Friday, November 16, 2007

Hamster Advice?



OK, so I am thinking my 10 yr. old daughter will finally get the Hamster she has been wanting for the last 5 years - for Christmas. I am not a big rodent person myself. I had hamsters when I was a kid, and I'm over it. But she is a HUGE animal lover, and I think she's old enough to clean up after it herself.

When I was at the pet store the other day, there were many different types of hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc. Any suggestions on what to get? I thought the black/brown hamsters were cute, but they cost more. I need something gentle (the 6 yr. old will want to hold too), low maintence, etc. Any cage suggestions? Big, small, medium, toys, etc. . . . .

I do know - no stairs. I had a hamster who would take his food out of his bowl, put it under the stairs, and eat it while under the stairs. Well, he ended up one day, getting too fat to get out from under the stairs (we were away for the weekend), and died under the stairs.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A stuffed one would be no maintenance....I am no help but I do know that hampsters don't last too long. How about a bunny?

Carrie said...

In regards to cages, it was recommended to me not to get the ones with the tunnels, to difficult to clean. We had an aquarium with a wheel (at least until she used it to try and get out) and an igloo hut thing, again until she started using it to attempt to get out. Hope that helps.

Shawna said...

I've never had anything in a cage, so I have no idea. Sounds like your daughter would love it though!

Shawna said...

Hi, Vail! Sorry I have no hamster advice for you at all.

Thought I'd drop you a line to say hello. I'll be reviewing books, too.

I just saw your movie reviews. I can't wait to come back & check them out when I have more time.

Have a great weekend!

Smoochiefrog said...

Teddy Bear Hamsters are pretty good ones. They're what I had when I was a kid.

If you have one, a small cage would suffice. A wheel is a must. I personally LOVE the tunnels. They come apart pretty easily for cleaning.

Good luck!

Alexia said...

We only like Teddy Bear hamsters in this house! We also found that an aquarium with a mesh lid worked just fine! We did have an escaping hamster, but an encyclopedia on the lid ended that problem :)

As for accessories: A wheel is a must, tunnels or a place for the hamster to hid is nice (I personally like the tunnels) also some nice "chew toys"...they sell like wood sticks and such...our hamsters really liked them!