How to decontaminate a peanut fed hamster

[Hopingtobeahamstersgran]

I've name changed for this because it is a very specific issue.
DS would love a hamster. The big problem is he is allergic to peanuts
We've visited the vet and the pet shop and worked out a peanut free diet that will keep the hamster well and healthy so once its here it'll be great. However, when we went to the pet shop to pick one we realised they were fed with peanut containing food. As we watched the lovely hamsters wandering about we also realised they will be completely covered in peanut and it'll be in their poo.

I don't want to wash the poor thing as I think that will be too stressful for it.
I then thought we could board it out with someone else's family for a couple of weeks until the peanut had been poo'd/groomed out but again I think moving house twice might be a bit stressful.

DS loses out on so much due to his damn allergies but we absolutely can't do this if the hamster's wellbeing is going to suffer. Does any one have any ideas on how we can get round this?

Just don’t let ds handle it for a week or so.

Is his allergy so severe that if (say) another family member dealt with the hamster for a couple of weeks and it was in a room which DS didn't enter that your DS would still be at risk? The peanut traces must be minuscule, but I appreciate that even that may be too high a risk in some cases.

Would the pet shop be willing to use nut- free food for the hamsters in that cage for a couple of weeks?

This is a tricky one. Hamsters don’t have to come from pet shops. Maybe contact a breeder and reserve a hamster a few weeks in advance and request that the hamster be fed a peanut free diet before it comes to you. I’m not sure if they would do this but it might be worth a try.

Keep the hamster away from DS for a week and give the hamster a sand bath to roll in a couple of times during that week. Clean the cage out thoroughly and change the sand a couple of times too during that week.

I can't imagine much in the way of peanut particles would stick around after that.

Thanks for the replies.
He took a minor reaction in the shop but the animals had just.been fed and cleaned out and the trolly with the food and the waste was right beside him in a pretty confined space.
I'm actually not sure how severe his allergy is as although he's 9 he's not had a lot of exposure. I could keep the hamster away from DS for the first few days. Its going to be DS's hamster though so would introducing an other new main person after it had settled in be harmful for the hamster? The plan is for it to live in or close to DS's room, would moving it again be okay for it?

These are great ideas, they sound a lot more gentle for the hamster and I think we might be able to go ahead.
He's such a lovely, conscientious, little lad. He's done loads of reading about how to look after it and he's really excited - it was pretty crushing to think he was going to lose out again. Thanks so much for your help.

You can't get hamsters wet, they suffer shock very easily

Like gremlins

Get a pair of rats instead , they make much better pets and the diet is not peanut based .

Maybe contact a breeder and reserve a hamster a few weeks in advance and request that the hamster be fed a peanut free diet before it comes to you. I’m not sure if they would do this but it might be worth a try.

Try a rescue (rather than a breeder), eg, here's one in Greater Manchester:
https://www.tinypawsmcr.org.uk/

Hamsters are bitey little fuckers, especially if they're not used to being handled, definitely try to get one from a breeder rather than a pet shop. Try to start getting it used to human contact as early as possible, doesn't matter if it's not DS doing the initial work, just any gentle human contact, little and often will be beneficial.

The hamster's immediate world is the cage it's in, after the move from pet shop to your home it probably won't be too bothered about going from one room in a house to another in its cage, as long as light/ noise/ temperature/ are fairly consistent.

Rats make much better pets in my experience, far easier to handle and seem to enjoy human attention far more than hamsters.

Yes Ai wouldn't get a hamster at all. They hate people and are nocturnal!!

Unless DS has a huge bedroom, a hamster cage isn’t going to fit in it. They need a much bigger cage than anything you can buy at Pets at Home, and ideally not a cage at all Google IKEA Deltof hamster cages and you’ll see some good ideas which will also show the amount of space they need to be happy.

Obviously they are also nocturnal, so they’re noisy at night and not good pets to have in bedrooms for that reason.

I would agree that rats are much better pets, having had all the small furries over the years. They genuinely love interacting with people and having cuddles in a way that hamsters don’t. You have to keep them in pairs or groups, and again they need a much bigger cage than you would think - there are some good FB groups with ideas. But you get much better interactions with them than you do with a hamster and they have the advantage of being active during the day, too.

