Buying A Hammie
Adoption
Adoption is a good way to get a Hamster. There are many homeless
hamsters desperate for the tender loving care from families.
If you would like to have a hamster as a pet, a good place to
try out is the SPCA or some of the cavy forum on the website.
Some forums are the:
Buying
Breeders
Buying
from a breeder will ensure getting robust, healthy hamsters of good
temperament. You will also get to see the parents and know the date of birth of
the hamster. Breeders regularly handle their babies and so any hamsters they
sell are used to being handled. Unfortunately the same cannot always been said
for hamsters sold in pet shops that have come from commercial breeders.
Pet Shops
Always look out for clean, tidy shop. Owners who take pride in
their shop are more likely to take pride in the hamsters they sell. Avoid an
untidy or dirty shop.
Get more information about the kind of hamsters you want to buy
from websites or breeder or forums, as more than often the species of hamsters
are labeled wrongly.
Things to
Consider When Choosing Your Hammies
Age
It is best to buy a hammy
that is of a young age, they are easier to tame and handle from such a young
age, to enable you to enjoy a longer relationship with them. But try to get
only hammies of more than a month old as that is when they are fully weaned.
Chances of pups under one month old surviving without their mother are slim. The
life span of a hamster is 2 to 3 years. But there have been cases of hamsters
living up to the age of 4 years old.
Sex
Most knowledgeable and
responsible pet shops owner will not house hamsters of different sexes and
breeds in a single cage.
You might end up getting a
pregnant hamster and having to deal with more pups than you wanted. The pet
shop assistants should also be able to distinguish the gender of the hamsters.
You might not want an unplanned litter of pups in the future by housing a male
and a female together.
Look Out For
Look at all the hamsters in
the cage and the conditions they are kept in.
They should be in good healthy
condition and not be kept in overcrowded cages
Hamsters should be of 5-6
weeks old
Look for any discharge and
debris in her ears and eyes.
Beware of any hamster that
has runny or sticky eyes, runny nose, sneezing, wet or dirty bottom, matted
fur, seems lethargic or does not have a firm body.
The fur should be soft, shiny
and even.
Keep a look out for lice and
sights of diarrhea.
Look for one that is of
bright eyed, alert and active.
Buy hamsters only from clean
pet shops.
Preparing the
Cage
To prepare the cage:
> Place a good layer of wood shavings on the floor of the
cage.
> Fill the water bottle with water and fix it to the cage at
a height that the hamster will be able to reach comfortably.
>Check by running your finger over the end of the spout that
it is delivering water. If it is not give the bottle a little squeeze, dry the
end of the spout and run your finger over it again.
>If you are using a food dish fill it with hamster food and
place this in the cage, otherwise sprinkle some on the floor of the cage.
>Place any cage accessories in suitable positions within the
cage.
>Place a handful of nesting material in the cage or inside
the hamster's "house".
>Fix the Exercise Wheel to the side of the cage or if you
have a free standing wheel place this in a suitable position in the cage.
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