Will you be my friend? (Hamsters)

Member Name: ~*pink-pilgrim*~

Product:	Hamsters
Date:	24/11/08 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cute, loving creatures - can be easy to care for.

Disadvantages: I can make alot of noise and need a lot of stimulation

I have kept many hamsters and I won't let anyone tell me that they are easy to look after, stupid or not worth the effort. Every hamster I have owned has had its own personality. No hamster has been the same, the only think that remains the same is the way we care for them.

Willow, the first hamster was vey well behaved; she never bit and was so gentle. She was very placid and kept her cage very tidy. Willow would come out each night for a cuddle and it wasn't strange for her to fall asleep in my arms. Willow was 3 and a half when she passed away.

Honey lived until she was 4 years and 6 days old, she was over 110 years in hamster years. She was so fit and active until her last night with us. The next day I returned home and she had died in her sleep. Still we knew she had a good life and was happy. We also knew that to get a new hamster straight after would be the worst thing to do so we waited 7 months before getting Princess.

Princess was mad, she escaped several times and despite our best efforts she outsmarted us every time. We placed a padlock on her cage and you've guessed it she picked the lock somehow and I returned home to find she has set up camp on my floor. One time she escaped she chewed the top off a blue pen and ended up with a blue mouth and blue paws.

Another time I awoke in the morning to find her cage open and had to phone into work 'sick' and spent over 3 hours looking for her. Luckily the cables in the room were intact and she had made a makeshift bed in the corner of the room with small pile of nuts next to her.

Although Princess caused us so much trouble we loved her very much and the night I noticed she was ill we did everything we could for her. We sat up until 2am stroking her tiny body and warming her up as she was shivering so much. As we packed some stuff to take her to the out of hours vet, she took her last breath. Now I know they do not last long so if you're likely to be effected by an untimely death its best you don't keep hamsters.

Our new hamster Tinkerbelle is rather strange. We brought her home and she stayed in her bed for a whole fortnight. She obviously left her bed to eat and drink when we were not in the room but we didn't see her at all. It has taken us several weeks to get used to her and for Tinkerbelle to learn to trust us. We now love her so much and to see her personality develop it's lovely. We are now able to take her out for cuddles and she now trusts us. Tinkerbelle loves to run around in her ball and usually uses it as a toilet.

So that's enough about my many hamsters and time for Tinkerbelle to tell you a bit about herself...




I am Tinkerbelle I am not that big really but I make a big mess. I love to stuff the sawdust and dirty bedding out of my cage. I like to keep myself clean, I am a proud hamster and like to keep my dignity. My posh name is Mesocricetus Auratus I believe that is Latin for Syrian Hamster...see I can speak another language...not just a pretty face!

Where do I start...OK so I am a shy creature and if you wander up to me don't be surprised if I jump or run away. I am not being rude but in the wild we have to defend ourselves from Birds of Prey and snakes. Once I get used to you and you get used to me I can be a frisky little Madame. I am 14 weeks old so I am just a baby, I am fairly nervous and still getting used to my surroundings.

I like to climb the bars of my home and occasionally I will chew these. You see my teeth are always growing and if I don't keep them short they may cut my ouches and this will make it difficult to eat...in fact if my pouches are poorly I won't eat and could starve. My pet helps me keep my teeth short by putting a mineral block or a wooden chew in my home; I still like to chew the bars though.

A chewy wooden block will keep me happy and my teeth healthy but there are many other things we need to keep us happy. Hamsters need lots of love, attention and care. I like my cage to be cleaned at least once a week, but it should be tidied every 2-3 days.

I also love exercise and my pet takes me out every night for a run around in my ball. In the wild we can run miles for hours and hours foraging for food so we need to keep fit. I also love coming out for cuddles and attention. I would however recommend that you supervise me with children as I don't like being treated like a toy, I do love children though.

I also need to be fed daily and I like fresh water everyday. I will not drink water that has been in my bottle for more than a day so please remember to change it. We are quite particular creatures and if it's not all right we can get upset and poorly.

Oh listen to me I sound a bit fussy don't I? - seriously though I am that bad although I can probably tell what you are thinking right now 'forget that idea of buying a hamster they are far too much trouble'. I suggest you let that thought pass out of your mind as quickly as it entered.


So I have told you a bit about me shall I tell you about my home?
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I live in a lovely two storey home; I have a bedroom, a living room, a dining room and a large garden with lots of things to play with. I even have a toilet although I prefer to use my exercise ball instead. I live on my own as I do not get along with other hamsters, we just fight.

My home is pink, oh my favorite colour it is lovely. My home has tubes which helps me feel like I am ay home in the wild. My pet hides treats and nuts around my cage so that I can forage like I do in the wild.


I have a great little wheel in my home so I can keep my weight down. Hamsters can get a bit podgy without exercise so I like to have a quick workout in my wheel now and again.

In my dining room I have a water bottle, a food bowl and some treats tied to the bars. In my playground I have a tree house, a climbing frame a hammock and a bride to climb over and under its great. My pet also bought me a flashing bowl that flashes when I touch it. I never have chance to get bored, which is great as my pet goes to bed at about 11pm and I am alone for the rest of the night.

