Where to buy small pets?

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I have decided to buy a small pet for my son for Christmas since he loves animals and is now 8 1/2 and happy to look after it (with my supervision).

I think I will probably get him a syrian hamster, despite reading on here that they are nocturnal, since he would like a hamster so it's probably best to go with something he feels most interested in. I have also considered a guinea pig since my friend's child has one and he really enjoyed helping her to groom it.

Either way, I have also gleaned from here that Pets at Home (where I was intending to buy one + cage) is NOT the place to get one (nor cage).

So my question is: where should I get one from?

Firstly, don’t get one guinea pig - they have to have company of their own kind and they also need loads more space and attention than you’d think. Daily cleaning out etc as they are poop machines. Also they can live for 8-9 years and children often do lose interest in pets (that’s one of the reasons there’s so many in rescues).

Do your research - check out the RSPCA website, they have petcare advice as do the Blue Cross and PDSA. There’ll also be websites dedicated to hamsters with lots of knowledgeable people on there, giving great advice. They will also be able to point you in the direction of breeders and advise of cage dimensions.

We live in the East Midlands and buy our hamsters from a pet section in a garden centre. We, also, bought our Guineas from there too.

They are handled before you buy them so are already on the way to being tame. They know when they are born and are very strict about them having a period of time with them to make sure they seem fit and well before they are allowed home.

Small independent pet shops are a good place to look too.

When you buy a cage it needs to be much bigger than those sold in Pets at Home and most wheels that come with them are too small for Syrian hamsters and will damage their backs so you need to change it for a bigger one.

There are so many animal rescue centres that have pets that are desperate for a loving home. Whereabouts in the country are you? Please consider getting a piggy from a centre before buying from a shop and yes, they do like company so two would be nice.

Thanks everyone. retirednow We're in West Yorkshire.

I would look into either rescues or finding a decent breeder.

The Northern Hamster Club have a list of breeders, some of whom are in West Yorkshire. They've also got a FB page you could use to contact them and ask for recommendations.

Thank you Cornflake. Just fired off an email to my closest one but no-one on there in my area seems to be breeding at the moment.

Also looked at RSCPA but there aren't any hamsters to rehome in my area. Nearest is 70 miles away!

I am drawing a blank….

Hi.have found some links which might be helpful. CampNibble in Leeds and Saveafluff which has links to rabbit rehoming but scroll through and they have piggies and hamsters but the site is useless so you'd have to google each one individually.

Thank you retirednow - will have a look now x

Ah fab - I have found near me on the saveafluff site (I couldn't find anything about rehoming on CampNibble - maybe just me being dim) and they seem to be perfect. Having a trawl through, it looks as though if there isn't anything right now there very well could be something very soon as they seem to get lots of interesting little balls of fluffy cuteness!

Getting excited now, having started to lose hope!

Thanks again all. X

All the best with finding your pet, I looked at CampNibble, it does say that from time to time they have small animals looking for rehoming but its not very clear.

By the way, a cat is loads easier to look after than a guinea pig or hamster. We had this dilemma and went with a kitten. Total madness for a few months but now no work whatsoever , no smell, no cleaning out. Oh and loads more fun

Hi again,

I have found a rescue hamster and am now online buying what it will need. I have the Alaska cage from zoo plus in my basket. What else do I need to order in the way of hamster care? I am assuming some sort of bedding and food?

Soft small animal bedding, food and bowl, water bottle, little house it can house in, cage cleaning liquid. Welcome to the world of pets, where did you get out from. Pic please.

It's coming from the RSPCA. Yet to collect but reserved. Excited! Thank you :)