Market alot of bandeds. But if you are lucky, can come across nice ones. Recently pet family had a big load of satin hamsters. I manage to get 3. Solid colours too. Just need to go visit petshops here and there before you can spy on some lovely colours.

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Added on August 9, 2009, 11:02 pmThese days alot of sick pet sellers.... sick in the head for making animals suffer.

Look at these Winter White hamsters


This post has been edited by crazymouse_yyh: Aug 9 2009, 11:02 PM

you better separate the syrians. It is already stated that syrians are solitary, why still keep together?

It is best you do not change the bedding or move the cage or tank for 2 weeks. 10 days minimum or there may be a chance where the mother panics and becomes stressful and may cannibalize or reject her babies.

We all told you before syrians cannot be kept together rite? But you ignored us and wanted to keep it your own way because your experience tells you they do fine together. If Syrians can stay together, then wouldn't major pet websites and hamster care books say syrians are communal instead of highlighting the most important fact that they are solitary? The green thing you say could be flesh rotting into an infection.... if that is the case because simply putting it as "a Major Big Round Thing" how would we know what kinda round thing it is? It could be a round green M&N on it. A picture would help but it would be better you bring to a vet straight away.

I was about to sleep but I saw this reply. Yes, some members here may be harsh but then that's how people are when they see post like this.

But like *FallenAngel* quoted, you did keep saying stuff that would bring up syrians in pairs or communal, and everyone has given their replies with the word solitary in it. So no reason? They all had a reason because of your previous post on keeping syrians together.

Firstly when keeping a pet you have to be ready to bear whatever that comes up. You put 2 males together because you needed a cage for a pregnant hamster. If you already know it is pregnant, why never go find a temporary cage or even an empty storage box? Why risk putting 2 syrians together? Or did the pregnancy go unplanned? Then once the babies are born, how are you going to house them? If I were you, emergency case I would just place the syrian in a large deep pail and straight go out to the nearest shopping mall to get a storage box.

Any vet can treat an infection wound. All it needs is antibiotics and iodine to treat it. This kinda thing doesn't need an expert Hamster vet. When left without proper treatment, if unlucky it can become gangrene and cause more problems. If got maggots in the wound how? A vet that doesn't treat hamsters knows how to take out maggots and treat the wound. Many of us here just dunno what you are planning coz you keep getting pets and pets but then why keep many if you cannot even buy or get another housing for a syrian. You are acting emotional now base on people's words but you have to look in the mirror now and face reality. Why did you adopt or buy so many pets if you cannot afford to buy cages? I'm also a student, I too have many pets. When I had 12 Syrians, I had 4 1.5ft tanks and 2 2ft tanks and 4 cages. I saved up money to get them and when emergency case I borrowed money to get cages. When I was breeding hamsters I bought so many storage boxes because they were cheaper than cages. Even Reanne is a student, and when she was breeding Syrians, she had more storage boxes than all of mine combined now. It's planning.

People here share, but then people already said syrians are solitary and you come in and say you put 2 syrians together and 1 got a wound. You think we won't act by scolding? And must we know your background? Meaning we must check your facebook or whatever to know more? That got nothing to do with this.

We know you love pets, but honestly, think first from our point of view. Wouldn't you be mad if someone bought syrians and suddenly 1 lost it's leg or went blind from a fight? I would, we all would. So now you learn.

And do the right thing. Even if 2 females can live together, PLEASE SEPARATE THEM. Don't take for granted and think nothing will happen. I still cannot imagine how you can keep 8 syrians in 4 cages..... to me that is just not enough space.

WW change their coats due to temperature and light. If the hamsters were kept in a dark place before, they would show their winter coat, which is greyish white. If temperature drops, that also happens. They can change anytime as it depends on the hamster's body reaction to its surroundings. It is very normal.

Red eyes are normal. Russian campbell and syrians have red eyes but it is never and should not be seen in WW or Robos.

Why breed them? Anyway, dwarf hamsters cannot be mated like that lah. Your way is for syrian, just that you have to know when the Syrian female is on heat.

Dwarfs need to have a bond. They need to feel that they are compatible with each other to breed. Please read on breeding, your way of trying to breed them at 1st meeting in a neutral ground is wrong. They need time, it is not instant matings like how Syrians do it.

Your info is correct. Dwarfs need to have dating and courting first before babies happen heheheh.... that's their special bond. If 2 dwarfs don't develop a bond, they won't breed.

It really depends on the hamster, some would accept younger males, some just don't like inexperience males. Your female shouldn't be too old, coz it would endanger her life if she breeds.

Syrians are different. The way we breed them is different from dwarfs. If you want to breed dwarfs, put them together. But if you are putting 2 adults together, they may fight. So use neutral ground to test their aggressiveness and if they accept each other, then put in the same cage or tank. Make sure it is washed clean and deodorized.

Depends on the hamster. Some give birth in a hamster house or shelter, some just make a nest using hay and tissue.

That is so weird..... I have never seen that before. Care to show some pictures like before and after?

Yes, hamsters can dream. So they can get nightmares.

Not all hamsters like the treats.... to them it may taste strange. They go crazy more on seeds and nuts than such treats. Even fresh food they like better.

PLease go to hands and paws clinic. Dr Jenny treats hamsters.

03-7804 6539

Breeder Celect cat litter or Back to Nature small animal litter. Both are same manufacturer, just different name and shape. Both are made of recycled newspaper and absorbs smell and odour well.

Does your hamster like mealworms? Or you can try crickets too.... just let a few go in the tank and she will try to catch them.

If you do not like that, try making a few levels using tissue box, cereal box, glue them together with non-toxic glue, which is safe when consumed. Use your creativity, cut holes, then put some yummy treats in a few sections and see.

