I appear to have adopted a hamster from P@H, how likely is it to die

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I say this only because most threads say that they've got a hamster from p@h and they have died soon.

This little girl was being handed into the store when we were there (buying lots of treats for our spoilt gerbils) it was a mother handing over the hamster saying that she'd got it for her DD a couple of weeks ago but her DD isn't ready after all so she's giving it back.

My DS (10) struck up a conversation with the vet checking it over and the old owners and now I somehow find myself bringing the little creature home.
She has a cage 3 times the size of the recommended one, she's a 4 month old Syrian called Buttons, she looks bright and healthy and has been having a good old explore of the cage.

I've not had a hamster since I was a child, anything I need to know?

You've done the right thing by the sound of it and I'm sure she'll make a lovely pet. She seems healthy by your description of her appearance and actions. Do check she's never wet around the tail as that would indicate a serious illness (quite rare IME). I don't know if you remember but hamsters can catch colds from humans and Syrian hamsters must always live alone.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to advise! I've kept many Syrian hamsters over the years because they're so easy to tame and look after. Is Buttons tame? If not, expect taming to take a bit longer because she's older.

HTH. I'm happy to answer any questions if there are any in particular?

I adopted a Syrian hamster from P@H last year... August I think? She was called Mary but we soon realised she was in fact a he and he was renamed Mario...
He's still going strong despite my cats best efforts, they are obsessed with him. They were interested in my gerbils but not like this! P@H told me he was very aggressive and vicious but he really is fine... Hamsters have terrible eyesight so can't see you unless you are directly in their line of vision. He's had a nibble on my finger but no proper biting... he will jump if I put my hand in his cage too quickly so I'm careful to prepare him!
I'm very fond of him!

She's tame as in she's happy to sit still while I gently pick her up and she'll scamper around the area
we're in without bother, she is happy to run around in the outer tube of the cage past 2 yr old DS grinning like a loon.

Hopefully she's sticking around, she's a dear little thing
Thanks for your help.

We had a Pets at Home hamster it lasted 4 and a half years!!! It was also evil, he was just a baby when we got him and we tried and tried to turn him friendly he was having none of it, he was white and quite fluffy no idea what type he was he had huge nuts

I adopted a teeny russian dwarf hamster from P@h and it lived for 2 and half years which is about right, I think.

I bought a beautiful little hamster for my DS from P@H last year. They couldn't tell me how old he was, but I used to breed Syrians and he looked to be around 3 months old. He had a lovely neat coat, bright eyes and was active and alert.

Sadly he died 3 months later, due to a tumour in his stomach - quite unusual in such a young animal. P@H are notorious for buying in badly bred stock that die young (often of various cancers), but of course there's no way of knowing this was the case.

I hope your new little hamster lives well into pensionerhood and brings you all lots of joy, they're such lovely animals. It's always so nice when the unwanted ones find a new home

We've had 3 p@h hamsters, each one has lived at least 3 years the last one, Badger, was nearly 4! My 11 year old got one of his very own last Tuesday, so far seems pretty chilled and sociable.

Congratulations! We adore our black and white female Syrian from P@H. She's healthy and nearly 2.

They are nocturnal, so best not to disturb them until at least late afternoon.

We feed ours fresh food in addition to her P@H hamster muesli but never more than a teaspoon or so a day as she stores it in her bed - favourites include chopped grapes, cucumber, apple, carrot and cheese. They can have wee bits of hard cooked egg and even a little cooked meat every now and again.

Ours like to have some free time in the bath since we have cats, and we put in toys like empty kitchen roll tubes, shoe boxes with holes cut out for her to go in and out and treats hidden under pieces of loo roll.

We give her a dish of chinchilla sand to use to bathe herself, and she has plenty of gnaw sticks.

As ours ages her claws can get long so I put in a nice rock that I cleaned with just normal soap and water.

DH and I often take her out and play with her again around 10 after the kids go to bed as she is wide awake then.

Oh, she also loves wholemeal digestives and toast and unbuttered popped corn.

Not a hamster....but we've just said goodbye to our P&H rescue guinea pig who died recently aged 8

I've found P@H okay, to be honest. Our first hamster from there developed a tumour 4 weeks after we got it. They covered the cost of 2 vet visits, X-rays and euthanasia (sad but necessary). They let 9 yr old dd choose a free replacement. This second Syrian has been fine. They've always been very helpful. Btw, we were told not to let them bathe in chinchilla sand as the particles could affect their lungs/respiratory systems, nor give them grapes as the pips were poisonous to them (I have no idea if this is correct or not though).