What do you do/get for your hamsters for holidays & adoption day?

[Jenibelle]

Hi guys!

I'm looking for ideas on what to do for Bernie for Christmas and his adoption day (New Years Eve, December 31st). What do you all do?

[AmityvilleHams]

You could make special foods or give special treats that wouldn't be given often.Or,another option would be to make toys that your hamster will enjoy!

It doesn't have to be anything expensive,as there are some ways to get high quality treats and still save money!I personally always gravitate towards the Higgins brand as they aren't usually expensive but are still really good quality,just make sure to double check any treats for safety Accidents happen when you think something is safe and is from a relatively good brand,and I have had that happen at least once!

I can't recommend Petsupermarket enough for those in the US.They're almost always cheaper than other pet stores and if you have one nearby or even a bit of a drive away they have some very nice products.I've found things from common brands that you don't find in most chain pet stores,like a wider range than usual of Ware products(lots of nice chews and such)along with a bit of Living World products.

Most pet stores can be worked with though if you can't get to Petsupermarket.You can never have too many spare bendy bridges for example,and those are a good price at Petco for how big they are It is all about making the most of what you do find,and if you think creatively with limited resources you can always take apart toys and use safe parts to make new toys!

[Jenibelle]

I'll see if we have a Petsupermarket near us Thanks for the tip!

[Fluffagrams]

I agree with Amity, you really don't need to spend much on them to get something they'll enjoy. I used to spend quite a bit on my hamsters but have realised that they're just as happy exploring an egg box or a homemade maze of toilet roll tubes.

I don't tend to do anything for their adoption anniversaries but I will usually give them a small treat based on their favourite foods for their birthdays. For James's 1st birthday in August, I gave him some chicken and a couple of extra mealworms. For Jessie's birthday in January I'm probably going to hang a millet spray from the bars of her cage so she can have fun tearing all the seeds off.

At Christmas I make up treat parcels for them with things like a whimzees chew, a dog biscuit, one of the Harry Hamster Yippee treats and a mix of some seeds and mealworms. They seem to enjoy them just as much.

[Cinnamon Bear]

You could take a picture of him and frame it?

[ladyntramp002]

Another great idea is buying a container of Gerber's Puffs. These are made for babies and are okay for Syrians to eat. All the hamsters that my family have owned have loved them! The Whimzees (dog chews) are also good option.

[AmityvilleHams]

Gerber Puffs are wonderful and cheap treats!There's barely any sugar in them,so as long as they're not fed in massive amounts(60 pieces is roughly 1 gram of sugar in the flavor I have,might be different in others)they'd be perfectly fine for even diabetic prone species

[Fluffagrams]

Out of curiosity, what are gerber puffs? I don't think I've ever seen them in the UK (I guess we might have them in one of those American import stores but we don't have one near here for me to check)

[AmityvilleHams]

They're somewhat like those crackers made of puffed rice if you have those!Otherwise I don't know how to explain them.They come in all different flavors and there's even a line which is supposed to be organic

The ingredients of the organic apple flavor are organic whole wheat flour,organic rice flour,organic wheat starch,organic cane sugar,dried organic apple puree,natural apple(includes acetic acid and apple juice concentrate),less than 1% of:tri-and dicalcium phosphate,mixed tocopherols(to maintain freshness),zinc sulfate,organic soy lecithin,alpha tocopherol acetate(vitamin E),electrolytic iron.There are certain flavors which aren't entirely hamster safe but quite a few are!These in particular have a serving size of 60 pieces and that serving gives just 1g of sugar,so nothing to worry about if you're only giving one or two pieces occasionally

There's probably something similar in the UK that won't cost as much.I've heard that the importation for Gerber makes them cost way more then they'd cost in the US,and from what I've seen the prices make them less than ideal at least for those in the UK

[Jenibelle]

Oooh organic puffs are a good idea!!