Quote:
Originally Posted by girlscoutcookies
hello, i just joined this website and im thinking about getting a hamster and i have a few questions if someone could answer for me.
so i have read that sexes of the hamster doesn't always dictate his/her behavior, but from personal experiences. would a boy or a girl be better to handle/play with etc?
how would i prepare the cage? like what order do i need to put stuff in?
what kind of stuff do you recommend? food/bedding
how big should the cage be?
can i put the cage straight on the floor rather than a table etc?
my bedroom is insulated in the roof and it can get very hot sometimes in the night, would they be okay with that?
sometimes im up in the night till 1-2 am, could i play with him at that time?
thank you in advance! 
ps: also anything else you think i should know please tell me |
Welcome to the forum! Good job doing some research and getting some advice before jumping in!
Some people say that male syrians are a bit calmer and more docile than females, I've only ever had girls so I can't say personally but anecdotally there does seem to be a trend. My first two girls were very calm and friendly, the third was a little skittish and my current ham is an absolute mad thing sometimes and you do get the occasional male ham who loves to cause trouble. Generally the way to find a calm, easily handled ham is to go to a good home breeder and not to get your ham from a pet shop. Breeder hams are handled from a very young age and a good breeder will breed for health and temperament whereas pet shop hams are usually from a rodent mill type situation and probably won't be handled regularly until you take them home.
Generally your cage should be a ps big as you have space for and you can afford, there are a lot of cages available and different people all have their preferences. If you give a bit of info about where you are and what your budget might be we can be a bit more specific about recommendations
your cage needs a substrate (hardwood shavings, paper based bedding, hemp bedding etc.), some nesting material (torn up toilet roll or other soft paper products, not anything cotton or "fluffy") some hidey places and houses, some chewable toys and most importantly an appropriately sized wheel. And of course food and water. You'll find tons of recommendations and discussions and reviews in the housing and nutrition sections of the forum.
Food recommendations again vary depending on where you are but Harry/Hazel hamster is a decent brand to start with that's very widely available. You can get as involved in their diet as you want, some people get extremely detailed about protein/fibre/fat levels but a decent food brand or a mix of two or three and some carefully chosen extras will keep the average ham happy and healthy.
The cage is okay on a floor so long as it's not anywhere drafty. The heat might be a problem if you yourself find it uncomfortable, the ideal temp range is in and around 60-75F or 15-25C so if it's getting above that regularly then you might need to think of somewhere else for ham to live.
I think that's all your questions?
the best thing for you to do is probably to just have a read around the forum, particularly any stickied threads, you'll learn a lot from reading from others experiences.
Re: hi! im new here and thinking about getting a hamster! :)
Linear Mode
