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Hamsters advice!!
mcja
Posts: 4,077 Forumite
Hello,
Wondered if anyone can help. DD (7) wants to spend her birthday money on a hamster. We can get a decent second hand cage, have guinea pigs so lots of hay and wood shavings etc. I am not worried about the care aspect as we have had one before.
My concern is where to get it. We have had bad experiences with pets at home but I hate seeing the "no-one wants me" hammies.
Is there anyway that I can find a DECENT reputable breeder in my area? or local RSPCA have one who is 3 months old.
Many thanks
Wondered if anyone can help. DD (7) wants to spend her birthday money on a hamster. We can get a decent second hand cage, have guinea pigs so lots of hay and wood shavings etc. I am not worried about the care aspect as we have had one before.
My concern is where to get it. We have had bad experiences with pets at home but I hate seeing the "no-one wants me" hammies.
Is there anyway that I can find a DECENT reputable breeder in my area? or local RSPCA have one who is 3 months old.
Many thanks
“Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”
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Comments
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Just a few points. How large is the cage? Many of the cages on the market for hamsters really aren't large enough, or are unsuitable in other ways (e.g. the modular style don't provide enough floor space in each module)
Also, wood shavings aren't really the best substrate to use for small furries - they can emit phenols which can affect the liver, as well as the respiratory system. You're better off with paper or cardboard based bedding, e.g. Carefresh, Ecopetbed and similar. I'm not sure how suitable hay is for hamsters either, whether it would potentially poke them in the eye or get imbedded in their cheek pouches.
Many rescues will have young hamsters, e.g. they've been handed in pregnant hamsters who've given birth in rescue. What area are you in, members may be able to recommend local rescues. Otherwise, you could look for small animal shows - I know there is a show held in Reading which has all manner of small furries, there will be some available to buy on the day, and you'll meet different breeders too.0 -
Ah ha, good points. Thankyou.
We have looked online, and the smallest cage recommended seems to be 50x30x30. I wouldn't dream of going for this size, and would always go for the biggest I could afford. (our guinea pigs are in a huge hutch cos I hate the size sold as being ok.)
I have carefresh in the garage as the pigs didn't like it, and an infinite supply of newspapers as I have old neighbours who love to read!!
We are on Bristol/South Glos border.“Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”0 -
Cats don't have owners - they have staff!!
DFW Long Hauler Supporter No 1500 -
Thankyou, but there is nothing in my area.“Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”0
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Just a minor point... Hamsters tend to be nocturnal albeit with a little activity during the day.
Unless your daughter is a "night owl" she'll miss her pets most active period.Always try to be at least half the person your dog thinks you are!0 -
Thankyou. That's a really good point, but I have read that they can learnt feed time etc and wake up about 4pm for tea (our last one didn't realise he was meant to be nocturnal!!), as that's when she'll be home, I think that will be ok.“Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”0
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Thankyou. That's a really good point, but I have read that they can learnt feed time etc and wake up about 4pm for tea (our last one didn't realise he was meant to be nocturnal!!), as that's when she'll be home, I think that will be ok.
They will generally wake in the early evening but be most active during the night. Most Hamsters will wake during the day, for a wee say, but are usually very sluggish & irritable.... kinda like us if we have to use the toilet at 3 am
Of course there are exceptions but in the main Hamsters are nocturnal & trying to change this isn't the best idea....Do not attempt to modify your hamster's sleep patterns. Your hamster's nocturnal nature is biologically programmed into him and cannot be changed without negatively affecting his health and behavior. A hamster who is regularly woken up during the day will become stressed and irritable. Attempting to modify your hamster's sleep patterns can lead to a shorter lifespan for your hamster. If you want to play with your hamster, you may have to adjust your schedule in order to accommodate his.
http://animals.pawnation.com/can-change-fact-hamsters-nocturnal-1280.htmlAlways try to be at least half the person your dog thinks you are!0 -
Do you have a local pet shop (not a chain) they sometimes breed their own or use local small breeders so therefore are handled from an early age and are not like the nervous and therefore biting little hamsters you get from petsathome.
The difference of temperament between pets I have got from my local pet shop (, I'm first name terms with the all the staff ) and ones from chains is huge.
I've also got a big cage from zoo plus, 80 by 38 loads of room to put toys and move them around for variety, plus easier to clean than some of the modular ones, hating cleaning my rotastak when I was a kid, so many clips and fiddly bits.:hello: Hiya, I'm single mom, avid moneysaver and freecycler, sometimes :huh: but definatly0 -
Our local shops don't seem to sell pets, which is why i am unsure where to go!“Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”0
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To be honest I wouldn't buy any animals from any petshop. They are bred to 'stock shelves' and no reputable breeder would sell to a petshop IMO, except in really exceptional circumstances (I know of some exotics that it's done with, but not your typical hamster/rabbit/etc.) - petshops are stressful environments for animals to live in, a reputable breeder would want to speak to potential owners to vet if they're suitable or not, they'd want to keep in touch to know of any hereditary health issue and so on.
Also, having worked in several petshops, many claim to buy from small, responsible breeders - I know where I worked this wasn't true at all, and having seen photos of some of the places we sourced ours from, I wouldn't say they were any better than a puppyfarm for rodents.0
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