Whatever you get, don’t buy from a pet shop. Their animals come from big rodent farms where they breed thousands of animals and keep them in little plastic tanks with no interaction at all, so they’re not socialised. You’ll get much healthier and sociable pets from a local breeder who will also give you much better advice about their care.

As the poster above has said, please don't buy from a Pet Shop. Many of them source animals from Rodent Mills. Google Rodent Mills before deciding where to get a Hsmster from, as you will at least be aware of the cruel practice you would be funding, which most people don't realise.

Go to your local rescue. They will give you the correct advice which most pet shops do not. The minimum cage size for a Hamster is 100x50, but bigger ie an Ikea Detolf is better.

This is a brilliant resource for Hamster welfare and information.

https://www.hamsterwelfare.com/

I don't know anything about hamsters I'm afraid, but I just wanted to jump in and suggest Pets4homes for breeders, and a lot appear reputable.

You could also approach a rescue? I'm sure some would be willing to help with a specific diet. Especially if okayed by a vet.

A hamster will have no idea that it is being moved. Its only awareness will be its cage. It certainly won’t be aware if different people feeding it. It isn’t going to get stressed by being with someone else first.

but a hamster is a rubbish pet. I had them as a child and although we had quite a big house I would still be kept awake at night by the sound of the hamster downstairs gnawing away at the cage bars at night or running on its wheel.

Another shout out for rats. Hamsters don't make great pets, rats are more social, less space required and care is simpler.

I’ve loved all my hamsters!
had a Syrian called Shelia! She lived until she was just over 4, used to sit on my lap to watch tv, or sit in the pocket in my hoodie whilst I was pottering about, her favourite place was my shoulder whilst I was making dinner or a cup of tea! She liked climbing up the curtains and whizzing down! i was devastated when she died.
i won’t ever get another now but when i first got my hamsters, I’d leave them alone in their cage to get settle for a couple of days, then used to sit in an empty bath tub and let them run over me, to get used to my voice and smell, would give little treats whilst in there. Defo need a nice big cage, honestly the ones i had were probably to small for them which I’ve only learned after, but shelia in particular didn’t spend an awful lot of time in there anyway!

Third shout out for rats! You can make their food mix up and peanuts definitely do not need to be included, they're actually too fattening to be anything but a rare treat.
They can be trained to do tricks and are incredibly rewarding pets to own as they really do bond with you. Also easy to find them from a good breeder who would more than likely have them on a peanut free diet from birth.

Fourth recommendation for rats. I gave Hamster advice above, but they are pointless pets for kids, as they're nocturnal. Howver, rats need a lot of space, as in the tall upright multi level cages (not Hamster minimum 100 x 50cm 1 level type cages) so it all comes down to space.

I suggest gerbils :)

much more sociable than hamsters, easily trainable, and the big plus is produce very little urine so less cleaning and no smell.

only issue is it can be very hard to get hold of a good breeder. I wouldn’t touch a pet shop with a barge pole. If you can find a rescue that’s your best option.

I volunteered in rescue for a long time specialising in Gerbils. They're great pets, but they aren't cuddle pets, more of an adult pet, and pet shops sell nothing suitable for them housing wise. They need big glass tanks, mine are in a converted Ikea Detolf. They're also highly social, but can declan (fall out) with other group members and rebonding is much harder than any other rodent. Everything about Gerbils is in my website for any one considering them and wanting to understand their needs https://gerbilcare.co.uk/

I had hamsters growing up, and thought they made nice pets, with a biggish cage and importantly time to run around outside the cage. They're up in the evening (and all night but this didn't worry me too much, I got used to it).
They're very cute, and will run over your hands and take food from you with their little hands.

I don't think they'd be too stressed being in a different room, or even another house to begin with. Ours were sometimes kept with neighbours when we went on holiday and it didn't seem to worry them unduly. Don't bathe one though!

Rats are better pets, much more social and clever, but they don't live very long and it's heartbreaking when they go.

Good luck!

We got our hamster from a lovely breeder on the outskirts of ascot, she's absolutely gorgeous and perfectly happy being handled. They would definitely be able to help with keeping away from peanuts I'm sure.

We did this and then bought nut free food.