^^ HAMSTERS ^^

Old thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/348425

A hamster is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. There are 5 types of hamsters, mainly the Syrian, Winter white dwarf, Russian campbell dwarf, Chinese hamsters and Roborovski hamsters.

SPECIES:

Syrians (Mesocricetus auratus)
They are the best known species in the pet industry. Syrians are also known as Golden Hamsters. Syrians are known as fancy hamsters of all the hamster species since they come in many colour varieties and also coat varieties... some can have long fur and some short fur, which we normally call Long Hairs and Short Hairs... also there is a fur type known as Rex.

The most important rule about Syrians is that they are SOLITARY... never house 2 together. If breeding, there is a way where you must put the female into the male's cage only when the female is on heat. It is very risky and dangerous to house 2 syrians together at any time since they are very well known to fight till death. So if you treasure the life of your hamster, never put 2 syrians together.

Syrians are large and comfortable to hold. They do make suitable pets for children but under adult supervision.

Campbell's Hamster (Phodopus campbelli)
Campbells are probably the most popular of all dwarf hamsters since they come in many colour varieties that makes them attractive. The look similar to Winter White hamsters but they are actually different subspecies. So never mixbreed them.

Campbells are dwarfs... well, small hamsters. Please do not be fooled by petshops telling you mini hamsters and giving you a weird price. Anyway, they come in different colour and patterns but to breed, one must understand that hamsters that have any white spots or markings must never be bred together coz it can produce eyeless or teethless hamsters that die later... so if you were to breed, please read up.

These dwarfs may not be suitable for young children due to some dwarfs are bitey... and because of their small size, it would be harder for children to handle. Campbells are not aggressive biters, it is just that sometimes they will bite when you make them angry or startle them from their sleep.

Winter White Hamster (Phodopus sungorus)
WW are hamsters that can change their coat colour when we minimise their daylight. Their coats will change from their normal colours to a white coat but with their dorsal stripe and side arches visible. WW come in 3 colours, which are Agouti, Sapphire and Pearl. The Pearl do not change their coat colour at all, they remain in their white coat colour for life.

WW are different from Campbells, their eyes are bigger, fur is thicker, body is more bullet shape and their ears are less conspicious. It is easy to see the difference if a Campbell and WW were side by side.

WWs are nicer to handle for they have better temperments than Campbells. WW rarely change into their winter coats in captivity, so do not force your hamster to starve and stay in a cold room... this depends on the hamster whether it wants to change or not.

Roborovski Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)
Robos are the smallest species of hamster. Adult Robos are only 2 inches in lenght. Unlike the other dwarfs, Robos do not have a dorsal stripe and they have slightly longer legs. Easy to identify from the size and also its sandy colour and white belly.

Yes, the smallest and also the fastest, this species is very well known for being very fast and active. So they are not very handle friendly since they are likely to jump or run off your palm. Many are really attracted by the facial markings, they appear to have "eyebrows".

Robos enjoy sand baths and a wheel. Due to their small size, one would need to purchase a glass/plastic tank to house them or purchase cages with small bars like the Habitrail Mini...

Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)
The Chinese hamster is known for their mousy looks. Yes, they were discovered in China long ago. Many people would say Chinese hamsters are hard to breed in captivity and are difficult to raise. Fighting problems occur so it is best to house them seperately. The Chinese hamster is also referred to as a "mouse-like" hamster because of its short nose, thin body, stocky legs and longer tail.

They do make great pets if they are bred by a proper breeder and have been handled often when young.


VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

- Most hamsters do very well alone. Roborovski hamsters can be kept in small groups and best if single sexed but Syrians, Campbells, Winter Whites and Chinese hamsters are best kept on their own. They are always happier that way.

- Never breed hamsters if you do not have the space. Hamsters can reproduce every 20 days or so.

- Hamster fights are never fun to watch.

- Always remember to have food and water available. Never give too much fresh foods.

- The bigger the cage or tank, the more comfortable for the hamster.

- Syrians need wheels that are about 8 inches in diameter.

- NEVER keep different species in 1 cage or tank together... BIG big trouble there, may have some injuries, deaths... and possibility of mixbreeding Campbells with WW... bad idea.

- Hamsters do not have human emotion, they do not feel Love or have emotional feelings like humans. So there really is no reason to breed them unless you have a purpose as a true hamster breeder.

