Why a hamster? - Page 2

LunaTheHamster1 · 03-08-2022, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloudy

I loved reading this. I think when having a chronic condition, having a animal in your life brings so much comfort. I also subscribe to your channel.

Yes, i can't imagine my life without hamsters now. Twinkle was my lock down buddy. Thanks for subscribing, the Youtube channel was only ever meant to be little clips of Luna. I'm not sure what happened!

cloudy · 03-08-2022, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

Yes, i can't imagine my life without hamsters now. Twinkle was my lock down buddy. Thanks for subscribing, the Youtube channel was only ever meant to be little clips of Luna. I'm not sure what happened!

You are very relatable and have a lovely manner. The way you talk to your hamsters is full of love and care and it is so lovely to watch. I also like that you review items as it helps me know what to buy. I bought the rodipet ceramic hide because of you.

LunaTheHamster1 · 03-08-2022, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloudy

You are very relatable and have a lovely manner. The way you talk to your hamsters is full of love and care and it is so lovely to watch. I also like that you review items as it helps me know what to buy. I bought the rodipet ceramic hide because of you.

Aww, thanks Cloudy, what a lovely thing to say. I love those hides, I think I might get Moonbeam the larger ones when I can finally get her Ikea cage built.

Pebbles82 · 03-08-2022, 02:32 PM

Luna I know what you mean about being part of a community and friends and sharing - as with any hobby really. Although a pet is more than a hobby. But it is nice to know other people that have hamsters and understand the pull when so many laugh at the idea!

Having our first hamster, Charlie, got me very intellectually interested in their communication, their needs and behaviour and also a bit addicted to working out cage set ups and what worked and what was safe - which tallied in with observing their behaviours. I found that very rewarding although once I found my ideal cage set ups they were not very creative! More logical and symmetrical. They work for the hamsters though - but I love seeing other peoples creative set ups and wishing I could do that - but I'll stick with symmetrical as that is what I do best

Shelf on the left, house on the right, wheel at the back next to the shelf. Tie a tube to the roof between sputnik and shelf. Fill the middle - lol.

I got very into all the German stuff at one time thinking they need 30cm of substrate - but actually they don't - they need a good house that mimics a burrow and don't seem to need to dig deep when they have that. But they do need a good amount of substrate. All I know is mine have chosen a good house over digging their own burrow when given the option. For Syrians anyway. Robos always like tunneling and burrowing.

I also got very into wheel safety for a long time - I had problems with that with wodent wheels for a while (they were very popular at the time) and then discovered the silent runner which solved that.

At first I found setting up cages really quite stressful - but now I've got the hang of it.

Ria P · 03-08-2022, 04:00 PM

As some people know, i'm a technophobe and don't do social media so do not understand the concept of it.

What exactly does it mean to subscribe to a youtube channel?
I understand what the word subscribe means having bought someone a gardening magazine subscription as a present before but how does it work for youtube channels?

Luna, your CosmicHamsters channel has gone global. I've seen it mentioned as a reference on a US forum. And i was like "That's OUR Luna!!"

LunaTheHamster1 · 03-08-2022, 04:28 PM

Serendipity that is funny re your cage setups as I always tend to put the house on the right hand side, wheel on the left, but tried to shake it up a bit recently and yes finding a whole hamster community has been an added benefit to having hamsters that I never ever thought about. I guess when i was little it was just me and my best friend!

Wow, thanks for letting me know that Ria.

So, on Youtube if you have an account (don't need to post videos to it) you can subscribe to other channels, so when they post videos they come up in your subscription feeds, you can even click the notification bell for a channel and that notifies you straight away when they post rather than having to look in your subscription feed. You can also leave comments if you have an account.

Pebbles82 · 03-08-2022, 05:21 PM

To subscribe you just go to a video you want to watch and click on the "subscribe" button. You've then subscribed to the person who made the video and their "channel". It's not really a channel it's an account that all their videos are on. But as Luna says, you need to have a youtube account to subscribe. What happens then is every time that person posts a new video, you get notified in case you want to watch the next one.

Ria P · 03-09-2022, 01:31 AM

Ah right. Thank you both for clarifying this.

Charlie Dunn · 03-10-2022, 01:25 AM

I am sorry that I am a bit late to this thread - I have been absent from the forum for a bit due to health and other issues but hope to be back on a more regular basis again

I had a Syrian hamster as a child in the late 70’s/early 80’s who I absolutely adored but, like most of us who had hams at that time, I look back with sadness as to the small cage he was kept in etc. We chose to have hamsters as “grown ups” as my OH and I were both out at work all day and did not want a pet that would be awake and alone all day. Each of our hams have been so different - it is amazing how such little creatures can have such big personalities. They certainly know how to let us know what they do and don’t like! Despite breaking my heart breaking each time they cross the rainbow bridge I cannot imagine not having hams in my life. It is also fab to be part of a supportive and caring forum like this one. I have learned so much and all of that new knowledge has enriched the lives of our hams x

Pebbles82 · 03-10-2022, 05:12 AM

So sorry you’ve been unwell Charlie and lovely to see you again

��. I think a sort of pattern is emerging here that many people had a hamster as a child or when younger, and then as an adult remembered what a great pet they were. And as adults we make good pet owners and can give them a lot more and appreciate the benefits. So that says to me that a hamster as a child’s pet is a good thing - a positive experience for them for the future - even despite the sadness when they die. When older they look back and remember the joy of them.

Not on all cases I know - I was an adult before having one (although it was when a young adult the first time). And Ria the same. But it says to me that when people say hamsters aren’t a good pet for children, that is not really the case - but children do need supervision and support with it. It gives them an experience they can relate to when older. I hope my stepson grows up to want hamsters for his own children. Our first one was his and he also loved the second one (although that was a different experience for him). As a teenager he’s not interested so hamsters are my pets now.