Thinking Of Getting A Hamster.
- Thread starter WILDER
- Start date
jonny-5
Fish Addict
looks pretty cool that wilder,i used to keep hamsters but got sick of cleaning them out! lol 
jonny-5
Fish Addict
I used to keep 3 of them they just used to annoy me cos in hot weather i could always smell wee wee even after the cage was cleaned out,i had a massive rotastak cage it was huge cost around £150,good fun to look at though,kids loved it
grahamsokel
Fish Herder
I havent had hamsters for years.I am sure there is some on dogpages needing homes
Bloo
~ I learn something new ~ ~~~~ every day ~~~~
I know what you mean Wilder - that little cute face of Esmeralda is irresistible 
I'd love to have one again too (oh and some parrots - just make that a zoo!), but my other half won't let me
You'd think I'm old enough by now to make these choices, but alas.....
That looks like a cool cage Wilder - though I have to say personally I'm not a fan of them (tricky to maintain cleanliness etc.) - if you do get one, just make sure that that wheel is large enough for a Syrian - if that's what you'd get.
Go on - get a hammie !
I'd love to have one again too (oh and some parrots - just make that a zoo!), but my other half won't let me
You'd think I'm old enough by now to make these choices, but alas.....That looks like a cool cage Wilder - though I have to say personally I'm not a fan of them (tricky to maintain cleanliness etc.) - if you do get one, just make sure that that wheel is large enough for a Syrian - if that's what you'd get.
Go on - get a hammie !
FreshwaterFishie
Fish Fanatic
Pretty cool! I love hamsters. I found a passage in the World Book that pretty much sums up how they look: "Hamster is any of several kinds of small, chunky, furry rodents that live in Asia and Europe. Most kinds of hamsters have a short tail and large cheek pouches in which they can carry a great amount of food. " LOL!!!
I have had 3 hamsters. Hammy lived the longest, 4 years, dying of natural causes. Then, there was Sammy who died of some type of eye disease after 2 years. Also, little Oreo who died after a year because of a prolaysped (sp?) uterus.
Hamsters are very fun and funny. You have to clean the cage every week, dump out dirty, smelly bedding, reline with paper, add more bedding. LOL It is worth it. You also have to change food every day and water about every other day; unless they drink a bunch or spill it.
The best water bottles are the ones with balls at the end, they usually don't leak and are easy to use. The best bedding is Carefresh, there is a Carefresh Ultra that is pure white and was less dusty and more hypo-allergenic. I have found the easiest and largest cage is an aquarium made for pocket pets. It should be glass with a wire locking lid, a good size is 10 gallon+.
Good luck! Here is a good webpage on hamsters: Hamsterland
lisie
Fish Herder
I just got a female Syrian (shorthaired black-eyed cream) about a week ago... I just have her in a 10 gallon aquarium... perfect size and easy to clean. I do agree that they smeeeell though. Personally, I prefer gerbils times infinity. Hamsters are more cuddly though, I admit.
I got Mollie from a pet store in a cage with two males.
I'm hoping and praying she's not pregnant because my parents will officially KILL me. And I really don't want to bring them to a pet store because it's evil. 
Oh well, that's what I get, I guess.
Hamsters are more cuddly though, I admit. I got Mollie from a pet store in a cage with two males.
I'm hoping and praying she's not pregnant because my parents will officially KILL me. And I really don't want to bring them to a pet store because it's evil. Oh well, that's what I get, I guess.MegTheFish
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I'm not a big fan of hamster, we always have a few for sale at work but when people ask if a hamster would make a good pet for their child we tell them certainly not. A hamster will not think twice about biting you. Of course this is not true for all hamster, just the majority of them. I find that they are usually fine once you get them out of their cage. We reccomend rats because they make great pets and generally don't bite (I've handled tons of rats and have never been biten, even with the smell of fish food on my hands and they are fine). Of course rats are not for everybody, they need a much bigger cage then a hamster, need to be kept in groups, and need more attention then a hamster. My boss has been running the store for atleast 10 years and she still says that if someone were to pay her $10 a day to have a hamster she wouldn't!
Sorry, I'm not TRYING to convince you not to get a hamster, if it seems like I am...LoL.
Sorry, I'm not TRYING to convince you not to get a hamster, if it seems like I am...LoL.
Tempestuousfury
Fish Aficionado
Are we allowed to post links to non-fish forums?
If possible, please try to adopt. Petco and petsmart have these (Petco more often, and Petsmart only when they get males in accidentally). You could also try getting them from shelters, since the poor things are rarely adopted, at least here, though they might be a tad bit feral.