- Hamsters can get sick easily if given too much fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.



Anything to add in the 1st page, just PM me.

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Added on February 26, 2007, 1:56 amPictures of the different hamster species with some example of a few colour varieties.



Thank you to Reanne and |sorcerer| for their chinese hamsters and roborovski pictures.

One way to hold a hamster if it bites or to look at it's genital area clearly. Never do this for long since it is a bit uncomfortable for the hamster. Only for a short period.


______________________________________________________________________________

Useful links (credit to Acey)

• Hamsterific: http://www.hamsterific.com/hamsters.html
• My Free Hamster: http://www.myfreehamster.com
• Future Pets: http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/search.exe?BP=1&RCAT=600.
• Hamster Hideout: http://www.hamsterhideout.com/
• Wodent Wheels: http://www.transoniq.com/
• Kare's Hamster Info: http://www.karelma.com/english/animals/hamsters.html
• Pet Education: www.peteducation.com

The Hamster Name Generator (thanks to Gazard7)

(credit to suicidalxbliss)


Lowyat.net Siggy (free to use, a big thank you to Hao ):

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Added on February 26, 2007, 9:25 pmA Basic Guide

* Hamsters are very active creatures so they do need their excercise. Naturally energetic, hamster love to run so it is best to provide a good solid wheel for them. Makre sure it is a solid wheel and not those mesh wheels since those gaps can cause injuries. Syrians should have 8 inch diameter wheels while dwarfs can have smaller ones.

* Hamsters are nocturnal, meaning they are mostly active at night. During the day, they would need some peace and quiet to sleep so it is highly recommended to place the cage or tank away from direct sunlight and provide them with a hide such as a clay flower pot or aroma burner or any solid looking hamster houses available at petshops.

* Hamsters need a layer of quality bedding in their tanks. You can always get the wood shaving variety but you would need to change the bedding often. Recommended brands would be Chipsi Classic, Chipsi Super, Delikate and Kaytee. Avoid using other brands for pine and cedar wood can cause breathing problems later in life due to the phenol oils produced by the wood. One can also use corncob bedding, wood pellets like Woody Pet or Careline wood cat litter or recycled paper bedding/litter like CareFresh or Breeder's Select/Celect.

* Hamsters love to nibble on hay and also build nest in their hide box for comfort. So providing a bit of hay is good. Any hay is suitable, as long it is fresh looking(greenish). Avoid stale hay(brownish).

* Hamsters should have a good amount of food in their food bowls. You do not need to worry about hamsters not finishing their food for they will hoard away old food to eat later. Make sure fresh foods are cleaned out of the cage or tank after 24 hours.
- Good source of fiber would be broccoli, spinach, sawi(choy sum), kangkung and water cress. Do feed fresh foods in moderation since too much can cause wet tail sickness and indigestion. A small piece of vegie or fruit is enough for 1 day.
- Sweet potato and normal potato can be given but only give cooked potatos.
- Sweet fruits and carrots can be given in small quantities every few days.
- Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, cooked chicken and cooked fish can be fed.

* Have a good quality bottle for water at hand. Cheap bottles tend to leak.

* Wash the hamster cage or tank once in a week. Just wash with some mild soapy water. Clean cages and tanks prevents the risk of getting infections.

* Hamsters do not need to bath with water and soap like humans. Hamsters can clean themselves very well and they enjoy having sand baths (Chincilla or hamster sandbath) more than getting wet. A wet hamster can fall sick easily.

* Handle your hamster daily. Build a relationship with your hamster. You can hold them, talk to them and pat them. These little gestures will keep your hamster tame and friendly and of course, happy.

* Never wake up sleeping hamsters since they can startle easily and give a nasty bite to protect themselves. This is an instinct reaction so do not blame a hamster for being aggressive... they bite when there is a reason to bite.

* Always wash your hands after handling hamsters for they are still from the rodent family. Keep your self healthy for your hamster

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Added on February 26, 2007, 11:44 pmPictures of LYN members' tank setups:


Pictures of suitable cages available in the market

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Added on February 27, 2007, 8:41 pmFor the 1st page, please post important or useful info of hamsters. You can also post pictures of your cage setups as an example. I will delete those that are just spam to make the 1st page clean and easy to read for new hamster owners.

