Is It a Good Breeder??

CheekyHamHam · 02-14-2015, 11:12 AM

HI!
So I've been doing a lot of research and have been reading a good deal of your questions and replies and I've decided on a Syrian hamster for sure! I have found a woman online who claims to be a Teddy bear hamster breeder and is finding homes for her babies, but after asking her A TON of questions I'm not sure she's an actual breeder...Now I DO want the healthiest and tamest baby options when it comes to genetics, is it safe to buy a baby off of her and are there any good questions I could ask her to ensure I DO get a healthy baby?? Or would it (at this point) be better to simply look at local pet shops? I've heard lots of bad things from my friend and from different websites about petshops too so that worries me.
Anyways any suggestions??!

Hekomi · 02-14-2015, 12:02 PM

Are there other breeders in your area? It can be difficult to find them in the US, but you may have more around you than you know.

kittokitty · 02-14-2015, 12:07 PM

If she's calling tem teddy bear hamsters, then that's a clue that she doesn't know what she's doing.

Lilbet · 02-14-2015, 02:46 PM

You could ask her what her goals as a breeder are for her hamsters and pedigrees. I would think that if she is simply breeding for pets rather than to show or work on certain types, she would then be able to explain to you how she is doing that. In other words, she should know her hamster's personalities inside and out along with breeding healthy hamsters. That's my view of it anyways. Other questions that can be phrased as you wanting to know so you can be a good owner are: what she feeds them; their exercise/play routine; bedding; cage type and size; have any of her adults bitten anyone; and so on. Good luck!

SinNyx · 02-14-2015, 02:59 PM

Ask her if she is registered with the National Hamster Council, and if she says yes, ask her for her prefix.

However, if she is selling 'Teddy bear' hamsters she isn't a really good breeder. It's a pet shop term, meaning she probably got her hamsters from a pet shop and it's no difference from you getting a hamster from a pet shop instead.

Thin Lizzy · 02-14-2015, 08:12 PM

Also ask her how long she's been breeding for?
Does she have any photos of previous breeds?
Don't be afraid to ask questions, if she's a real breeder then she won't mind all the questions.

Nancy's Hamsters · 02-14-2015, 08:42 PM

Ask if she is willing to refund if the Hamster gets and illness which is confirmed by a Vet to be inherited, and also ask her if a situation comes up where you can no longer keep the Hamster is she willing to accept the Hamster back no matter the age or health.

A good reputable breeder will be wanting to work with you should a health issue come up. They should be willing to refund or replace a pup should it develop an inherited health problem( a Vet note of this may be requested) A Good breeder will be more then happy to take back any pup they produce for any reason, at any age. If they won't then look elsewhere for a good breeder.

Should you decide to go ahead with a pup from her see if she will at least handle the parents, and watch how the pups respond to her presents. If they are a small bit jumpy that is OK, but if they run scared and screech, or attempt to bite her then I suggest you not buy from them. If she can't offer at least a record of DOB and the names and color of the parents then I would suspect she is just breeding for bucks and not for the welfare of the Hamster species and you will need to say Thanks for allowing me to see your pups but I will pass on taking one.