My kids want a pet, I say no. Well, maybe something like a hamster or 2. What are the dos and donts?
2006-12-19 07:00:43 · 14 answers · asked by verlee 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Hamster Care Sheet.
Syrian Hamsters are the largest of the available species and need to housed singley.
Russian Dwarf, Chinese, Roborovskis and Campbells are the dwarf species that are usually available and these can be housed in pairs.
Hamsters are usually nocturnal and like to sleep all day so can be quite cantankerous if woken up during daylight hours. They are prolific breeders so care should be taken choosing sexes if you do not want to breed these wonderful pets.
Housing:- all housing needs to be safe for the animals, so choose something that is escape proof, large enough and is easily cleaned. Lots of plastic coloured tubes may look good but will you be able to strip down the cage easily to clean them all each week.
Think about platform and ladders rather than tubes.
Diet:- Hamsters are omnivours so a mixture of nuts, grain and biscuit with some fresh vegetables will provide the basic requirments of your pet. In the wild they would hunt and capture insects as well so try feeding crickets, meal; worms or locust ocasionally.
Fresh water should be available at all times preferably from a clean lick bottle.
Care:- handle your hamster as much as you can to keep it tame. If a hamster is left in the cage and not handled very often it may bite because it thinks you are attacking it. Don't ever feed your pet through the bars of its cage as then when some one puts their finger through the bars the animal will think it is being fed and taste the offered digit.
Clean out the cage every week leaving a small amount of the cleaner bedding so that the pet does not think it has come to a new place and make more scent so smelling a lot stronger. A hamster ball may be a good idea but don't leave him in it for too long as he will go to the toilet and he will not like to be covered in his own urine./ Hamsters are very clean animals and will use one corner as a toilet, this can be adapted to get him to use a latrine bowl or tiolet which makes it easier for you to clean him out, Place jar on its side in the corner he uses with some of his dirty bedding and he will use that. Make sure the jar is big enough so that he can turn round in it.
Please don't use man made fibre bedding ( fluffy bedding) as this is quite dangerous for small animals. They may get it wrapped around limbs which will cause consriction and loss of the limbs. They may also eat it, which can cause problem with their digestion if their gut becomes blocked. I recommend paper bedding usually made from waste from tea bag production. This safe and digestable.
2006-12-19 07:24:27 · answer #1 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You want to make sure that they are nice. Pick them up that the pet store and stuff. It would be bad if you got all the way home with hamsters and then found out that they were mean. Also make sure to keep an eye on your kids while they are playing with it. Sometimes they can get away pretty fast. On other thing is make sure that the hamsters get along beofre you put them both in the same cage and make sure that you have the right materials to take care of a hamster like a wheel and the right type of water bottle.
2006-12-19 07:05:58 · answer #2 · answered by :) 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hamsters aren't the best pet for children, but they are a decent beginner pet. They aren't very affectionate; they're loud at night; they bite and may draw blood; they're easy to lose when set down and aren't kept close watch on. Do some research before committing to a hamster.
www.petinfopackets.com
www.petinfo.org
www.petinfo4u.com
A better alternative is a pet store-bought rat. They are extremely intelligent, incredibly clean, easy and inexpensive to care for, and create very strong bonds with their owner(s). They are loyal, affectionate, and playful. They don't need any other pets to be happy or entertained, just positive interaction with the owner. Buy a baby and socialize it well if you do buy one. The only downside is rats tend to get tumors, which may cut their lives short (nothing usually can be done for this), and is hard for the owner to lose such a wonderful pet. And make sure, like with all pets, to get proper vaccinations and vet care, for both pet and people protection.
2006-12-19 07:46:18 · answer #3 · answered by Ferret Queen 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure the person in which you are giving the hamster to likes small pets. Also be sure that the person can distinguish the hamster as a hamster and not a mouse. Be sure that the person doesn't have a fear of rats or mouse. When i was younger my sister brought me a hamster for my birthday and he got out alot. so make sure that the cage is close tightly. if your kids what to that the hamster out be sure they are careful with it.
2006-12-19 07:57:56 · answer #4 · answered by lil-a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. Hampsters are nocturnal- they sleep all day and run on their squeeky wheel at 3AM
2. Hampsters are chewers- they have to have something to chew on whether it be a stick a toy or their cage
3. They are fun to watch as they crawl through their tubes
4. They will stash their food and make little "nests" be sure to clean the cage very often the food stashes will spoil and they don't mind to sleep in their own waste.
5. When a hampster gets loose in the house they are almost impossible to locate. (although I have done it a few times)
2006-12-19 07:05:31 · answer #5 · answered by weebles 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont put two hamsters in a cage together if they were not raised together because THEY WILL FIGHT!!
make sure your kid knows how to be responsible and take care of pets because otherwise you'll probaly have to.
get some excercise toys for the hamsters so they can stay in shape because if they get to big then they'll have a more chance of dying quickly
get good cages with locks because hamsters are very curious creatures and they can get out quite easily if they want to or if you dont have good locks
Hope that helped if ya got anymore questions bout hamsters email me!!!!!
yours truly
brittany f.
2006-12-19 07:07:50 · answer #6 · answered by bfscoobydoo22 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi
Dont get a hamster, if they breed boy you have a butch of baby hamster to get rid of. Get a cat or a dog , a small dog is very nice, Look in the free pets or go to the dog pond they have dogs & cats need a good home.hugs good luck
2006-12-19 07:07:12 · answer #7 · answered by popcornpickles 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
OMG!! If you look at the questions I answered alot of them are about hamsters!! I have two and I love then to death. I have Muffin, a dwarf hamster, and Fuzzball, a fancy hamster. The nicest kinds are either Syrian or Teddy bear. They are fabulous pets!!
Pros: Fun, Cute, Easy to care for, NOT alot of money, lots of fun toys, lots of fun treats, if your friends have them they can meet, don't take up alot of room, don't escape easily if you have proper cage (don't let people tell you differently), fun to play with, sorta cuddlable, fuzzy
Cons: Bite, Poop alot, Run on their wheels at night
Hints for cons: Wear thin gardening gloves to prevent bites, poop is soo small easy to clean up, if their wheel annoys you take it off the cage and put Vaseline were it attaches then slide it over the Vaselined spot
2006-12-19 07:03:42 · answer #8 · answered by ♥Hollister♥ 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hamsters dont have any P in it! So if you are going to get a HAMPSTER you're out of luck!
2006-12-19 07:27:32 · answer #9 · answered by Hello Buggles 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't buy a hamster and if you must buy one, I know you don't want a bunch of little hamsters running around. Try buying a puppy. Their cute.
2006-12-19 07:12:40 · answer #10 · answered by femmi 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