Personally, I have not kept rats, but out of mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits, guinea pigs have been the easiest to care for/ clean up after. Hamsters would be next, and the rest don't matter.
As for hamsters biting, my hamster has not tried once, though she is pretty calm. My friend's hamster, however, bites, but never as a show of aggression. *shakes head* If you buy/ adopt them young, it's probably going ot get used to you sooner.
If possible, please try to adopt. Petco and petsmart have these (Petco more often, and Petsmart only when they get males in accidentally). You could also try getting them from shelters, since the poor things are rarely adopted, at least here, though they might be a tad bit feral.
Personally, I have not kept rats, but out of mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits, guinea pigs have been the easiest to care for/ clean up after. Hamsters would be next, and the rest don't matter.
As for hamsters biting, my hamster has not tried once, though she is pretty calm. My friend's hamster, however, bites, but never as a show of aggression. *shakes head* If you buy/ adopt them young, it's probably going ot get used to you sooner.
Bloo
~ I learn something new ~ ~~~~ every day ~~~~
I think that's completely wrong
and you obviously (sadly) have the wrong impression of hamsters. The opinion you have is of the stock you sell that no doubt comes from a bulk breeder. Any reputable shop will probably not sell stock that are so ferocious due to no human contact since birth. I bred hamsters and in all my life only ever sustained one single bit. And it was entirely my fault. I handled my hamsters from 2 weeks of ages (when their eyes opened) and they were super friendly and eager to climb onto anyone's hand by the time they went to the shop.
A pity you've never met such hamsters.
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
The size of te cage is the most important thing when it comes to finding suitable cages for hamsters, the bigger the better. The cage looks nice, but i personally wouldn't get it after having kept hamsters for years myself, i wouldn't get it because of;
a. The design looks like it'll be a pain in the bum to clean it out, if you want an interesting cage for a hamster the best thing is to buy a large normal square one and then buy the toys and things for it- this also keeps things interesting if you can personalise your cage and make it easier to change things around.
b. Its surprising how big syrian hamsters can get(the most commonly sold species of hamsters), i have a male who is about 9inchs long(although he is a big guy). The problem with this is that many hamsters outgrow their excercise wheels and tubes, and cages which have these fixed to them can be difficult to replace- most hamster cages are actually for dwarf hamsters which grow very small, but dwarf hamsters aern't that commonly sold.
Overall, i'd personally avoid this cage and opt for a larger and more simple design cage and then customise it to your personal liking by buying the accessorys yourself, overall it should be cheaper if you do it this way yourself too
. The hamster will need a house, excersize wheel, water bottle and feed box- the rest is up to you as to what you put with the hamster- you can buy things like tubes, castles and things etc .
a. The design looks like it'll be a pain in the bum to clean it out, if you want an interesting cage for a hamster the best thing is to buy a large normal square one and then buy the toys and things for it- this also keeps things interesting if you can personalise your cage and make it easier to change things around.
b. Its surprising how big syrian hamsters can get(the most commonly sold species of hamsters), i have a male who is about 9inchs long(although he is a big guy). The problem with this is that many hamsters outgrow their excercise wheels and tubes, and cages which have these fixed to them can be difficult to replace- most hamster cages are actually for dwarf hamsters which grow very small, but dwarf hamsters aern't that commonly sold.
Overall, i'd personally avoid this cage and opt for a larger and more simple design cage and then customise it to your personal liking by buying the accessorys yourself, overall it should be cheaper if you do it this way yourself too
. The hamster will need a house, excersize wheel, water bottle and feed box- the rest is up to you as to what you put with the hamster- you can buy things like tubes, castles and things etc .
Synirr
"No one is a failure unless you try"
I've had both rats and hamsters, and I agree hands down, hamsters are DEFINITELY more apt to bite in general. Take a hamster that has never been handled vs. a rat that has never been handled and there's no question about it. Even an extremely skittish and shy rat is very unlikely to bite even when handled; you basically have to hold a scared rat in place with no hopes of wiggling free, in my experience, to prompt a bite.
As for the cage, I LOVE those kind and hamsters seem to have great fun in them, but they are heck to clean, as has been mentioned. Much easier to have a normal aquarium with a few toilet paper rolls for the hammies to run through instead of those plastic tubes. You can toss them when they get nasty and they double as a chew toy
grahamsokel
Fish Herder
I had quite A few hamsters when i was a kid and i was never bitten once then a few years ago i was asked to sex a hamster for someone and it latched onto my finger 
.there was blood everywhere.I ended up with stitches in my finger and still have the scar 
.there was blood everywhere.I ended up with stitches in my finger and still have the scar Similar threads
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