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Original poster

hamsters

31 replies

PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 31/01/2009 10:55

My Daughter (aged 10)would really like to get a hamster.

I know that you can get them in pets shops but I don't really feel happy about buying from a pet shop as you never know the pets history etc.

Am i being silly?

Where else do you get them from as I have only ever seen them in pet shops.

OP posts:
LoveMyLapTop · 31/01/2009 10:55

I got mine from Pets at Home he is 18 months old and doing well, no health problems

blondehelen · 31/01/2009 11:05

our first hamster was from pets at home and lived to the grand old age of 3.5 and we now have 2 dwarf hamsters from Pets at Home that are both healthy and over a year old. I was also told that they are better telling boy and girl hamsters apart. (rather important cos we needed 2 boys)

bella29 · 31/01/2009 11:19

I have always got mine from pet shops & they have been fine

morethanyoubargainfor · 31/01/2009 11:35

you could always try rescue centers, as they are often over run with rodents. I have had ones from pet shops and one from rescue centre, niether had any real health problems.

Evenstar · 31/01/2009 11:41

My son has a rescue hamster from Pets at Home our local one runs an adoption centre, she is gorgeous and I have never had any problems buying from pet stores either.

GrinnyPig · 31/01/2009 11:43

We bought our hamster from Pets at Home. She's 16 months old now - no problems. They offer a free health check with a local vet within a week of purchase, so if there is anything obvious wrong they will tell you. I know PAH have been slated on this site, but the staff at our local one always seem knowledgeable about pets and have offered us good advice - we bought Guinea pigs there too.

Original poster
PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 31/01/2009 11:46

thank you all for your messages

It looks like it will be a trip to pets at home for us then!

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 31/01/2009 12:40

most of mine came from a friend who breeds hammies, and one was a pedigree - has his own birth certificate and his greatx8 grandfather won a show

but if she didnt have any - we only like short haired golden males then pets at home or garden centres we then use

get the hamster out in the shop, see if they squeal, bite etc

HHH or happy hamster hunting

LoveMyLapTop · 31/01/2009 23:04

Oh no! Our hamster just died. I cursed it by writing on this thread.

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/02/2009 00:05

oh no

how old was he?

LoveMyLapTop · 01/02/2009 09:03

18 months, we prob didnt look after him as well as we should have.
not looking forward to teling the boys, they slept over their nan's last night.

Hassled · 01/02/2009 09:07

Can I ask if you need to get 2 hamsters - i.e. do they need company, or is 1 OK? Also - do any of you with hamsters also have cats? How does that work?

Hassled · 01/02/2009 09:07

And sorry - LMLT - sorry about your hamster. Hope the DCs are OK.

LoveMyLapTop · 01/02/2009 09:22

Hamsters are better alone
If you have two they will fight
The really small ones can share - can't rmember wht they are called

Hassled · 01/02/2009 09:24

Phew - and thanks.

troutpout · 01/02/2009 09:25

No...they are solitary creatures.You only need to get one..
If you want to get a pair of small rodents, (ie one each for children) then you need gerbils.
Hamsters are lovely. Get the nosiest,liveliest, cheekiest one in the shop..the one trying to get out onto hands. i have always done this and have always had non-biting, child-friendly ones. Also make sure you handle it every day.

morethanyoubargainfor · 01/02/2009 09:27

We have our hammie with dogs and cats, it is fine. The hammie lives in the playroom. The cat hasn't noticed him yet,(we have only had him for 6 months
the hammie and the dog love each other! he sticks his nose uo to the cage and the hammie caomes to where he is and squeaks at him! they will spend ages doing this. The hammie is about the size of one of the dogs nostrils!

eNABlemetobebetter · 01/02/2009 09:37

We have had some from PAH and some from a garden centre. All fine.

We got two boy dwarf hamsters and they lived happily together for a year then started fighting so I would urge caution.

Sorry for your loss LMLT.

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/02/2009 14:46

hammies will fight to death, so def dont have together unless russian small ones, but these dont seem socaible

eNABlemetobebetter · 01/02/2009 14:56

It was our russian dwarf hamsters that were fighting.

eNABlemetobebetter · 01/02/2009 16:40

We have just lost one of our hamsters too, LMLT.

bella29 · 01/02/2009 16:44

Really sorry about the 2 little furries

Bit scared to go look at mine now - he's getting old (2.5 years) so it's always a bit nerve wracking if he's slow to wake up when I feed him.

LoveMyLapTop · 01/02/2009 20:03

Oh No NAB
we had a funeral and I have printed a big photo of poor Shrek for the boys to have on their wall.

eNABlemetobebetter · 01/02/2009 20:45

I feel crap as he died because of the present I bought him.

Brought him home and DH has buried him in the garden. DS1 thought it was special he died when we had snow.

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/02/2009 21:03

what did you buy the hammy?

sure it had nothing to do with his death

hammies dont live for long

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