Meet Juju, My First Hamster

[Ammunition]

Hello everyone,

I brought my hamster home the other day. I did not intend to buy her - I love and respect animals, and for those reason I have always been opposed to owning most animals that need to be housed in an enclosure.

I never thought I'd own a hamster since my first desire to over a decade ago when I was just a kid - I had purchased everything I needed for a hamster I had picked out at the pet store, but I wasn't allowed to take her home due to her being ill. She ended up passing away at the pet shop before I could take her home - I returned everything that I had bought for her, and was too saddened and distressed to take a different one home.

Anyway - I was picking up some supplies for my cat (she is 17, and suffers from a hyper-thyroid disorder. I love her very much, and I'm not sure how much longer she'll be around).

I saw the three female dwarf hamsters they had at the pet shop - one was so active, bright-eyed, and she melted my heart. I watched her jump up against the glass and scrape at it with her paws when I put my hand up to it.

I asked if I could let her smell me, and she sniffed my hand when i put it in the cage next to her, and let me stroke her.

She ran back and forth and had just the most gorgeous little black eyes I've ever seen. Of course I thought she was adorable - I've always thought that hamsters were cute, but I never imagined I'd own one.

I know a decent amount about basic rodent care from my friend who has owned several rats over the last few years. I don't really agree with buying animals from Petco, or other pet shops - I didn't think that any animal aside from dogs and cats that have been tamed, domesticated, and dependent on living with or near humans for centuries should be bred for, sold, and caged for human enjoyment.

That being said, I felt a special connection of a sort with this little girl, and all I could think about was that she is here - regardless of how I've felt, or feel about it - and she needed, and deserved a good home.

Later that night I dropped a lot of money getting everything that I needed for her, went back to the shop, and I took her home.

She is such a special, delicate, and gentle little creature - I think she is absolutely beautiful; I worry a lot for her as I am doing everything I can to care for her, and research what I need to know (is she sleeping too much, is she happy, etc?)

I haven't been able to get many pictures of her - I've only had her for a few days, so if she is out and about I take the time to talk to her and try to get her used to me, and not focus on taking pictures, but here are a few to give you an idea of what a little jewel she is - she is also my favorite color - grey (well, "blue" is what I believe her coat coloring is called).

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read Juju's introduction - I hope that she lives a very long, and happy life!

Also - if anyone could recommend a good daily food for her, I would appreciate it. I'm currently using CareFresh Complete, but I don't like that it has corn, dried banana and apple pieces in it (although I make an effort to pick those pieces out before giving the food to her).

[souffle]

what a lovely story - she really is beautiful I hope some of our USA members can help with advice on USA foods.
Unless she is showing signs of diabetes I don't really think it is necessary to pick out corn etc. It upsets the balance of the food mix. I'd give some fresh greens in tiny amounts like brocolli or cauliflower.

[Emma_]

She is beautiful! Welcome to HC Juju!

[Shannonmcn]

Welcome to the forum! Juju is beautiful, I completely understand why you fell in love with her :3

My mum has similar feelings to you on keeping small animals in cages but she still says my girl is spoiled and can see that she's happy. I think there is a big difference between what you might think of when someone says "caged animal" like the small wire cage, all they do is sit around all day and look sad and what modern day small animal care looks like. It doesn't take too much effort to let them express some natural behaviours like foraging, burrowing and exploring and they certainly live longer and more comfortable lives than they might in the "wild"! I do agree with you that they shouldn't just be bred indiscriminately but ethical breeders working towards improving quality, health and temperament do exist! And if you don't want to or can't find a breeder there are always rescue animals who need a home and then you're not contributing to the pet trade at all.

I'm not in the US either but I have heard of people using brands like Higgins Sunburst, or Vitakraft Vitasmart and mixing that with a Harlan teklad lab block food. Hazel Hamster is a good starter food too and widely available. You can go way down the rabbit hole with nutrition information but in my opinion a decent base mix with fresh veg, some protein extras and the occasional treat will keep a ham happy and healthy

[cypher]

Awww she is gorgeous, no wonder you fell in love with her, it sounds as though she was just waiting for you to come along & you were meant to be together!

I know it can be hard to get good mixes for dwarf hamsters in the US, most seem to contain sugars or fruit of some kind, I would leave the corn in, as souffle says it is important not to upset the overall balance of the food, a little bit of dried apple probably wouldn't hurt but personally I would take the banana out as it's so high in sugar.
I do agree with Shannon, it's easy to over complicate things with diet so get the best mix you can, a few extra small seeds like millet & maybe some sunflower & pumpkin seeds as a treat, a few mealworms & some nice veg & she'll be fine.

[Ammunition]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for the heart-felt replies and support; it is overwhelming trying to pick the right food for her after all of the knowledge I've gained from research. Every hamster food sold here says that's it's complete nutrition, healthy, etc - and then you see all of the sugar, additives, and preservatives upon reading the label, so it can be discouraging.

I've been introducing very small bite-size pieces of fresh food to her every few days. So far, she has really enjoyed a bit of kale, spinach, and fresh uncooked oat.

Thank you all for the input about the corn - her food did look really bland taking all of it out. I will continue to remove the banana while I search for a better food option. I still have some of the lab blocks that the store gave me as I asked if they could give me some of the food they were feeding her to take home - she still seems to like them, and I have a feeling they have more protein than what I'm currently giving her - we'll figure it out in time!

I will continue to use this forum for information and support! Again, thank you all very much

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi there Ammunition,
JuJu, is so beautiful, her colouring is truly amazing.

[hrl20100]

She's so cute! I am in love with her colouring! Its not often that I see a blue coloured dwarf!

[Ammunition]

Thank you everyone - she has been doing really well. Here are a few more images of her that I've taken over the past week - Juju - Album on Imgur

I'm slowly introducing her to a bit of fresh food every couple of days that I hand pick, or make for her. She really enjoys eating a bit of fresh kale, fresh oat, and boiled chicken breast (no salt) are among her favorite things to eat.

I'm in-between jobs right now, but I plan on getting her a 36" long cage with my first paycheck to get her a really nice-sized home!

[cypher]

Lovely photos, she's so adorable & it's good to hear she's settling in so well & enjoying a few nice treats!