Hamster Help Please??

Question

Hi guys! I'm getting a hamster in the fall, and I need some info such as:

What breed? What gender? What food? etc.

I'd really appreciate it!

Emily

xoxoxoxox

Answer 1

breed, whatever you want, like what appels to your look in a hampster.

gender, male, less tempermental but more territorial

female, just the opposite

food. as long as its not meat, then you'll be fine

if you are looking for an animal that you can actually hold and love on (hampsters hate to be picked up, trust me) i would get a rat. i know thats not part of your question but i thought i would get a word in :)

Answer 2

ok i have 2 female winter white hammies, and they are great!! they are sooo cute and you can get them in three different colors:saphire, normal, or pearl.  i have the fiesta seed mix, but some people say that its fattening and hamsters can just pick out the food that they like and just leave the rest...... so you might wanna go with pellets as their diet and get the seed mix for treats:)

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp...

if you do get a dwarf hammie, the silent spinner wheel works great! you cant hear it, and it is really safe for a hammies little feet! as for water bottles, i would suggest the oasis bell bottle

it works really well and doesnt leak!! in the pic it shows that it can only be attachted to an aquarium but it can be attachted to wire cages too!

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js...

for bedding i have carefresh and me and my hammies love it!!! its super soft and its not dusty so no little particles get into my hammies eyes! they just love to burrow in it and make nests! you can also get it in different colors and sizes!!

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp...

good luck and hope i helped!!

Answer 3

well, dont get a dwarf hamster, as they are the most visous hamsters, and extremely hard to tame, many dont tame at all. i have a syrian hamster, very cute, cuddley and easy to tame, you just have to be patient.

Answer 4

i have had dwarf siberian and teddy bear hamsters

the dwarf siberians grow to the size of baby teddies

they are cute, but kinda demanding and sometimes nip

teddy bears get about 6 in long and are really sweet

they make good pets for children and firt-timers

i made this guide for a friend who babysat my teddy bear hamster

The Hamster Care Guide

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Food

Lettuce - About the size of one and a half standard playing cards - 4

Pasta (no sauce) - A few pieces - 1-3

Rice (no seasoning) - One teaspoon - 3

Deli Meat - Size of a quarter, (not from the edges of the slice) - 2

Cheddar Cheese - The size of a marble - 1

Strawberry - The size of a marble (washed) - 1

Vanilla Yogurt - Half a teaspoon (Good for hot days) - 2

Plain Applesauce - Half a teaspoon (Good for hot days) - 2

Cereal - Few Cheerios, Cornflakes, or such (no sugar or milk) - 2-4

Cooked Potato - 1/2 teaspoon with peal - 3

Boiled Egg - 1/8 of egg with yolk - 3

Sunny Side Up Egg - Smaller than two quarters include yolk and whites - 4

Unseasoned Nuts - One or two (roasted is ok, just not honey) - 1

Canned Corn - One teaspoon - 3

Canned Peas - One teaspoon - 3

Canned Veggie Mix - One teaspoon - 3

Can or Cook Beans - Half teaspoon (washed to remove spices) - 2

Cucumber - Half slice with middle - 1

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Our hamster is a bit spoiled. Above I have created a table with the foods Houdini will eat and about how much to give her. I have also assigned a point value to each food.

•Try to give her between 10 and 13 points a night.

•She likes lettuce every night, but try to switch out one or two of the other foods from night to night to provide variety.

•She has a mountain of dry food to fall back on, but if she has completely eaten all the nightly food, then she isn’t getting enough.

•She’s a small hamster, but she eats A LOT!

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DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GIVE HER ANY OF THESE FOODS

THE BELOW FOODS ARE POISON

Alcohol - Beer, wine - causes quick death

Vinegar - Pickles - Quick and painful death

Sticky Candy - Gum, caramel, toffee - Sticks in throat causing suffocation

Hard Candy - Lollipops, lemonheads - Lodges in throat causing suffocation

Food touched by other animals - Cat food, food dropped near cat - Smell terrifies hamster, if urinated on, will poison hamster

Food left uncovered - Any food that has sat around for too long - Bacteria will cause hamster to fall ill

Citrus fruits - Lemons, limes, oranges - Citric acid is potentially deadly toxin

Garlic - Fresh, powdered - Make hamster very ill

“People food” - Pizza, Cheez-its, chicken, mozzarella sticks - May contain harmful chemicals or foods that can cause illness/death

Spiced foods - Spicy trail mix, pepper ham, salsa - Contain harmful chemicals and additives that can cause illness/death

Food intended for other animals - Cat food, rabbit food, guinea pig grass - Do not provide adequate nutrition and may be very harmful

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Home Comfort

Ensure that the cage is located far from

•Drafts

•Direct sunlight

•Dampness

•Other animals

•Other animal smells

Human Interaction

•Houdini is very sweet and social and we play with her every night.