Mt pet puts about 6cm of sawdust on the floor so that my wee wee is soaked up and so that I can bury my food. She also gives me some paper bedding to snuggle up in. I love my bed.

Do you want to know about my balls?
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OK so I am a female with balls, marvelous inventions these. I play with mine all the time...don't be so rude. My exercise ball, I have been through quite a lot of them as I ram them into the wall and often break them. I have a pink one, a glow in the dark one and a rather clever one that looks like a car and goes on a race track.

I love playing in my ball as I can see what is happening in the house. Sometimes my pets watch TV, sometimes they play games with me. I like to follow them when the whistle. Sometimes I wee or poo in my ball, I don't think my pets appreciate this but they don't get angry. I know its naughty of me but I can get excited and it just happens.

I bet you are really keen to hear about what I eat?
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I eat Harry Hamster food mix as it is lovely and gives me all the good stuff I need. It has all the vitamins and nutrients in that I should be eating. I don't like the brown things and I would be surprised to meet a hamster who does like eating these bits. The food is very good for my teeth and is endorsed by the National Hamster Council. I love the hamster mix with monkey nuts as I love cracking open the shell, not sure my pet appreciates it though.

My pet is very kind as she gives me other foods like apple, cucumber, carrot, boiled egg, tomato and my favorite...grapes! I like a bit of fresh food in my diet, as it keeps me healthy.

Would you know what to do if I was ill?
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I am a little like Tarzan swinging from bars and enjoying a bit of action, I have had a few falls but I am quite strong and can deal with it very well. I love the sympathy I get as my silly pet gets so panicky when I fall, it just means I get more apple or a big cuddle.

I have never had health problems but I know my pet has had hamsters in the past who have suffered from illnesses...

Some hamsters have had sniffles, a cold to you may be uncomfortable but to us we can get quite poorly. Did you know that if you have a cold you can easily pass it onto us.

Us hamsters do not like being too hot or too cold. If it's too cold we can go into hibernation and when it's too hot we can get heat stroke. Once when Honey got heat stroke my pet had to make her a high energy drink...NO not that Red Bull stuff you drink...she made it out of milk and honey and warmed it up. She fed it to Honey with a pipette.

These things are not so bad but we can get very poorly with other diseases and illnesses. Hamsters like me only live for 1-3 years although some can live a lot longer - Honey was 4 when she died. My pet checks me every week for some of these illnesses...

WET TAIL
Unfortunately we little hamsters can get a condition called wet tail if our homes are dirty. It makes the fluff around our bottoms sticky and wet and can cause some very nasty problems like death. It is important that you clean the cage regularly with a safe hamster disinfectant so that we cannot catch nasty illnesses like wet tail.

DIABETES
Some hamsters get diabetes. This makes us drink and wee a lot. Diabetes is not dangerous if we are looked after and kept clean. Some hamsters may need a special diet from the vet.

FLEAS AND SKIN PROBLEMS
We can also get parasites on our fur. This will make us scratch a lot. Some bugs can be treated but others can be very dangerous. My pet checks my skin and fur each week to check I am healthy. I appreciate this as those bugs don't sound very friendly.

Obviously these above illnesses are to give you an idea and are not substitute for medical advice. I mean you can't sue me if I give you the wrong advice!

So I guess you want to know how much I'm likely to cost?
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I am not expensive to keep...well not much anyway. A decent hamster cage will set you back about £15 - £20 from most pet stores. If your hamster is fussy or likes to think they are 'royalty' then a posh cage could set you back a lot more - say £40 more. If you give into them it will not be long before you are their personal chauffeur, butler and slave. I don't ask for much maybe a slice of carrot one day and a grape the next. My food is about 99p per fortnight and water varies according to your provider. Not long ago south west water broke a pipe my pet had to buy me mineral water...I don't make a habit of making demands like this!

I love my balls and they cost £3.99 each well worth it for the exercise, my wheel came with the cage...bargain hey!

My sawdust costs about £1.19 per month and bedding 99p a fortnight. I have wooden chews to keep my teeth short, these are scented and cost about £1.25 for 6 I get through these often as I like to wee on them rather than chew them.

My pet bought me a toilet from a pet store with hamster litter cost her a fortune at £3.99 as I don't use it and wee just outside or in my ball. I am sure if your hamster is less mischievous then they may use it.

The litter is £1.99 per month. Apart from that we are fairly cheap to buy I cost my pet £5.35 bargain really for all the entertainment I give her....you can't get a decent DVD for that these days!

To sum it all up a hamster is not an easy option, we do need lots of love and good quality care. We do enjoy 'us' time and tend to come out at night so if you expect to spend time with me during the day a hamster like me won't be a good idea.

I am sorry but I need my beauty sleep and I am most active at night when you like your beauty sleep. I promise I will try and be quiet but I may make noise occasionally and if this is likely to upset you I'm probably not the right friend for you. I can't guarantee that I won't chew my bars or play in my wheel during the early hours of the morning.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about me and that I have not put you off being my friend. I am lovely and can give you years of enjoyment but you need to treat me well ands understand I am not always easy to care for.

Tinkerbelle

xx

Summary: A lovely little pet, easy to look after but can be time consuming as well.