Please tell me the best pet places and worst pet places to get them from. also what food they like, what wood chips they need or like, and also the best types of food for them. I would also like to know about there toys!
2007-07-07 06:57:45 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
The first thing you need to know is what type of hamster you are going to get. There are many speicies of hamsters, ranging from ones that fit in a pocket (dwarf hamsters), black hamsters (black bear hamsters), golden hamsters, (honey hamsters), and many, many more. The best place to buy them would be at your local pet store (PetSmart, PetCo, etc.). Whatever you do, do not buy them from a neighbor. Neighbors can be some of the worst people you can buy pets from because you do not know how they were treated, what their living conditions are like, and most importantly, if their parents had any fatal conditions. Pet stores only sell pets that are healthy, and had healthy parents. Living conditions in pet stores are good, and you can always trust them to give you the best service. The best types of cages to get are wire cages. Critter Trail is one of the best brands of cages to get. They come in many different colors and sizes that will be right for your pet. Never buy food that doesn't have vitamins and minerals in it. The people at the pet store can tell you the brand of pet food they prefer, and that brand is normally the best. I use Aspen bedding for my gerbils, and it keeps their cages from smelling. You definately need to get chew sticks for them, or else their teeth will become overgrown, and they will bite anything to wear them down. Hamsters don't really play with toys as much as they play with eachother, but if you do decide to buy 2 hamsters instead of one, get 2 in the same display. Normally, if they are in the same display, they come from the same litter. If they are not from the same litter, they will fight and almost kill eachother This happened to my gerbils, and trust me, it was not a pretty sight. The one toy I will guarantee they will play with is a wheel, or a hamster ball. Hamsters love to run in wheels and balls. The wheel's fit in their cages, and they can just run around in the balls on the floor. They love them, and give them fantastic exercise. Good Luck with your new friend!
2007-07-07 08:01:15 · answer #1 · answered by johnkasay4ever 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will need:
Cage: Any cage will do really, but I don't like the wire cages because my hamster used to climb up them and fall from very high up. So I got one that has plastic sides and has quite a bit of space to run around. Also, hamster like having wheels and ramps to play around with.
Home: They need something to sleep in, INSIDE their cage still. Like a little plastic/wooden house. I have a little jungle hut thats made out of fabric you can get at PetCo. Also you can put toilet paper, or "fluff" they sell at the stores into their home for them to sort of.."nest" in.
Water Dish: Most hamster drink out of the bottle, but for some reason mine never did so I got him a water dish, whichever is better for you and your hamster.
Food: Any food thats labeled for hamsters at the store is good. Sometimes they like to eat, lettuce, carrots, cheese, hard boiled eggs. But not more than once or twice a week or they could get sick.
Basically, feed your hamster a small amount of fresh food every single day at the same time. Change it's water to fresh water every day also. You should take your hamster out every day for at least 10 minutes, to keep him tame. Sometimes if you don't play with them for a while they become wild again and could bite you. Change their bedding and wash out their cage every 1-3 weeks, depending on the size/quantity of hamsters. In the beginning they might bite you when you try to pick them up, thats because they don't know you yet. Play with it everyday and soon it will warm up to you. =) Good luck!
2007-07-07 14:26:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
right first of all they have woodshaving but NEVER give them hay as this can damage the cheeks there is plenty of toys on the market today and everyone is good i wouldn't go to petsathome as they have a bad reputation of selling you sick or injured animals but only in most of they're stores. The best place is to go to your local garden center as they're the best place to get them from the best food is the stuff from petshops not supermarkets as the ones from there is like us eating 'junk food' for the rest of our live so get it from petshops as they no all the important minerals and nutrients for each certain pet good luck!!!
2007-07-07 16:38:22 · answer #3 · answered by Animal_mad_jake 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok the best place to go is Petco and Petsmart! They like sunflower seeds, apples (no skin) purple cabbage, and carrots! My hamster gets vita-vittles and he loooves it! You should get Carefresh for the bedding cedar and pine shavings are bad for your hamster and could kill the hamster! You should give them a wheel and a plastic ball to run in! Also toilet paper rolls do just fine! They love to chew them! You HAVE to get chew sticks so the teeth don't grow to long!
2007-07-07 16:13:22 · answer #4 · answered by ............ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That would be an awful lot of information for one answer, so I'll pass you on to one of the sites I still refer to. I own 15-25 hamsters in SEVERAL cages at any given point in time, and love taking care of them and finding homes for them. This site is continually one of the more complete guides I've found, and should give you everything you're looking for.
2007-07-07 14:07:54 · answer #5 · answered by EzminJ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best place to get a hamster is in Fayetteville, Ga at The Petsmart. If you don't live around there then I dont know where to get one
2007-07-07 14:11:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i got my hamster flipflop from petsmart they have a guarantee if you dont like the pet or it gets sick u can retrun it. the first one we got used to bite my daughter so i returned it. it was a russian dwarf flip flop is very big. i like to use the recycled paper that comes in different colors at the same store for bedding it makes clean up a breeze they like wooden toys to chew on also at store definetly a wheel to run on and little igloo house to sleep in. i have honey treat sticks he likes to nibble on. yogurt bites and vitamins. i buy my hamster food at walmart because its cheapest there.
2007-07-07 15:07:39 · answer #7 · answered by marianne l 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would get carfresh bedding for it, or aspen. cedar and pine can give it respiratory infections and kill it. any hamster/gerbil food should be fine- you may want to supplement w/ fresh veggies and fruit--no iceberg lettuce though it has no nutritional value. they can be territorial so one by itself is fine. you may want to get one of those balls for it to run around in if you want. i would make sure the cage has plenty of ventilation. as far as the store- i dont think one is better than the other. you might want to get vitamins to put in its water, and the stuff for diarrhea at first, since the stress of moving can cause them to get sick. if it does get sick- tetracyclene is good. you can get it at any feed store for like chickens, and you just put it in it's water. you may research online or get a book.
2007-07-07 14:07:03 · answer #8 · answered by ruby71174 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Other good websites to check out are:
http://www.hamsters.co.uk/
http://www.pgaa.com/burrow/general/hamster.html
2007-07-07 14:32:04 · answer #9 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