•Since hamsters are nocturnal, she sleeps during the day and usually wakes up around 9:00pm.

•When she is in the main part of her cage, she can be taken out to play.

•Play should last around half an hour.

•She can be played with in the earlier morning for ten minutes, then in the evening for fifteen minutes rather than 30 min. at once.

•If the floor is dry and there is nothing on the floor that she can eat or get lost in, the bathroom is a convenient place for her to run around without constant attention. Someone must be in with her at all times, but she can get ready for bed while Houdini runs around.

•The bathroom idea is a great time saver and counts towards the 30 min, but it is no substitute for interaction. At least five whole minutes must be devoted to petting, rubbing and actual touching.

•When she is in the wheel, Houdini can often be coaxed out by gently nudging the wheel and speaking to her in a “baby voice.” If not, use a piece of food to lure her out.

•If she is in the sleeping part of her cage, she is in her “safe place.” Do not take her out, but if you make a racket, she’ll probably wake up.

•During the day, she wakes up occasionally on a snack run, or to visit the bathroom. You can play with her then, but not for too long because it’s the middle of the night for her.

•Every time you play with her, give her some food as you put her back. This can be as big as a piece of lettuce, or as small as a nut, just make sure she sees it.

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Home Care

Shavings/Mulch: Change monthly

Note: Replace only the wet mulch with fresh b/w months.

Sand + Litter Napkins: Change twice a week or if smelly

Note: Sand does not need to be scooped every time she pees. Just empty out the container with sand, trash napkins and replace when necessary.

Bedding: Do not change unless soiled

Note: Remove only soiled bedding and replace with ripped toilet paper. (No need to go overboard with the ripping, she’ll do it).

Perishables: Every morning, remove food that might spoil from her cage

Note: She likes to drag food to her sleeping quarters, but she rarely eats it afterwards. Check for perishables inside sleeping area every few days and remove it.

Litter Stones: Just leave them be.

Note: For some reason, she likes to sit on the rocks. They are for litter, but she never pees on them. She sometimes kicks them out for not reason, making the cage look messy. Put some rock back if you want it to look cleaner.

Water: Change water every week.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

well if i was you i would buy a Syrian hamster they are so cute near my house a have a local pet shop (Pets At Home) so i just buy everything from there like food,bedding, wood shavings etc      . hamsters can have most fruit and veg for example

apple

carrot

turnip

melon

banana

dandelion leaves and many more.

Answer 6

Well Emily, hamsters need allot of attention. I would suggest the black bear hamster female breed they r the friendliest. I feed mine bunny food. the really will eat any small pet food! Black bear hamsters r solo hamsters so u can only put one in the same cage. when u first get ur hamster it will b skittish and afraid. to start out... just play w/ it when it wakes up by it's self. in time trust will build and u can wake her up by touch-in her and not be-in bit at. They love peanuts. they like to crack them themselves. I would suggest a aquarium cage because bar chewing can bring there teeth into their brain and kill them . scoop the glass cage with a scooper, and when u first get the hamster observe their old house to see if she drank out of a bottle ext. and try to match it. don't get ceder beding because it is not good for her. play with her allot and no mater how much u want to breed her, don't until u have at least a year of experience.! they like bedin material like toilet paper and stuff and for nutrition i would recomend giving fresh fruits and veggies, but always wash them! Hope I helped!

Answer 7

You should get a Syrian hamster. They're the most tame/sweet/cuddly hamsters available. Gender doesn't matter much, although females stink a week out of every month.

  At the pet store buy a wire cage with a plastic bottom- the total plastic ones are cute but unpractical for cleaning.

You'll also need a wheel (If it doesn't come with the cage)

-Hamster Food (Type doesn't matter, but they adore gormet)

-Carefresh bedding

-Rodent cage cleaning spray

- Large Cage Water Bottle

- And old newspaper to line the bottom of the cage with before you add in bedding.

       There are also a few optional items such as

-Treats (Yougurt Bites, Carrots, ect.)

- Ball to run in

-Play Pen

- Book about Hamsters                                  

   Have fun! This in total should cost you from $40- 150. =)

Pictures of Syrian Hamsters-

http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamst...

http://www.hamstertunnels.com/assets/sch...

  PS: Do not feed hamsters iceburg lettus, pickles, meat, or cucumbers.

If you have any more Q's go to this website:

http://www.hamsterland.com/

Answer 8

Hello you can buy a russian hamster they are so cute and they love to play they also are more small than other hamsters.

I have a male russian hamster, he is very small and calm.

Bye