Yes, that is a sign of fighting. Do you know what species are you keeping?

Best you separate.

Depends on your hamster species. WW and RC can live to about 2 years. Robos 3 to 5 years, syrians about 2 to 3 years.

You can use corn cob. It's better than wood shavings. Just you gotta be careful coz when corn cob becomes wet, it gets moldy. And corn cob can stick to the hamster's butt when it's wet so it can cause pee and poo difficulties but this rarely happens lah. It's just the mold.... and if it grows too much, can be risky for their health.

The answer:

A tank is easier to clean, easier to keep. Of course it doesn't look as nice as those hamster cages sold with tubes. I have used both cages and tanks and I can certainly give you the pros and cons for both.

A cage with tubes will give you a headache during cleaning. The hamster would pee and poo in the tubes. If you don't clean it right away, it will become crusty and moldy. Also cages does increase the chewing habit of a hamster. It will chew on the bars, causing it to rust. Consuming the rust will cause problems to the hamster's liver and kidneys. Toxin buildup. A cage is of course good when it comes to ventilation, but super messy. Your hamster would dig and kick a bit, and the wood shavings will all come out. Also, the plastic used for cages is of poor quality, unless you go and invest in Critter Trail or Habitrail. The ones that are super colourful and sold at most pet shops are made in China, the plastic is very soft so the hamster chews it easily. Some times it gets ingested and sometimes a hamster can play jail break if it manages to chew a big hole.

A tank is safe. And it is easier to clean if you get the plastic tank. If you get glass, it's good too but just a bit heavy. Ventilation won't be as great as a cage, but you won't deal with messy wood shavings coming out. And your hamster won't be chewing anything metal and get rust poisoning. You can use your own creativity to decorate the tank. A hamster is less likely to escape a tank if it has a good cover on it.

And the best point here.... Syrians don't do well in cages. They are big, so they need a tank size of about 2ft if you can provide it. Cages are normally 30cm.... which is.... less than 1 feet. The tubes can be quite horrible if your syrian is one of those big bone ones. It's difficult to crawl through them. And the wheel that comes with these cages are too small. A syrian can get back problems if their wheels are less than 7 inches in diameter.

Hamsters can swim to survive but for a very short period and if they do not find dry land, they will die from drowning. Hamsters should never take wet baths unless it was covered in paint or oil. A hamster is an animal that knows how to clean itself like a cat and they are actually very clean animals. Lazy owners only make them dirty.

I used to have 20 Syrians a few years back, was a breeder. Now I'm keeping only one. I have never been bitten. And all the babies are tame. This is coz when the hamster is picked up properly, never poked around and bought from a proper place or breeder, the hamster won't be bitey. They will nip but never give a hard bite unless you hurt them.

Robos generally are so scared that they dunno what to do but run. Not good pets to handle, Syrians are the best. Russian campbells are more bitey, very few are tame and Winter whites are generally ok, not that bitey. I normally recommend WW and Syrians to people. I used to breed all of these hamsters, Syrians around 20, RC around 16, Robos had only a pair, WW about 4 or 5.

About a tablespoon of food. It depends, smaller hamsters eat smaller amounts.

Yes you can cut but it is extremely difficult and if you cut wrongly you can cause the hamster to experience blood lost. I would never suggest cutting the nails.

If you get a tame robo then that is very rare because robos are one of the most timid and easily spooked hamster species, so thats why they are extremely fast.

Scratch? It's not common.,.... maybe she hurt herself in the tank.

Hamsters can get bored with routine. What you can do is introduce new stuff in the tank or just rearrange the whole tank arrangement once a week.

Rust is metalic and has a salty taste, which is why the hamster likes to chew but it is also a sign of stress and boredom. That's why best is never to use cage for hamsters.

They will bite if you do not hold properly and if your fingers smell weird or has food residue. You must understand, animals are animals and anything with a mouth bites. You cannot think a hamster won't bite you just because on the first day you held it, there was no biting. The only thing thatks like an animal and don't bite back are soft toys and teddy bears.

I don't blame the clinic, and her hamster died because it was too late. Just search here for the add and contact. But I would never blame a clinic for trying. Hamsters getting wet tail and flu are super hard to treat and can die after a day.

Some hamsters are timid from pet shops because there are too many animals in 1 tank or cage. So once you bring back, then they are braver. But you could be holding and catching your hamster wrongly. Really, just throw away the cage because the cage is causing this. As you try to pick it up from the entrance of the cage, it is threatening and hamsters have poor eye sight. You are just causing it to panic so it defends itself by biting.

If the hamster was not from a breeder, it has got a 50% chance of being timid and will defend itself by biting because in the pet shop or supplier, they are always not treated properly, very rough. So bad experience give bad tempered hamsters.

Yes, then when you want to hold your hamster, catch him with a cup or use your hands to cup your hamster from the side, find some videos on YouTube or google pictures to help you. But if you keep in a cage, it is hard so there is always a chance for your hamster to feel threatened

Valerie
How you pick up your hamster? If your hamster is too defensive, it would bite if you use your hands to pick it up. So try using a cup or container to scoop your hamster up instead. Coz like I said, maybe it had bad experiece before so that is why it bites you.

I breed so many syrians, I was never bitten by one when I was breeding them. I got bitten once 10 years ago by my 1st Syrian because I didn't know how to handle it. Even I stick my hand in tanks full of syrians at pet shops i never got bitten because i know how to handle them.

But anything with a face and a mouth would bite. To me hamster bite is nothing lah coz I got bitten by dogs, cats, gliders, rats, geckos and skinks before. So don't give up. You must understand that your hamster bites because it is scared.