Any Hamster owners?

[Fluffly]

After my beloved chinchilla died at christmas last year. My mother has finally given me permission to replace him, I really wasnt ready before then anyway, he was beautiful <3

Apprently, I can have any sort of pet I want, providing I pay for it, and it lives in my room.
So I was thinking, I'd love a hamster, I've had animals before, but the only rodents I ever had was my chinchilla, which I gathered are more complicated to take care of.

So what i'm asking NR, is How much would I be looking at spending? Both on cage and fluffy bundle itself? How much is food etc, any particular brands etc? I have about £25 a month to spare, would that be enough?
Anything specific I need to know about caring for them? I've looked at websites, but they seem to be advertising hamsters at pets, and I'd like the full story.

This is something I'd really like to do, but I don't want to go into it without doing the research first.

Thanks (:

[loubylou]

they are very cheap to take care of- mine cost me about £10 a month
£3 a bag of feed (lasts about 8weeks)
£3 Shavings (lasts about a month, but I had a big cage)
£2 nest bedding (coton wool stuff and shredded paper)
£2 general treats and things

However, when they get ill are expensive to cure as are so small (need sedating to work on them as move quickly!)- mine scratched his eye, cost £50 to get that diagnosed, and would have cost £150 to 'repair' him. I did not have that money, so had to have him put to sleep!

Syrian are the best ones- big and fat! I have had loads of these, and they are always friendly and nice to handle

I would steer clear of rotastack type cages- they take AAAAAAAAAGES to clean out, and out of my millions of hamsters, they have all preferred the flat cage type, with bars they can climb (they like to monkey bar!) and a couple of storeys if possible :)

If you need any help let me know- have been keeping and breeding hamsters for years- just lost my last girlie a week back :(

[Alice1992]

Hey, i dont have one anyore but i used to!

Only thinng i would say other than what has already been said is they are very noisy at night to have in your room!!!!!!!
They chew the bars at around 90 miles per hour. You will get used to ity after a while butits so annoying at first!

Go for it though, once they are trained then they are great fun, but prepare to get nipped quite a lot while you train them!!! LOL i would wear small thin gloves. Dont be put off my the nipping at firt though, as the more you handal them the better theyll be! And my frend got 2 and then bit eachothers tails off so i would only get one. GOODLUCK x

[*IcyRider*]

Ahh a hamster thread at last :D


Hamsters seem to be cheap and cheerful,just dont buy a russian hamster then give it a friend it ends in tears!


I bought 2 from a county show a couple of years ago.Got told they were both male...2 weeks later 7 babys arrived!


In the end i had a horrific amount i think something like 86!

I had cages everywhere and the kinky buggers kept on having more!They also started eating each other,i used to find bodys all over the place.It was in short a complete disaster and has put me off hamsters for life.Chinchillas are the way forward :D


I managed to find homes for a couple of them but ended up giving the lot to some hamster breeders (mad people).



So the moral of that tale is never by 2 hamsters!After the 6th litter of babys the novelty wore off!


Have fun with yours :)

[Fluffly]

I just had a horrible vision of me coming home one day to about 1000 hamsters scattered around my room. Think I'll stick with the one.

I loved chinchillas, but I can't face having another one yet, my old boy was too special. And they're far more expensive as I'll be paying for everything and I have no job or anything.

But yeah...definately just the one, can't face the hamster chainsaw masscre

[*IcyRider*]

haha no its not fun,first couple of times its like :eek: babys aww.Then it was like oh good god no! :mad:


Yeh ive got 3 chins,soon to be 4 wouldnt have any other small animal now.Just love them!

[palmerlover52]

I get mine soon :D

I used to have a beautiful Syrian called Smokey, he was so lovely, lived until age 4!

I'm getting a russian dwarf next. :)

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6H+Pets+in+store

Look here for rough guides of prices and if you click on each hamster breed it will give you a run down, including if they can be a bit too fast for new hamster owners etc.

and http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001151&productId=1500231451&langId=-1&engine=froogle&keyword=Hamster+Starter+Kit
for a cage? Comes with multistorey cage with house, water bottle, feeding bowl, exercise wheel, woodchips, bedding and teeth treats and it's 15 quid :)

[x-Marmite-x]

I ammmmm! Well, technically he's my sister's but i have taken over 'Mummy' duty whilst she's at uni ;). TBH i really don't notice the cost of keeping him at all - food lasts him forever, he doesn't take up a whole heap of money in bedding - most of my cash seems to go on buying him new toys! He's so simple to look after and such nice company (yep i talk to him :p). They make great pets :)!

[ginny!]

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6H+Pets+in+store

i didn't no PetsAtHome had a website!!:eek: im off shopping, see you in a week or so:p:D

[horseygal90]

I have a hamster, it was a childhood dream to get one and then when my sister went to uni I bought one in a vain attempt to replace her :o Not clever!

He's a sweet lad, only bitten me twice, but he gets a bit cranky and starts grumbling occasionally! The first time he did it was when I moved out to uni, I was up at 6 putting boxes in the car and he wandered out of his cage, grizzzled at me as if to say SHUT UP! and went back to bed :p

[Fluffly]

The more I hear about them, the more I want one.
I want a Syrian Hamster, as their the bug fluffy ones, and apprently are the best for "beginners". And also a male, just personal preference I think.
Does anyone know the average prices for them? And what I should look for when I go buy him?

Even though it'll be after new year at least, because I have to pay myself and I'm broke.
But I'm so excited :D