Hamsters (merged)

jessicamb

try the madabouthamsters forum

PudseyDB

Some great advice from Littlelauz :T

Yes, definately a Syrian hamster as these are generally good natured and easier to handle. I once had a Russian hamster that looked incredibly sweet but was a vicious little thing!! :mad:

You said you'd prefer to have one on its own - that's good because they hate living together. Try to avoid the big stores as they probably havent had time to handle them regularly.

autumngirl

Don't forget that lots of animal rescues will also have hamsters available for rehoming, either from an actual rescue centre or one of their fosterers. The amount of handling they've had will obviously vary but it's worth bearing in mind that there will be hammies of all different types/ages/characters, just waiting for a second chance, because of all kinds of different circumstances. Reputable rescues will be able to offer you great advice and help you find the right hamster for you

UnluckyT

id say a syrian hampster too for the same reasons, had what my aunt and mum called chinese hampsters but forget what breed they were really, thy were tiny, one grey and white with dark grey dorsal stripe plus a brown and white one with a darker brown/black dorsal stripe.
lovely little things, although they made more of a racket and were trickier to keep.
id say ensure the cage is done up securly, and ive found that my hammy at the mo loves broccali and is keen on his greens, plus now been renamed hammy houdine as he will do anything to escape and before the water bottle broke (where it used to hang from the top of the cage/tank), he'd be hanging from the bottle or the cage lid.

meritaten

well in general I would say Syrian - but my son did once have a Russian hamster who was an absolute sweety! but he was socialised from an early age and bought from a breeder.
unless you are a night owl hamsters are boring pets! my daughter has degues which are awake during the day and a lot of fun - unfortunately they dont like being alone!

concerned43

having had over 100 hampsters (breeder) I would defo go for syrian but do not buy from pets at home as they do not look after their pets and the two that I bought there had wet tail and died - pets at home took no responsibilty and told me I could get a refund if I took the dead hampster back with receipt!

faded_flowers

having had over 100 hampsters

Are they related to hamsters?

Re OP, Hammy-wise a Syrian is going to be easiest to handle as a newb - purely due to the larger size! Chinese are adorable but a lot faster, so it depends on your confidence handling them. You might want to consider the much shorter lifespan of a Chinese too...

If you want your hamster hand-tame I'm guessing you will have to find a specific breeder. We've had hamsters from Pets at Home and four different local pet shops, none of them were tame but then I never expected them to be. The worst one came from a nearby little shop, not sure what they had done to the hamster but it screamed at you everytime you went near it. Even having had experience with taming hamsters we couldn't ever get him to chill out o.0

Nimeth

Agree a Syrian is best for first timer owners. They are bigger, slower and easier to handle than Russians or Chinese hamsters. I've noticed that males tend to be a little smellier than females.

My hammy currently hangs out in an old reptile tank because she lives in our bedroom and we don't think we could sleep with her gnawing on bars all night, lol. Just for Pets does some glass tanks meant for hamsters that have a couple of levels, those might be worth looking at and I find the glass tanks are easier to clean out.

Ideal toys would be a wheel and a ball so that you can get them out to let them run around. Cardboard toilet rolls are also good.

HTH

juliebunny

There are always loads of hamster cages at our local car boot sale - get the biggest one you can afford/have room for - the little critter is going to spend a lot of time in it! I would avoid the balls - they seem to be cruel to me.

I got a lovely hamster from the RSPCA, he lasted for ages and was so lovely.

Can't have them now as have cats and hated cleaning them out! Don't forget- they are noctural - this is one reason they don't make good children's pets....

LittleMissAspie

The "Imac Fantasy" cage is the best one in my opinion. The basic cage with one extension on top is a great size for one Syrian, and they are actually quite easy to clean. Be aware that the wheel they come with is too small for an adult Syrian so you'll need to buy another. And the doors and holes in the roof may need taping down so that the hamster can't escape (they are great escape artists).

My hamster loved rolling around in her ball, I think she liked it because the plastic around her made her feel safer and she would roll around our legs etc. If she was out without her ball she would hide away everywhere (and dig up the carpet for bedding...).

Always remember that hamsters are very small prey animals so their instinct is to be scared of everything. That's why socialising them when they are young is so important, otherwise they get scared and bite. Try and see things from that point of view and you should get on quite well.