I need to know what to buy for my hamster.?

Question

I am getting a hamster, and I was wondering what kind it should be, and what I should buy for it. HELP!

Answer 1

Before you buy any pet, make sure you have a home set up for them to minimize the stress of adjusting to a new home. If you are bringing home a new hamster soon, here is a list of supplies you will need before you get your hamster.



Get a cage that is large enough, escape-proof, and easy to clean. While the modular cages with tubes are fun, they can be difficult to clean and poor on ventilation (and the tubes can be too small for some Syrian hamsters). Never underestimate the ability of a hamster to escape as they can fit through pretty small spaces and can chew through plastic walls surprisingly quickly. If you are getting a Syrian hamster, keep in mind that many cages marketed for hamsters will be on the small side. Conversely, dwarf hamsters can often squeeze through the bars of an average hamster cage. For more detail, see:





Avoid cedar and pine wood chips; aspen is a safer option. You can also use many of the newer paper or other fiber-based beddings.

Hamsters love a cozy nest for napping. However, the cotton nesting materials found a pet stores is unecessary (and can cause problems if eater or wrapped around toes). Shredded toilet paper or facial tissues are an excellent nesting material (and economical too).





Choose a good quality food for your hamster. Pelleted foods offer a good nutritional balance and for many hamsters are a better option than loose food mixes. With a loose mix (seeds and other items), your hamster might pick out what they like and leave what they don't, which could result in a dietary imbalance. A pelleted mix can be supplemented with a variety of other items though. More on feeding hamsters:





Food Dishes



A shallow, small, but heavy bowl is ideal -- anything that won't be easily tipped. A small ceramic or porcelain crock is ideal, as it is sturdy and won't be chewed up.



Water Bottle



A hanging bottle with a stainless stell spout and ball is the most commonly used water container for hamsters. A bowl is too likely to be spilled, dirtied or filled with bedding.



Exercise Wheel



Hamsters love to run, and need the exercise. Do not largest, best quality wheel you can. It should have a solid surface for running and ideally no cross supports (that might catch a leg or neck), so look for one that mounts on the side of the cage. Make sure the wheel is quiet as well, since hamsters run at night (especially if your hamster will be in your room).





Your hamster will appreciate a private getaway for sleeping. It can be as simple as a small cardboard box (will have to be replaced often, but economical), a plastic hide box (may be chewed up), a wooden box (may be chewed or get soiled and smelly), or other things like a half coconut shell, or a small clay plant pot.



In addition to a wheel, you hamster should have a variety of things to chew on and climb on.



I hope this helped!! <3

Answer 2

I would sugest a Syrian hamster, aka teddy bear hamster. they are very friendly and like to be held. They are friendlier than dwarf hamsters, too.



How to tame:

1.) Hold your hamster for about 5 minutes, the next day, 10, then 15, etc.

2.) When your hamster is in your hands, pet him, talk in whispers, or give him a treat.



Taming is how you can get your hamster to not bite your hands and to be your pal. Some hamsters may bite if your hands smell like food or lotion.



My basic tips:



Cage Cleaning:

- To clean a cage, you need to put your hamster in a safe separate cage or bucket, away from any other pets.

(Here is a pen: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10431+17948&pcatid=17948)

- Remove all bedding from the bottom of the cage.

- Clean out the bottom of the cage with dishwasher soap and water.

- Put in new, clean bedding into the cage. (Aspen bedding is recommended) Make sure there is at least 3 inches.



Food and Water:

Your hamster should have a hanging water bottle, such as this one:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21311

You should change the water every day or every other day.



Your hamster should have a Food Dish, such as this one:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19823&rel=1

Your hamster should have food in his dish at all times, changed weekly. Fiesta™ and Kaytee™ brand foods are recommended.



Do not feed your hamster:

- Rhubarb

- Onions

- Citrus Fruits

- Iceberg Lettuce

- Acid foods



Never feed your hamster too many fruits or veggies, because it will cause Wet Tail Disease. Wet Tail is also caused by poor living conditions.



Cages:

Your cage should have at least 2 stories, like this one:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+11280+21365&pcatid=21365



Bathing:

It is never good to wash your hamster in water, due to stress levels. Giving your pet a dust bath with Chinchilla sand is good to do once a week.

You can hold the Dust Bath in a ceramic Pot:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10447+11190&pcatid=11190



Chew Toys:

Hamsters are part of the rodent family, so they have rapidly growing incisors (front teeth). They need something to chew on so they can wear their teeth down (otherwise, they'll grow too long and cause health issues later on) Never put hot sauce on the cage bars.





If you need anymore information, please contact me via e-mail!

Answer 3

Your getting a hamster thats a great choice for a pet!!! The best type of hamster to get is a Syrian Hamster because they are bigger, so they are easier to handle.

First, you will need a cage. You can use a 10 gallon aquarium, a storage bin (dont put a top on neither the bin or aqarium!) You can also buy a plastic or wire cage sold at petstores. Plastic cages are cool because you can extend them with tubes, this can get very expensive and the tubes can be very hard to take apart, clean, and put back together. Alsp, If you choose a syrian hamster they can get stuck in the tubes. Wire cages are cool because they double as a jungle gym for your hamster because they can climb on the cage.



Next is food. A hamster mix bought at your local petstore or supermarket is always a great choice. Hamster also like/need fresh food and vegtables. Some fresh foods they can have are carrots- these can be given to them about every other day. They can also have blueberries, apples, and bananas. These should be given once in a while in small amount. They can also have

other fruits and veggies always research before giving any fresh fruits or veggies to your hamsters.