Updated pictures of LYN member's hamster housings.

picture from dj.eRicZzz


This post has been edited by crazymouse_yyh: May 30 2007, 08:52 PM

well done, good arrangement and very clear to the new member.

good job.

Please look on my latest update Hamster Cage.

I just bought the hideout for my hamster.

[attachmentid=198672][attachmentid=198673]

look at my baby, he sleep so sweet.[attachmentid=198676]

congratulation hun for the new thread...long live hamsters...
congrats also for the very good new modified first page...
now newbies no need to ask and repeated same question la heheh

Haha... took me 2 days to compose all that... coz all own words and LYN pics... so no need take stuff from the net.

Anyway, I will update with Identifying the sex of hamsters and also something brief on breeding DOs and DON'Ts....

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Updated!

This post has been edited by crazymouse_yyh: Apr 9 2007, 04:27 PM

hun, did your winter white pee in they food bowl??
my ww clan- bucky and two female agouti- always did it..almost everyday...it is a habit or an abnormal thing for them..for now i take out the bowl la..only tabur the food in bedding..it is ok??

No, none of my hamsters pee in their bowls. Maybe you should change a new bowl and see if it happens again or not. If they do not pee in the new bowl means their old bowl smells more like a toilet to them.

hehehehe
sound like i kena perli la huhuhu
btw i will try ur method aaa..thanks..

boing boing boing... hamster thread v4 adi... nice nice...

saw my cage setup there... haha... that was my temporary setup la... now my setup different liao lo...

nevermind la catacomb..crazymouse had made you popular now aa..thanks la to her..

Do post more pictures of setups, it would be nice to let people or newbies see them. Anyway, post more information or good links or caresheets that you guys can find.

heheh looks like sifu ask us to did some job la...hehehe
but i want to offline now..see yaa...

Although it's been many many years since I last kept hamsters, it still pains me when they die frm diarrhea. I guess I feed them too much fruits. (T_T) I miss my Burger-chai and Pip-chai...

I could've saved them from death if I've known of LYN's existence back then. Sad sad...

This post has been edited by chibi_tenko: Feb 27 2007, 10:04 PM

Hey crazymouse.. I'm in the middle of writing a summary of common hamster diseases complete with references online (so I'm not plagarising.. just summarizing). No one is currently doing that right? Don't want my efforts wasted.

OK! Bedding Reviews!

Bedding reviews

- Any beddings that contain raw percentage of phenols will not be reviewed here as I do not recommend them at all. If anyone's wondering, phenols are hydrocarbons that are released by softwoods such as pine and cedar that can promote liver, lung and intestinal problems when housed on. Pets such as hamsters, rats and gerbils can be severely affected by such hydrocarbons in a very short amount of time due to their high-metabolism and oxygen intake.

If you find it hard to imagine, then take disinfectant or lysol, drench a cloth with it, then sleep on it. This is exactly what's happening to your beloved pet. The germicidal properties from disinfectant is commercially extracted from pine and cedar sap. Imagine what it can do to their sensitive lungs and liver.

- Absorbency > To rate how good the absorption and odour control is.
- Cleanliness > To rate whether it's messy or neat.
- Dust content > To rate whether the dust content is high or low. A higher rating means lower dust content.
- Appearance > To rate whether it looks presentable, dull or just plain ugly.
- Advantages > Self explanatory.
- Disadvantages > Self explanatory.
- Status > Comments and recommendation.


10 = A must try
9 = Very good
8 = Quite good
7 = Good
6 = Okay
5 = Satisfactory
4 = Not so good
3 = Not good
2 = BAD
1 = Caution. Try at own risk.
0 = You have been warned

Kaytee

Aspen
- Absorbency > 6
- Cleanliness > 5
- Dust content > 6
- Appearance > 7
- Advantages > Economical, does not contain phenols(safe), good for building nests.
- Disadvantages > A little dusty, absorbency is rather average and due to absence of phenols, inspection for any mites is advised before purchase.
- Status > Neutral

Pine
- Absorbency > 6
- Cleanliness > 6
- Dust content > 7
- Appearance > 6
- Advantages > Economical, contains minimal phenols due to being kiln-dried.
- Disadvantages > Should be changed regularly as it does not contain the phenols that help suppress the smell of defacation. Will release a rather pungent odour if not changed regularly.
- Status > Neutral

Kaykob
- Absorbency > 4
- Cleanliness > 7
- Dust content > 9
- Appearance > 7
- Advantages > No phenols(safe).
- Disadvantages > Will turn moldy when exposed to humidity or when not changed regularly. Can attract mites. Can be very noisy when dug into due to it hitting the tank walls.
- Status > Recommended for low-urine producing pets. eg. Gerbils.

