Good place to buy a hamster (merged threads)

Hi all

I am looking to some hamsters for my little boy this Thursday. I want to get one of those fancy cages with lots of tunnels and pipes etc.

Can anyone recommend a really good place to buy the gear from, along with the hamsters themselves? I want a place that will give me good information about the best breeds to buy and all that kind of information.

Cheers:)

I get all my stuff from Pets At Home, Crystal Peaks retail park.

I'f you get a big one with fancy tunnels, bear in mind it will take you a long time to clean them and this can become a bind after a year or so. They WILL need cleaning every week.

What sort of hamster are you looking to get him?

Cheers

So you recommend a simpler cage then? Thats worth thinking about, ta

Well, I saw from going in that place in the retail park on Chesterfield Road that there are certain types that can live in groups happily, and others that have to be bought individually. I was guessing this was due to temperament?

I am thinking of getting a pair of them, I feel its a bit unfair on the little things to have them on their own. Not really sure what type to get? Any ideas would be welcome!

VERY IMPORTANT

Please, please, please, DO NOT house 2 hamsters together, male OR female, OR mixed!!!!!!!!!

THEY WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!!!

this is very very important to know.

if you want a hammie, house them singly they are not at all social/ sociable animals. If you desperately want to have a pair of hammy -type animals get a couple of gerbils, they'll live together fairly well. similar size similar care needs, similar personalities.

I kept hammies for years. Even roborovski dwarves (russian dwarves), which are supposed to be social, can fight, I needed to separate my last two, eric and ernie, (on account of their short, fat, hairy legs, lol) because they were fighting.

trust me, it's not a pretty sight when one hammy has ripped the other to shreds.

ok the equipment:-

there's a stall downstairs in the castle market that sells hammy cages, both ordinary, and rotastak. try them or alternatively middletons pet store at the bottom of the moor does them (but they're a gnat's dearer)

there are hamster-aficionado sites alll over the 'net, have a look at them for care advice.

be warned, they are "gnaw-ers" and noisy and nocturnal ( active at night ) so your little-'un might not get the enjoyment you want him to have, from them. hammies and gerbils are also not very long-lived pets, either, a couple of years, ish.

PT

Cheers

 

So you recommend a simpler cage then? Thats worth thinking about, ta

 

Well, I saw from going in that place in the retail park on Chesterfield Road that there are certain types that can live in groups happily, and others that have to be bought individually. I was guessing this was due to temperament?

 

I am thinking of getting a pair of them, I feel its a bit unfair on the little things to have them on their own. Not really sure what type to get? Any ideas would be welcome!

this is further to the post I made above....

Syrian hammies (the big hammies) may look as if they can live together, but this is because they are under about eight weeks old. once they mature, they fight to the death.

please be careful which you get, and how you mix them together.

PT

My advice on breeds:

Syrian: They are the bigger hamsters that are commenly kept. They must be kept alone. They can be quite tame once used to humans but need a bigger cage and wheel to keep going.

Chinese Dwarf: They can be kept in groups, although i recently had to split my 2 female ones apart. They are only small and grow to about 3" in length. They are very nice animals and good climbers, its fun to watch them climb the cage like superman.

Roborovskii: Smaller than the above, very fast and can jump a foot in the air. Therefore i would not advise these for a small child as they will escape when he tries to handle them.

It is always best to buy the biggest cage you can afford. For bedding try the recycled material they sell in shops along with cotton woll for bedding, DO NOT USE SAWDUST as it will get caught in their eyes and irritate the little critters. You need to provide a house for them (they cost £2.50 max) just so they have somewhere to shy away when they get frightened.

Try and feed them the mix what pet shops sell and give them additional treats (they LOVE sweetcorn and sunflower seeds) but not too much. You also need to provide them with a mineral stone to keep their teeth nice and sharp but not too long.

Provide them with toys and keep swapping them weekly to keep the hamster on its toes and occupied.

A ball is good to but them in so they can have a run around while you clean the cage out, but not all hamsters take to them - some try and dig their way out and are not happy at all.

You can also buy chinchilla (sp??) dust and a dish for it, the hamsters clean their fine fur in this and it is fun to watch them rolling around and doing backflips (chinese dwarfs anyway!!) while they clean themselves.

Avoid feeding them anything high in salt or garlic as this will kill them. They can have tomato, grapes and cucumber (although mine dont like any of them).

Thats all i can think of atm, might add more tomorrow..

contact these for advice

British Hamster Association PO Box 825 Sheffield S17 3RU

here's a website with advice on care

http://www.britishhamsterassociation.org.uk/get_article.php?fname=journal/StartingOut.htm

hope this helps?

PT

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=109716

Check out that thread, its an example of the responsibility and health problems that can crop up at any time

Thanks Plain Talker, useful advice.

I am beggining to think I may have made a wrong choice now. Its his birthday you see, and I was going to surprise him. He loves animals, and I was going to use this as an opportunity for him to be able to care for one. Obviously I would be doing all of the cleaning and caring - he is only three !

But I was going to put the cage in his room, if they are quite noisy it may keep him awake. Do they make a lot of noise even in the plastic cages?

sorry, posting again.

important:- bedding:-

Never never ever use that cotton wool type bedding that you can buy from pet shops, for your hammy because it can kill, it's nasty nylon, vile stuff.

tear up WHITE Toilet roll (NOT kitchen roll as it doesn't dissolve the same way)into small strips, and the hammy will use it for nesting.

PT

Mine do make some noise, especially when they used to squabble (but thats normal social behaviour - its only when they come out with injuries you need to split them up) but apart from that i can only ever hear the wheel occasionally when they decide to bang it at the side of the cage endlessly for an hour or so (lol).

To be honest i wouldnt get one for a 3 year old, by the time he's old enough to appriciate it they hamster will probably be on its last legs anyway.

Perhaps some fish would be better?

Thanks Navigator too, you guys are being really helpful !