Hamster for DS - where to start?!

[ronconcoke]

Hello MN small furries experts!

DS has been asking for a hamster for months so I promised he could have one for his 8th birthday (next month). Now starting to do some research into where to get one from, what type, what kind of cage they need etc.....

We have a Pets at Home in our town but I've not read good things about them online, although a friend of DS' had a Syrian hamster from there and they were happy with it. I don't know of any local pet shops. I've been looking at some ads for Syrians on preloved.co.uk but am now thinking maybe of a rescue hamster? There are some dwarf Russian ones at a re-homing centre not a million miles away but I'm not sure how suitable they are for young children (we have a 2-year-old DD as well, although she would have limited contact with it, especially to start). It's really hard to know where the best place to look for them is. I obviously want one that's healthy and used to being handled.

Also - cages - have seen some second hand ones on Facebook (Ferplast/Rosewood etc), do they need tubes as well as a wheel? We had gerbils when I was little, who just had a wheel, so hamsters are a bit of an unknown quantity to me! Is there a different size requirement for Russian Dwarves vs Syrians?

Any advice/words of wisdom would be much appreciated, TIA!

[Orangesandlemons82]

Would really steer clear of dwarf russian hamsters. Have always found them difficult to handle and quite bitey. If you are dead set on a hamster get a Syrian one.

[NothingOnTellyAgain]

I had a hamster when young and it was a pretty rubbish pet, havve since learned that they are solitary fairly aggressive animals and that they dislike being handled and it really stressed them out.

I've heard rats make excellent pets though.

Sorry that's not much help!

[Puddelchen]

Definitely rats are better, intelligent and rarely bite.

[CherryChatsworth]

Don't get a Russian. They're very nippy. A Syrian is ok if handled early on.

They're not very exciting though! We had lots when my kids were younger and they soon get bored of them.

Couldn't talk you into a cat? Absolutely no bother at all once you're past kitten hood and interesting for your son

I appreciate this is non asked for advice though!

[Aprilshowersinaugust]

Hamsters sleep during the day.
And bite.
Rats are fab pets!!

[ronconcoke]

Oh no! Not sure DS would feel the same way about a rat....

[ronconcoke]

I would love a cat but even trying to persuade DH to get a hamster has been a big deal so I may need a few more years to work on that one!

But ok, will avoid the Russians and look for Syrians.

[SummerGems]

i always wonder why people come on to these threads and start recommending rats when op has asked about hamsters.
op, ime hamsters are not great pets for young children but neither are rats because of the sheer amount of space they need.

[bunnygeek]

100% Syrian as others have said, not a Russian/Dwarf.

Do check your local rescues, RSPCA, Blue Cross and Wood Green all often have hammies in - as unwanted pets or accidental litters or breeders giving up.

You could also see if there are any reputable breeders near you, ones who actually care about the health of their animals which pet shop hammies do not come from. PAH in particular use huge rodent farms for their small furries - which is why theirs often have tragically short lifespans. You could try here:
hamsters-uk.org/joomla30/index.php/nhc-info/finding-breeders

[ronconcoke]

Thanks bunny that's helpful!

[JustBeReasonable]

Please bear in mind hamsters need much, much bigger cages than people used to believe- pets at home don't actually sell anything suitable in store, which they've had hundreds of complaints for (and petitions, e.g. www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/659/811/059/make-pets-at-home-sell-appropriately-sized-cages/).

For a syrian, you'd be looking at 80x50cm minimum. You can actually buy suitable cages online for cheaper than the tiny cages in P@H that should only be used for travel...

More info:
www.woodgreen.org.uk/pet_advice/557_hamster_accommodation
www.hamstercentral.com/community/housing/24124-guide-buying-cage.html

I've used this cage in the past, adapted with levels, and it was pretty good- was about £30 on amazon www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302477419229

I personally prefer homemade conversions from furniture though so have done that now

(Also bear in mind that an adult will need a wheel 11 inches in diameter- yet another thing pet shops conveniently forget to mention, because they don't want to ruin the fantasy that hamsters are cheap and easy pets that don't take up any room... www.hamstercentral.com/community/housing/62727-guide-suitable-hamster-wheels.html)

[JustBeReasonable]

For a dwarf you can go a little smaller, though of course the bigger the better so I wouldn't if possible. Bar spacing is obviously something you have to be more careful of with them though. Conversions like this are becoming more and more common and are super easy to DIY www.gumtree.com/p/pet-equipment-accessories/hamster-cage-large-custom-ikea-detolf-cage-great-condition-lots-of-hamster-accs-included/1150381371

[BlackInk]

We have a Syrian hamster and absolutely love him - I'm far more fond of him than I ever thought possible.

He was bought from PAH as a 5th birthday present for my animal-mad daughter and it's worked out brilliantly. He's been well handled from day 1 and has never bitten. He's quite happy to be woken in the daytime, and pops out of his nest regularly to beg for snacks. DD adores him, showers him with kisses, cuddles and affection daily.

I was advised to choose a male Syrian as they tend to be friendlier. In this situation I wouldn't opt for a rescue as hamsters have a fairly short life span and as a PP has said they need to be handled well from an early age - and there's no guarantee of this with a rescue.

Only complaints are that his cage gets a bit whiffy and he keeps me awake running in his wheel if I ever go to sleep on the sofa to escape DP's snoring!

[Tumbleweed101]

We just got a Syrian from pets at home. Had planned to go to a breeder but they were all a fair drive away. The one we got was from a new batch of 7/8 week old ones. As soon as the staff member got it out you could tell it was calm and friendly compared to some of the others we’d seen. A week on and we all adore her. She’s friendly, happy to climb on hands for a lift else where. We are able to let her loose in a (safe) room because she’s quite happy to keep coming back out and over to us which means she gets lots of exercise and exploration in the evenings. We do need to get a bigger cage - we got the biggest we could at the time but she’s too active for it so we’re looking at doing a DIY project. The kids love watching her find treats and fill up her pouches to take back to the cage.

I do think hamsters can be a bit of a gamble all that said. I had a nasty one as a teenager which put me off for years but this baby has been lovely so far.

[QueenofLouisiana]

We have a lovely Syrian hamster, DS gets her out to play in a ball pit every night so she can gets lots of exercise. We all enjoy watching her. She knocks on her cage door if she wants to come out and responds to known voices.
Facebook has s great group called Hamsters UK where you’ll find lots of information and advice. For example, I learned that hamsters are omnivores and like egg and chicken. I’d assumed they were vegetarian.

[DarklyDreamingDexter]

I just wanted to put in a good word for Dwarf Russian hamsters! Like other pets (and humans!) you get ones with different personalities. I still miss our late, lamented little guy who had the sweetest personality and used climb onto my hand and wait to be lifted up and cuddled!

[Nat6999]

We've had Syrian hamsters since DS was 6, loved all of them some have been more social than others. My favourite was Harry or Houdini as he was better known, he used to let himself out of his cage & wander round the house, however he got down off the sideboard without breaking his neck I'll never know. He would wander off & then we would find him upstairs in the bedrooms. I once timed him getting upstairs, he could do it faster than I could. All our hamsters have known when it was home time from school & have been waiting to come out to play, I just wish they could live longer, the longest our have lived is 3 years.

[houseofrabbits]

Absolutely steer clear of Pets At Home. Their breeding is horrendous and they don't sell any suitable cages for any small pets. Go to a rescue or a breeder. I would opt for a Syrian. Suitable cages include the Alaska, Barney and Ferplast Duna Maxi Multi. All can be found on either Amazon or Zooplus.