Chloropyhll pine
- Absorbency > 7
- Cleanliness > 7
- Dust content > 7
- Appearance > 7 (I like the appearance)
- Advantages > Minimum phenols due to being kiln-dried. Absorbency slightly better than the regular Kaytee pine.
- Disadvantages > Should be changed regularly as it does not contain the phenols that help suppress the smell of defacation. Will release a rather pungent odour if not changed regularly.
- Status > Neutral

Breeder Celect & B2N (Back2Nature)
- Absorbency > 8
- Cleanliness > 9
- Dust content > 9
- Appearance > 5
- Advantages > Clean and neat. No phenols at all. Enviromentally friendly (Made from recycled newspaper) Good absorbency. Easy to clean.
- Disadvantages > More expensive. Dull appearance.
- Status > Recommended

Woody Pet wood pellets
- Absorbency > 10
- Cleanliness > 8
- Dust content > 8
- Appearance > 7
- Advantages > Very good absorption.
- Disadvantages > Rather heavy due to high compression. Quite hard, but can be seasoned by sprinkling water introducing pet. Strong woody smell.
- Status > Recommended for high ammonia producing pets. eg. Syrian hamsters, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, stinky male sugar gliders.

Sluis comfort bedding
- Absorbency > 5
- Cleanliness > 5
- Dust content > 1
- Appearance > 3
- Advantages > I don't see any.
- Disadvantages > Extremely dusty. I had trouble breathing when i used it.
- Status > Not recommended.

This post has been edited by Reanne: Mar 20 2007, 11:40 PM

Do whatever you guys can. Yah, no one doing anything yet so you guys can go right ahead. Reviews, anything lah. It'll be beneficial for everyone heheheh....

whao .. thread 4 is opened .. cool .

Summary of Common Hamster Diseases v0.1
Red Bolded- It is most recommended that you consult your vet unless your 100% sure of the situation.
****- Partially incomplete. Please PM me if you do have extra information including the source of where you took your information from.

Wet Tail (Proliferative ileitis)
Commonly mistaken and thought to be diarrhea. It affects mostly hamsters which are weaning (3-6 weeks old). The specific pathogen for this disease is still uncertain. Without immediate treatment a hamster may only survive up to 48 hours after signs of symptoms.
Symptoms: Obviously, wet tail.. caused by the discharge from the anus. A foul smell will be present. Other symptoms include lethargy, loss of appetite, messy coat/fur, dull eyes and hunched posture.
Treatment: Consult a vet ASAP for antibiotics, anti-diarrhea, and fluid replacement remedies. (Common treatments for wet tail are Baytril (enrofloxacin) or Neomycin (never more than 10mg/ kg because of sensitivity) with metronidazole (Flagyl, 0.1% in drinking water) and Kaopectate (1-2 ml PO). Also keep a 50/50 solution of Pedialyte and water available for your hamster. Use of an over the counter medicine, such as Dri-Tail, only masks the symptoms. It will not cure your hamster. These antibiotics are too weak to kill the bacteria.)


Diarrhea
May be caused by pathogens or overfeeding with fresh foods. (That's why crazymouse always say not too much. Hahaha) Your pet however, will not suffer from loss of appetite or lower activeness in most situations. Dehydration however, is the main concern.
Symptoms: Somewhat similar to wet tail but it is not as severe.
Treatment: Consult a vet and you will be given antibiotics. (not sure which because can't find it anywhere)****


Skin Diseases
Commonly caused by mites.
Symptoms: Excessive scratching by hamster, flakiness or redness in the skin.
Treatment: Consult a vet. ****


Abscesses
Most often caused by bite wounds from fighting. Sharp edges of certain food can also contribute to this problem in their cheek pouch. This is rather rare however. The build up of pus under the wounded skin.
Symptoms: Lump under their skin.
Treatment: Require veterinary attention for draining, flushing, and treatment with antibiotics.