SOME foods to ADVOID- almonds, chcolate, celery,lettuce Always research before giving your hamster anything that is not specially made for hamsters. You can also buy hamster treats at your local pet store. Fresh, clean water should be available to your hamster at all times. Use an upside-down bottle with a drip tube, and change it every day. If your hamster ever looks like he's literally stuffing his face, don't freak. This is perfectly normal! Hamsters love to carry food in their cheeks, which are actually big, roomy pouches. Then they store it in the corners of their cage for a late-night snack. Just make sure to remove any stale food when cleaning the cage. Also buy chew sticks so your hamster A hamster's teeth grow continuously, so your pet will need to chew—a lot—to keep his teeth sharp and to wear them down as they grow.

Now comes the fun part—decorating your new pet's home. You don't have to break out the miniature coffee table or chintz curtains, but there are some things you can do to make your hamster's home his castle.



Fill the bottom of the cage with bedding so your pet can engage in the all-time favorite hamster sports of digging and tunneling. Use aspen or hardwood shavings, or recycled paper pellets available at pet supply stores. DO NOT use cedar or pine shavings, because they can make your hamster sick.



All hamsters need a cave for sleeping and resting. You can use a small flower pot or a wooden box with an entrance hole—or buy one from a pet supply store.



Don't throw away those empty cardboard tubes from paper towels and toilet paper. They make great hamster tunnels.



Your hamster will need his own personal gym, of course—an exercise wheel! Hamsters love to run. In the wild they travel as much as five miles a night in search of food.



Hamsters are big on being comfy, so always provide small pieces of paper towel for your pet to shred and make a nest with.



Remember, you've got a new job as a hamster housekeeper now, so you'll need to clean his cage weekly. Remove and replace the bedding, scrub the bottom of the cage with hot, soapy water, and throw out any leftover, stale food your pet has stored.

Answer 4

Have you gotten the cage? There are several types I prefer wire types though the tanks are nice too. I dont like the plastic ones they are much harder to clean, have poor air circulation, and some hamsters will chew threw them. My friends got Russian Dwarfs which are very cute however they had 2 out of 5 die from tumors I dont know whether thats common of the breed or not. I always went with which ever one I liked at the store lol.

Answer 5

OK, before you buy the hamster get a book and read it from page to page so you know how to look after it and give it the best life you can.



secondly you need:



cage - you need to get a good size, unfortuantly alot of pet shops sell cages for hamsters that really aren't big enough or give enough air circulation. my advice would be something like this: http://www.thepet-shoponline.co.uk/savic-hamster-heaven-metro-2395-p.asp

This is the cage I got - I got it a lot cheaper than that (£40) so look around but this is perfect, easy to clean, heaps of floor space, plenty of levels, plenty of air circulation.



Bedding: get something like this: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/medium-recycled-paper-small-pet-bedding-by-pets-at-home-16097

Do not use cotton wool or anything the hamster can catch it's limbs in.



Something to cover the bottom of the cage in, this could be woodshavings, recycled paper.



Food - it's main food (I used Harry hamster) and you need treats. - treats can be shop bought (choc drops, yogart drops,etc, other treats from the home, tomato, apple, raspberries, strawberries, pear, cucumber, lettace, bread, toast, grapes etc etc - treats are not to be given too much- I used to give my hamster one yogurt or one chocolate drop a day and a piece of apple or something about 3 times a week)



Toys - These are important to keep the hammy entertained, something to climb on is good, things to run through - this doesn't have to be expensive - I bought my hamster a climbing frame but her other toys were from the home, she loved the inside of toilet rolls, she could run through them, chew them etc.



Wood chews - these are very important - a hamsters teeth grow all the time so they must have something to help grind there teeth down.



wheel (usually you get on in the cage but if the one in the cage has gaps DON'T use it) use one like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002RBAAOG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001PO5UJG&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=09WZGPEVKVDNCFPP2328

Also make sure you can fix it to the side of the cage, DON'T have it free standing, if it's free standing and it fell over it could trap and/or hurt or hamster.



As for type I would suggest a Syrian hamster (some people call them teddy bear hamsters) you can only have one to a cage, they are the biggest species and the best for first time hamster owners.

They generally love being handled - though obviously you can get the occassional one who hates being handled.



If you want to ask any questions please email me.

Answer 6

just about any puppy shop will sell hamsters, they seem to be a particularly commonplace puppy. I had a great variety of them transforming into up. i might in simple terms initiate with one, till you propose on breeding them, then possibly you will get 2. the two way nonetheless they could stay on my own. determine you do your learn and be conscious of what you're stepping into. Hamsters are nocturnal and would save you up working on a wheel once you are trying to sleep, additionally they poop plenty and can be form of messy. you will could clean their cages often, in case you do no longer it would not take plenty to stink up a room. even nonetheless in case you're waiting and brought about they'd be relaxing, they are clever, and function a tendency to be tame, and relaxing. Which ever way you bypass, stable success.

Answer 7

Chinese dwarf hamster is cute

get some toys

a cage

water bottle

a running wheel

food tray

hope i helped

P.S.DONT GET IT FROM PETCO BUY IT FROM PETSMART

Answer 8

A Dwarf hammy is good and you need a cage,wheel or ball,water bottle,food and food bowl,bedding,toys,hiding house.optional-mineral wheel,dust bath,treats etc

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 9

ok you need :-

-a cage

-food bowl

-water bottle

-hamster food

- a wheel (to keep it occupied/exercise)

- sawdust

-a hut/bed

-bedding