Hamsters
golden hamster, teddy bear/panda bear/black bear/"" bear hamster, fancy hamsterincludes any non-dwarf hamster.
First, the basics:
♣ captive life: 2.5-5 years♣ max size: 7"
♣ diet: Bagged diets aren't complete. See side-bar.
I don't like pet-store treats like yogurt drops and sugared fruit. A piece of safe veg/fruit is cheaper and safer.
♣ temperature: 64-80°F
♣ space: 24x12" floor space, min Strong, strong caution against tube-style homes. Escape, pet injury, ammonia build-up, dampness/fungal growth, and difficult retrieving the animal are issues. They're hard to clean properly.
♣ Nocturnal: No bright lighting.
This isn't all-inclusive. If you think a hamster is the pet for you, see the links in the side-bar for further info.
Yay Cornell-The-Hamster!
My very first hamster's name was Cornell. He was seriously the coolest hamster I've ever met in my life. He didn't need taming, even though I got him from a really, really bad pet shop. stfu I didn't know better Cornell used to climb into my hand and sit there and stare at me with those big, dark eyes whenever I opened his cage door. "We goin'?" he seemed to say. He did a lot of cool tricks that he mostly devised on his own. Even rodent-haters would get a kick out of Cornell's behavior around the house.
Here's a great example of someone being "all-for" a pet, based on a single experience. When I got Cornell, I had never had a hamster. I told anyone who asked that "Teddy-bear hamsters are the best pet evaaar!!! They never bite and they jump into your hand when you open the cage wooo!!!!" Unfortunately, I was very wrong and I misinformed a lot of people. I hope none of the bites I'm doubtless responsible for got infected.
I won't torture you with Cornell stories anymore, but I'll probably add some to the site at a later date. Because I frigging can.Hamsters As Pets
Hamsters are about as low-maintenance as a mammal can get. You don't have to worry about adding space for "friends" because Syrian hamsters can't stand other hamsters. In fact, they will either outright kill them or fight up until someone gets sick and dies from stress. Cannibalism may even ensue.
They don't make a lot of noise. The two noise complaints I get about Syrian hamsters are:- The wheel is too squeaky.
- They are screaming when they fight.
The first is easily remedied by applying a tiny drop of hamster-safe food oil to the axle. Use a toothpick or a Q-tip. They also sell plastic "silent" wheels. The second is simply remedied by putting them in separate cages and not purchasing animals without doing research. Syrian Hamsters. Hate. Each. Other.
If your hamster is whispering to you when you are trying to sleep, try placing his cage in a different room. If he continues, go to a psychiatrist and ask them for advice on what to say back.
... This is not psychiatric advice!!!
If kept properly, they aren't stinky animals. Some animals, like ferrets, have naturally rancid poo. Hamsters aren't like that. I should mention that there is a particularly offensive odor associated with pregnant female hamsters. Some people, myself included, are repulsed by the smell. Others don't seem to notice it. I never see it mentioned online, but I've witnessed its effects on coworkers and customers. I've pulled hamsters with this scent off the shelves for obvious reasons. They always give birth!
Their basic daily needs are ridiculously easy for a mammal. Spot clean crap and fresh food scraps, clean the water bottle, replace wood chews and throw out any that have pee on them. Once every week, you change the bedding and clean the cage thoroughly while he runs around in a ball or hangs out in a playpen (or shakes his fist at you from in a deep box). Oh, and then you spend about 15 minutes every day or so gently handling them if you want them to remain tame. That's the average day with a hamster as a pet. It really doesn't get much lower maintenance than that when it comes to a mammalian pet.
Weekly cleaning is approximate. If the cage is bare minimum :shudder: size, clean it more often.I prefer male Syrian hamsters. They seem more chill, but this has absolutely no scientific basis on my part. I never bothered to read up on that. Statistically speaking, females might poop more rainbows so read up. Bonus because you'll never get a pregnant male if the smell of a pregnant female doesn't affect you.
Please remember that this is not a care sheet. I didn't even explain their tooth thing, how important the right bedding is or how lully it is to feed them bugs. Go read stuff. Here, I'll get you started:
Small Animals
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Reptiles
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Aquatics
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Birds
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Invertebrates
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Miscellaneous
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Not all pets are created equally. And not all animals should be kept as pets. In fact, most animals don't do well in captivity at all. My personal definition of a species that makes an acceptable pet is one that thrives in captivity. Otherwise, leave it to the zoos to keep them and only in my humble opinion to breed them if the population is threatened.
Dana, what's up with the "pet shop workers" thing?
Well the answer is quite simple, Bob. I was one. :D When I was younger, I always wanted to work with animals. Being a weirdo, I ended up working in a few different pet shops as I bounced around in search of... more life. Working in pet shops is not for everyone. You could divide the majority of low-wage pet shop workers into a few basic categories:
- Pet-enthusiasts of different experience levels and generally well-placed, though sometimes misguided intentions, often involving outdated information or misinterpretations and oversimplification.
- People who couldn't get a job somewhere else.
- Kids who thought they'd be petting kittens and talking to customers about what color bird they like most. Most of them last a month at most, and unfortunately do make up information or spread urban myths -_-
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The rare gem of a pet shop worker who is like a free vet (only they often care more) and an encyclopedia of information on everything from the dietary needs to proper husbandry of the most common animals and some that are quite obscure. This person has been working there for decades and is probably paid three times as much (or at least I hope) than any other employee. They sometimes annoy customers by telling them the truth. They also tend to have the most wonderful, friendly personalities. I love these people. Too bad I can't be one xD
Take note: You won't likely ever meet the last one. I hate to sound so pessimistic, but I've worked in a lot of places, visited a lot of places, made a lot of friends and acquaintances... The odds are just so low.
So remember: The girl at the Petco counter or someone on Yahoo Answers saying "I keep mine in a bird cage!" doesn't qualify as sufficient advice on the purchase of a pet. And advice and anecdotes don't qualify as research. Remember: A $10 book to keep near the cage is much cheaper than a $300 vet bill!