Diabetes
Most commonly seen in Dwarf Russian Campbell but can also affect other species.
Symptoms: Hamsters that develop diabetes will show symptoms of excessive drinking, excessive urinating and wasting. Other symptoms may include low body temperature, shaking and trembling and at worst a comatose state.
Treatment: Pedialyte solution in the water bottle recommended by the vets.


Teeth Problems
All rodents have front teeth (incisor) which keeps growing until they reach the end of their life. That's why you see your hamster(s) gnawing and chewing on things all the time. This is to 'file' their teeth to make sure it is not too long. However, the main factor from preventing overgrowth is the wear caused by upper and lower incisors. Teeth problems can be caused by abscess or malnutrition which leads to misalignment of either of the incisors.
Symptoms: Lack of appetite and drooling. Weight loss and foul odor from the mouth
Treatment: Vet will trim the overgrown incisors and extract them. Antibiotics.


Trauma
Caused by accidents due to mishandling which can lead to broken bones or other injuries.


Sources
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_diabetes.htm
http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/small_p...es_general.html
http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-diseases/10/HAMSTER/
http://www.boomspeed.com/critterbarn/Diseaseshamster.html
http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniversi...rUniversity.cfm
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hamsters/a/hamsterhealth.htm


-to be continued. Will update asap. Hopefully this will be sufficient for the moment-

This post has been edited by BlueHeng: Feb 28 2007, 12:00 AM

my previous cage setup before they are separated....






i know the setup got abit problem la... that time still learning mah...

woah, got pringles as treats for syrian ah.......not bad not bad, haha.............

hahah...i think not for them la...
catacomb only give the empty can after finishing the treat him/herself

waaa... new homeeee.... hoyay..! hoyay..! congrats Hun...

This post has been edited by arraille: Feb 28 2007, 10:04 AM

lolz... those are empty cans la... for them to sleep....

i've also diy another cage by combining 2 cage together for my old hammy... the cage is at my gf house... but currently in cold war...

Make proper hut for them. So pity need to live in the can.

U can use wood to do it.

doesn't really matter actually, as long as the place is clean and comfortable and got 'place' to hide it would be juz fine... maybe some of us don't have time to build wood-hut or buy it... so, anything that practical is ok... in fact, few of my syrians's hide-places are pvc pipe joint (L & T shape)...

new version..
congrate to all..

just around two days not online, seems many things are changed..
erm, i have to read the previous version..
the last two pages there..

Where are those posts?

all gone? sob sob.. :sob: stil haven read them..

what do you mean?? the versoin 3 thread??

yea yea!

Where is gone?

I still prefer aroma burner....just RM5.....
But at that time when I'm broke, i just go buy a big ceramic cup, cheapest can get RM0.99, haha...........still can be a good hide house for them.

Aroma burner? for the hamster izit?

wat is the use? to relax the hamster mind so that he can enjoy?

it is a new version.. the previous one was closed already..
if you want to see it, click here --> http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/348425/+2480

It's still around. Just closed. LOL.. still can read de la..

i use aroma burner for hide house (first reason),
then i put hamster food there also..

owwhh.. u cut the aroma burner izit? i use tissue roll.. so cham..

food juz put all over the place.. hahaha.. so they will hunt for the food..

Huh? you don't cut the aroma burner.. how to cut? Just put the whole thing inside nia la.. lol..

waaa... must be so 'powerfull' cutter... can cut aroma burner somemore... he he he...

lolx.. put the whole thing inside??Hahaha.. I also duno wat is that.. i tot the aroma burner for ppl to smell wan..

IF wan to cut, easy oni.. use a torch and burn it into 2 pieces.. Muahahaha!

What for? burn alrd not nice. O.o

Yea lo..

Why ppl use Aroma Burner?

Izit something special?

Why you keep asking what is the use of aroma burner... aroma teraphy is for humans but aroma burner can be used for hamsters. It is a porcelin or ceramic jar like object that is very cosy for hamsters to sleep and hide in. This is only for dwarf hamsters coz Syrians are too large to fit into the small aroma burners.

If any of you looking for a nice wooden house, go find at Pet Safari, got a very nice corner wood hut that is always 50% off... RM15... half price means RM7.50 loh... very nice to use since I bought about 6 hahahah...

