Hamster!

[Tempestuousfury]

I finally got one after years upon years of wanting a cute fuzzy (of any species in the chordata phylum )!

I jokingly told my little brother that I wanted to name it Tempest, and he started telling my aim buddies (let him use my account) that that was its name! Does anyone have any anti-naming medication?

Any suggestions, by the by, for names? Brown and white. Would get pictures... but camera is acting up.

 

[Kiarra]

I think Tempest would actually be a very cute name. I take it the critter in question is a Syrian?

Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Hmm... sad to say I have not researched hamsters enough to tell between types, but it was labeled short-haired hamster.

As for the name suiting her (oh, it's a her, since Petsmart does not advocate breeding of rodents or bettas ), I have been told it does not by plenty of people. Plus, it is not very temperamental (I thought it would be, since it was so hyper). Maybe some generic name like speedy will do.

 

[Kiarra]

Yeah, that's probably a Syrian, then. Anything that's labeled long-haired, short-haired, teddy bear, or black bear is a Syrian.

I have three Russian Dwarf Hamsters. Tiny little pipsqueaks. One male and two females (one of the females, who was pregnant when I got her) just had 8 babies. The male is named Wicket (Star Wars, one of the Ewoks on Endor), and the females are Cricket (it rhymed with Wicket, and I was watching her chase crickets when I named her) and Trinket (it seemed to fit...she's really fancy-looking).

 

[cheekeyarab]

I like tempest, I think it is a good name and you should definitely keep it. BTW has anybody tried feedng their hamsters ready brek?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Nope.

Oh! Davids salted sunflower seeds. Is that ok for them? Apparently they need salt licks (I bought this) so this would serve that purpose. I don't see anything wrong with it, but need to know in case...

Cricket: the sport. Uses wickets as the place where pitches go. (Don't really watch baseball so do not know terminology, but the place where you can get a strike? ).

 

[Tempestuousfury]

So as not to make too many threads:

Questions:
Water from the tap ok?
Book says I should replace the water daily. That right?
Gnawing on "walls": sign of desperate need to escape, or "acceptable" despair at captivity?
Hamsters only live for 3 years? AH! So how do you guys steel yourself for when they die?

Comment: It learned to respond to kissing noises in two days! (Kisses = sunflower seeds)

 

[Kiarra]

Water from the tap is okay.

Replace water every day.

Gnawing on walls...? Do you mean bars? If so, she shouldn't be doing that. It could harm her teeth. Get her something to chew on, like an unflavored dog biscuit or a piece of wood. Mine love dog biscuits. But it's just boredom, and lack of anything else they want to chew on.

Syrians live 3 years. Dwarves live 2. You deal with it like you would the death of any other pet...by knowing that you loved them well, and they lived well, and that was the best gift you could have given them.

They aren't dumb critters, and food is a great motivation to teach tricks or become friendly.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Nope. I was not insinuating that they were dumb.

As for chewing: I have a stick-thing I got from Petsmart. I suppose it just is not going for it? I'll look for something else, though I am of the mind that it is trying to escape, since it climbs up the wire (yes, that is what I meant) in an attempt to find an opening.

 

[OohFeeshy]

One of mine is a gnawing fanatic. I give her two loo roll tubes, she shreds them in an hour and goes onto the bars. I give her a dog biscuit, its carried whole into her bed and she gnaws the bars Honestly, she's a right hyper pain in the backside...

 

[Bloo]

Answers to your questions:

Water from the tap ok?

yes

Book says I should replace the water daily. That right?

yes

Gnawing on "walls": sign of desperate need to escape, or "acceptable" despair at captivity?

despair at captivity

Hamsters only live for 3 years?

yep, but on average 2. And if the famales breed a lot, they have a much shorter life span.

So how do you guys steel yourself for when they die?

You have a good 2 years to prepare yourself for it

Comment: It learned to respond to kissing noises in two days! (Kisses = sunflower seeds)

Go slow on the sunflower seeds. Use as treats, but not as staple diet. Yes a lot of commercial food contains large amount of this, to use as a staple food is unbalanced & unhealty diet.

Oh and salt licks usually contain lots of mineral and vitamin additives - it's not just compressed salt (but i'm sure you knew that).

Enjoy your new furry friend !

 

[Tempestuousfury]

My brother insisted that I use rolls, but they are sticky from the glue that they use and I would think detrimental to the hamster. Any other cardboard items I could use? Cereal boxes perhaps?

 

[Bloo]

I used cardboard rolls for years without problems
but any cardboard will do - definitely a good vent for frustration