Hamsters needed injections???!!!???!!! :roll:



How cute is that? :x I agree with Sue, that would convince me that I was dealing with owners who seriously consider the health and wellbeing of their pets :x

[Mollz Mum]

I can understand the concerns expressed about selling at shows, but the three that we have been to, and being very involved at Thame, gives me every confidence that the best advice is given and good homes sought out. If you have worries, watching Pete and Sue "vet" people is very reassuring.
Also, without a show, I certainly wouldn't be involved.
Although Molly had been on the forum for some time, I was very uncertain about everything (as you all know, my motto was "I don't like hamsters!!" lol"). If we hadn't accidentally come across the display at Gatcombe and met everyone there, I would never have been so keen. And we bought our first show hamster there. (our lovely pippi - rip :cry: )

[Bunsey]

one way i have of at least ensuring they've got my advice, whether or not they follow it, is that any i sell at shows will get a copy of my care guide along with the pedigree :wink:

[Louby]

If anything that made me happier to let you have him - it showed that he wanted to make sure that Alvin was looked after properly and had everything he needed.
:lol:

Awww thanks Sue. TBH it did worry me that you thought I was really naive about hamsters (Alvin is my 5th now) so i'm glad it didn't put you off! :)

He is learning though bless him, and has now resigned himself to the fact that hamsters are going to be taking over the household soon!

Were coming together to Monmouth, so hopefully I will be able to get him 'Hamster Brainwashed' so that it is less of a struggle getting him to smile when I mention another one is on its way!! :wink: