Im thinking about getting a hamster, but what am I really getting myself into???

Question

what do they need??? how much are they going to cost me??

how much attention do they need? how often do you need to clean their cage?

Answer 1

im getting a hamster sometime soon, and i just did a check on price for all of it, but you need to think of what you will buy:

the hamster itself
a cage
food
bedding and fluff (hamsters need fluff to sleep in)

those are just the esentials, if you want a happy hamster, i would suggest:
treats
hamster ball
a new water bottle (the one that comes with the cage usually leaks!)

a hamster is a bigger responsibility than you think, all the items i mentioned will put you around the $50-$80 range, depending on size of items, and quality. i have some tips for you also:

1) don't get a dwarf as a first hamster, they are harder to take care of, they bite more, and run faster than full sized hamsters
2) DO NOT BUY CEDAR BEDDING, this can cause harm, and also DO NOT USE TOILET/TISSUE PAPER AS BEDDING, this can get stuck in there mouth where it gets moldly, they get sick and die!
3) let the hamster first get used to the cage before you start to handle it, wait around 2-3 days before you try to handle it
4) be sure you change the cage about every 1-1&1/2 weeks, it starts to smell unless you change it before the 2 week mark
5) the wheel that comes with the cage usually is noisy, so be prepared that you may stay up at night!
6) if you get a hamster ball don't keep him in there for more than 30 minutes-ish, they like exercise, but they will need water after awhile!
7) a tank is easier to clean, but its not very well ventalated, and you have to buy the wheel and water bottle and food bowl seperate from the cage, if you buy a wire cage it is a little harder to clean, but it come with a food dish, wheel, and water bottle, or most do anyway, the hamster will chew on the bars, and this can get annoying really fast

Answer 2

A cheap way to save money when purchasing the supplies for a pet is to buy a starter kit. If you have a Petsmart near you, you can buy this hamster kit. It comes with everything, and the price is real cheap. Here is the link-http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752705&cp=2767038.2769317&pg=1&fbx=0&fbn=Brand%7CAll+Living+Things&searchSort=TRUE&f=PAD%2FBrand%2FAll+Living+Things&fbc=1&s=A-StorePrice-PET&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

If you can't get a kit, all you basically need is:

A cage
A water bottle
A wheel
Bedding
Hamster food
A little house is good too, but you don't need it, the hamster can make one with its bedding, or you can make it one.
You could also get a food bowl, but its really not neccessary. The hamster will just hide all the food in his bedding, and house anyway. So you might as well put the food in the bedding. You have to clean the cage once a week. Once every two weeks the least. They need to be held at least twice a week. You don't neccessarily have to hold it everyday, but the more you hold them, the tamer it will be.

All in all, it should not cost you too much money. Here in NY, you can easily get all the supplies with $40. Good luck with everything!=)

Answer 3

I've had 6 hamsters by now. Depending on how loving you want to be with your hamster is how much you will be spending. I'll show you basically what I buy for a hamster when I get one

-HAMSTER : Really cheap! Don't buy them from PetSmart though because there was a recent raid of the companies and they keep tons of small pets in the back and let them die. BOYCOTT PETSMART!!! Anyway...

-CAGE : I usually spend $30 on a cage (don't use a tank because air won't circulate through). Don't get one too small because the hamster will spend more time trying to escape than playing and being cute. If you can, get those tube connectors so they get exercise. If you can't get those, use carboard tubes from paper towels and toilet paper. Its okay if they eat it, its fiber for them!

-FOOD : generic stuff is okay and its pretty cheap if you get the bulk stuff you put in a bag yourself. DO NOT give them a lot of sunflower seeds. My first hamster would have lived to be 6 years old, but I gave her too many sunflower seeds and they're high in cholesterol which could essentially cut off a year or two from your hamster's life. I also like to get vitamin yogurt drops. Its a good treat and are healthy for your pet.

-WATER BOTTLE : you want to get a hanging bottle to reduce any dirty nonsense getting in there. Change it once a day too, they need fresh water.

-BEDDING : I find that Carefresh (I forgot the exact name, but its in a green bag) is the best. It doesn't have the harmful oils and is good with keeping smells to a minimum. A huge vaccuum sealed bag will cost you about $8-15 depending on where you buy it. Its huge, like it was hard for me to carry around lol. Change it once every two weeks or whenever you feel necessary.

-TOYS : hamsters actually need stimulation or they get lazy and you won't want to play with it anymore. You don't need to buy actual toys. I went to my local arcade and got hard bright colored balls. They just sit in the cage but she'll bat them around. The carboard tubes also count as a toys because they climb in them. A wheel is also awesome because it gives them exercise.

-LOVE : Thats free though =]

Answer 4

hamsters are really easy to care for. they need a cage, a water bottle and a food dish, but that's not a necessity. they like those exercise wheels, but they are nocturnal so it will squeek all night. you can feed them commercial hamster food or pieces of fruit or cereal or bread. the only thing you really need to watch for is the hamster escaping from the cage. they're real Houdinis and can get out with little trouble. get an old aquarium and put weights on the lid.

Answer 5

well be prepared to get bit i have 4 right now 3 dwarf and 1 teddy bear and i have gotton bit my all i haven't really have gotton where they made me bleeed only once me my self i think males are nicer i usually only have 2 males and about 5 females cause i breed them only the dwarf so ya well also there cages need cleaned 1 every week water changed about 2 to 3 times a week but really thats it and also bye some "dri tail" u cna get it at any pet store jus ask for it its called dri or wet tail and i give it to my hasmter about 1 every month jus to be safe hope this helps

Answer 6

not much about 6 quid for 1 and 40 pounds for starter kit and cage and stuff but they are soo easy to look after and the food isn't that expensive either ohhhh i love then they are so sweet if you keep a syrian they are bigger and live longer they you can only have one per cage and if you have a dwarf then you should have two siblings

Answer 7

I have a friend with chinchillas. They have to roll in some dusty stuff on a regular basis. And they do not seem to interact much with her. They are just there. Not sure why she keeps them - a lot of trouble feeding, watering and keeping cages clean - for what? Maybe if you get it young and play with it, it can be a nice pet. Good luck.

Answer 8

YOU need to google this. you cant trust everyone on here...

Answer 9

DON'T! DON'T! DON'T!!