The best pet ever! (Hamsters)

Member Name: beanie85

Product:	Hamsters
Date:	30/07/08 (494 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loving, cute and fun

Disadvantages: They need time and attention - make sure that you can give it!

Syrian hamsters are also known as Golden Hamsters and are a very popular hamster breed to keep as a pet. We got our Syrian hamster about a year ago. After much persuasion by me (I am quite a pro!) my boyfriend finally caved in and we got our hamster on our first day of moving in together! We have named him Pickles and he is the cutest thing ever.

Syrian hamsters are probably the most popular breed of hamster sold in pet shops, and it is very rare to see a pet shop that sells animals without Syrian hamsters in it! They tend to cost around £6, but I guess that varies depending on which shops you go to. It is also nice to look in the newspapers and adverts to look for hamsters from breeders, as these tend to be hand reared and used to human contact. Hamsters from shops tend to be very timid and not used to being handled.

Syrian hamsters are a good breed of hamster to get as they are one of the larger species of hamster and so are slightly easier to handle than maybe smaller types of hamster such as Russian or Dwarf hamsters. I guess our hamster is around 5 inches, and he won't get any larger than he is now. Syrian hamsters tend to be around 5 - 6 inches when fully grown.

Syrian hamsters tend to live between 2 - 3 years (so you have to make the most of your time together!)

In order to keep a Syrian hamster as a pet the basic essentials that you will need are:

A cage, sawdust (to put on the floor of the cage), a bed (usually in the shape of a little house but this can vary), soft bedding, a water bottle, a feeding bowl, dried food and a hamster wheel (this attaches to the side of the hamster cage so your hamster can run around it in to exercise)

Hamsters need a big cage to run around (I have found that hamsters seem to prefer a cage that has bars since they quite like climbing up these) We actually have two cages connected together by plastic tubing, and Pickles loves to run between the two and I am really glad we got him an extra cage, he seems a lot happier now (yes, we do spoil our hamster!)

An essential (in my opinion) that hamsters also need is a wheel to exercise in. Hamster will run around in it, and you will find that it is one of their favourite past times! I find that without a wheel in the cage a hamster will get very bored and start chewing the bars of the cage and that is not a good sign! Be warned that they often do this at night when they get up, and it can be quite noisy so it is not a good idea to have them in a bedroom!

We also have a hamster ball, which is a hollow, plastic ball that has a lid so you can put your hamster inside it and it can run around on the floor without escaping. Our hamster absolutely loves this! You should only let your hamster run around in the ball for about half an hour at a time, as they will need water for hydration after running around for so long.

It is recommended that you handle your hamster for around an hour a day. Our hamster quite happily sits and runs around our laps as we are watching tv, and he seems to really like it.

Hamsters love having lots of things to so they don't get bored. I have found a cheap and effective way to do this is to put the cardboard tube of a toilet roll in there. Our hamster loves hiding in them and also shredding them up.

Hamsters are very docile creatures but you have to watch if you wake them up, they can get a bit grumpy and might bite! Our hamster is very good though, he is so cautious not to bite us. Our Syrian hamster absolutely loves human contact. He will come out of his house when he hears us coming and comes right up to the bars of the cage to say hello to us! He will also eat food out of our hands and licks our fingers. He tries to get out of his cage to come and sit with us all the time, and if you open the lid of his cage and pop your hand in he will start climbing up our arms to get out for a cuddle.

Your hamster will have to be cleaned out at least once a week. This means completely changing the sawdust and washing the inside of the cage, the wheel and the hamsters house. We tend to change the bedding in our hamsters house at least twice a week. Syrian hamsters, like other hamsters, have extendable cheek pouches to store food it, so whenever we place fresh food in the cage Pickles absolutely stuffs his cheeks and then deposits it all in to his house. You have to watch out for this when you feed them fresh food as if you don't change their beddings there is a risk of the food going mouldy which could be really dangerous for your hamster.

Your hamster will also have to be given fresh water everyday. Although they don't drink much water, it is important to change it.

The food also has to be changed everyday. It is also nice to feed your hamster fresh fruit and vegetables to keep it fit and healthy, although it is not good to give them too many treats or they will start to put on weight!

It is better to keep hamsters in solitude as if they are kept with other hamsters they tend to fight (and that is not what you want - it means they will end up hurting or even killing each other and you will have to separate them)

Hamsters do require a lot of love and attention but it is so worth it! I highly recommend these as a pet. They are great to have as first pets, and are great for children (I got my first hamster at the age of 8) And on top of all that they are so cute. And if you give them lots of love, they will give you lots of love in return.

(Ammended review from Ciao)

Summary: A great pet for any age!