It's time to get a dwarf hamster - advice needed!+short story

[Sarnaldn]

The time has come to adopt a dwarf hamster I have been to many pet shops and so far I cannot make up my mind on where to get a hamster from .
I could get him from : one of Petsahome shops or my local pet shop - only one hammy available or a private seller through pets4home website who is located outside London but I don't mind to travel.

Which place would you recommend to get a new hamster from?xx Does it really make a difference whether is a pet shop or a private seller ? Thank you in advance to all replies!

Ps just wanted to add something(sad story) I have experienced recently . There was a lady at pet shop who was buying a Syrian hamster . One of p&h sale people recommended a very small cage, saying it's perfect size for this Syrian ;( it was heart breaking to hear and see it . I felt sorry to this little creature ..he/ she was just a baby 😭😭 why people don't do a research and educate themselves first before they decide to go ahead with a hamster ?

[cypher]

If you get a ham from a private seller are you talking about someone trying to rehome a ham that will have come from a pet shop originally?
If you get a baby ham from a pet shop you may possibly find taming & bonding a little easier than if you adopt from the adoption section at P@H or rehome one from a private seller but then if you do adopt or rehome you have the satisfaction of knowing you're giving a needy ham a second chance, taming could take a little longer & a little more TLC but it would be very worthwhile!

[Pebbles82]

I guess it depends on what kind of dwarf hamster you want as well. It could be nice getting one from a breeder, like a purebred winter white or chinese. Have you had hamsters before? I can't remember. If you haven't, a breeder ham is likely to have been handled more and easier to tame. If you have, and don't mind doing more taming, a rescue ham or pet shop ham could be ok.

I believe dwarf hamsters from pet shops are invariably hybrids (ie if they say they are winter white or campbells it is very unlikely to be pure WW or Campbells and will be a hybrid of the two whatever it looks like). So they can be prone to diabetes so that is also something to bear in mind and giving a sugar free diet is usually recommended I think.

Did you have a particular breed of dwarf hamster in mind? I think it is rare to find Chinese in pet shops, and less common to find Robos in pet shops as well I think.

If you were thinking of a rescue hamster, the RSPCA often has them as well. If you go to their website and put your postcode in and select small animals it shows what they have for adoption at your nearest centre.

But if you would rather bring one up from being a baby then a pet shop or breeder would be best. If you look on the NHC website it lists the breeders for different locations.

Next time you see someone in a pet shop being recommended a small cage - you could either butt in or talk to them privately when the shop owner isn't there, and make a recommendation!