Thinking Of Getting A Hamster.

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hamsters will only bite if they are not handled enough or you take them out of their cage when they are sleeping or somthing- i have never been bitten by a hamster though.

 

[juliehainsworth]

I agree with synirr as to using an aquarium to house a hamster, you can be very creative with one and create levels of your own for them as well as mazes with the toilet and kitchen rolls! I've kept hamsters, mice and gerbils before and when I had them they lived in an old 3ft tank which had a crack in it (none were kept together this spanned out over ten years lol) A tank is alot easier to clean and disinfect than one of those cages and cheaper IMO!

Either way hamsters are great pets although can take a while to get them used to being handled with some of them but its the same with all animals I suppose

 

[The-Wolf]

first I'd like to say
whilst the concept of rotostack is sound, their systems are impraticle and well over priced.
I prefer the habitrail system by hagen (much cheaper and easier to clean)
or the crittertrail system by superpet (if you want funky colours).
Also the S.A.M system by penn-plaxx is better than rotostack (but not by much)
but around half the price.

second
forget hamsters, go for mice, mice are much more fun imho.
Pixie & Dixie (my mice) aggree too

I wish you luck with whateveer you decide to go for Wilder
either way you won't regret it.

 

[Bloo]

Just one other thing to remember (and I'm sure you know this Wilder as you've kept hamsters before) but if you have other pets (such as cats or dogs) make sure that you have an extremely secure lid for a tank (if you decide to house a hamster in a cage.

Just also a couple of points to remember about tanks:

1) Some hamsters are prone to removing every last bit of silicone they can reach
If you get a tank, keep an eye on the hamster's behaviour and check closely if it's the "silicone attack kind".
If so - a tank won't work and would have to be caged.

2) Urine and Faeces can also get trapped under the silicone as it wears down and loosens from ammonia burns.

My ideal hamster home by far is the ordinary plastic bottom with wire top levels - and as large as possible with lots of space to add pvc pipes and toilet (or hand towel) rolls insides.

 

[Kingsnorky]

You could also get a 20 gallon, and put some really nice toys in there!

 

[MegTheFish]

A hamster will not think twice about biting you.

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.

Ok, maybe I made them sound a little too blood thirsty, sorry And no, I'm not talking about the stock that we sell, I'm baseing this on other peoples experiences with hamsters, as I can't really comment as I have never owned one!
I still say rats are the way to go! I just love them to bits, parents won't let me get them though. I get so sad when I see them being sold alone, without another companion. Stupid people think they are solitary pets?!?!?!?

 

[WILDER]

Thanks everyone for your replies I appreciate it, just got to work on hubby now.

Thinking of getting a russian dwarf, but will have to read up on them first.
Thanks wolf mice are cute but not keen on there tails and i would be nervous with it.

One of the members hamsters i like.

 

[Bloo]

If you'd like to see some of the cutest hamster pics (I've ever seen), check out this cool website called "Cute Overload" wtih loads of puppies and kittens etc. too

 

[WILDER]

They are cute lol.

 

[littleimp]

I've got these, good cages but don't buy the set pictured. I bought this one, try to keep away from any of the sets that have the pods (3 section bit with bars in middle section). If I had to re-order I would get 2 smaller ones without these and combine.

The pod sections are the worst designed cages I have ever seen, they fall apart at the bottom when you pick them up as they don't lock together properly, they are clipped together at the top with a spring clip but the bottom slides together not clicking in!! To clean it you have to completely rebuild everytime!!

Stick to the round sections & burrow basements.

You can get the burrow basement with round section as a kit on their own, buy to of these & link or one & a similer kit, perhaps the maxi mansion (burrow basement with the feeding pod)

Anyone want to buy a set of pod cages??

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Also, if you go with dwarf hammies, I think they are docile enough to be kept 2+... not 100% sure.

Any specific questions you have, (since no one said anything), this forum is pretty good:
http/www.hamsterhideout.com/forum/index.php

 

[WILDER]

Thanks everyone, just will have to have a good look around for a decent sized cage and equipment, don't want a pocky cage wanted something big and interesting for them.
Still got an old wire cage could use that for when i'm cleaning them out.

 

[FreshwaterFishie]

A hamster will not think twice about biting you.

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.

Hammy was the SWEETEST little girl. She never, ever bit anyone and she would ride around on your shoulder and just sit there. She rode on out dogs back, under supervision of course. Delhi loved Hammy visa versa. In fact, Hammy would actually give whisker kisses and lick you. LOL! Some hamster bit when you invade their privacy or scare them. I think the only reason Hammy bit, once was when my cousin stuck his finger in her hut while she was sleeping and poked her.

I also wanted to say that you can add tubes, play huts, wheel, ect. into the aquarium for the hamster to have fun in.

 

[FreshwaterFishie]

This is a picture of Oreo when we first got her (sorry, it isn't a very good picture:

She eventually turned pure white and got a little bit bigger. She was a dwarf. Dwarves live shorter than any other hamster, but they are so darn cute!

 

[Comet]

i have got a hampster called sandy and i hate cleing her out she always bites me and always smells and after i have cleaned about an hour later he messes it all up lol