Mind taking a pic of it? I've been looking for a wooden house but can't seem to find one at pet safari for a cheap price.

my hammies nvm sleep on the wheel one, yyyyyyyyyyy

mybe u no luck to see your hamster sleep on the wheel.

Hey Dazzle, really nice update of your tank... I'll move it to the 1st page.

u are welcome

Eh you trying to make us all jealous with your hamster tank ah? (i'm jealous)

i am not jelous, just envy my hammies always sleep in their house and hide below the bedding.......

Dont like this, i just share my experience with you all.

I can advise you, when you need any help.

I very like small animal, i will give all my best to care .

hahahaha, we r ll just joking around here, dont b too serious...cheerssssss everybody luv hammies we will give all the best to themmmmmm

hahaha.. just joking only lar. But i wish i can have such a nice hamster cage. Looks very neat and tidy. Too bad no time and no skill to make. Haih... nice job btw. hehe

Picture of the wooden house from Pet Safari.

is OK.

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Added on February 28, 2007, 11:21 pmtake more photo angle on the hut.

Can see more clear on the design.

Is look cute, I like it

This post has been edited by dazzle: Feb 28 2007, 11:21 PM

Looks very nice. I'll consider getting one. wahaha.. mommy gonna kill me. Spend so much on a rodent. LOL

mine wouldnt even fit into the aroma burner... they jz grown oversized... haha...

now my syrians are sleeping inside a hose and another is in a cup... well, with his butt halfway out of the cup...

last night i bought my hamsters a pack of meat biscuit.

At 1st, i think they will like.

In the morning, i found that they make a horrible sound on the wheel(spin very very fast like mad) awake me.

So I when to see what happen, the food that i give them. They never eat a single of the biscuit.

Maybe they angry on me putting the dislike food and fighting each other.

When I change the food to cereal, they immediately climb into the bowl and eat the food. They are very hungry, i think so.

After that, no more noise. The situation become quite.

Lesson, my robos don't like to eat meat biscuit.

No more try other that cereal and vegetable.

But my syrian very like on the meat biscuit.

This post has been edited by dazzle: Mar 1 2007, 08:07 AM

why should i cut the aroma burner?? hehe..
i just put the food on the top of it..
my hamsters know how to climb the aroma burner, when they want to eat..
some exersices for them..

here, image of aroma burner for you..


quite cheap and nice.. want to have a number of them later..
erm, how about the size??
wonder if the wooden house suit with my tanks or not..

ya, i think my hamsters also like that, making noise if need something..
sometimes if they are boring, they will "goncang" their bottle..
later, i need to change the wet bedding..

This post has been edited by dien: Mar 1 2007, 08:27 AM

Too bad lah, this wooden hut is quite big, doesn't fit Habitrail cage well.

Wah, creative lah dien! Use aroma burner for hideout and food bowl.

if my hammies want something, they vandalise everything inside the cage... drop the wheel, overturn the food bowl, overturn the potty, goncang the bottle, climb up n down biting the cage...

let them out jalan-jalan for 15mins, put them back into the cage, they straight go to bed...

Quite a few of us have been using the burners for hideouts and food bowls a long time ago.

my male syrian 'house' is coconut shell, and the female's is tissue roll's container (made of wood)... i don't think the burner is comfort for them...

Burners are too small for syrians. They're good for wws and campbells.

Wanna ask 1 question, does veges like brocolli need to b cooked b4 being fed to the hamster?

Nope. But make sure you wash it properly to remove any traces of pesticides.

This post has been edited by Reanne: Mar 1 2007, 01:44 PM

Honestly it's hard to wash away pesticides.. I'd suggest you go to an organic shop which you trust and get them their fresh veggies.

tesco got Organic Veges corner... but the price cannot tahan la... even me also eat the normal one...

hahaha.. yeah it's ex.. I give carrots.. cut away the skin. Easy peasy. =D

yup... carrot will be juz fine... after peel the skin, apply minor wash only... easy to prepare...

i give brocoli, carrots, cucumber, rice, cabbage, oats to my hamsters besides normal hamster food....

My Robos like cauliflower and iceberg lettuce.

Don't give them meat biscuit. or else you will end up vandalism.

I just clean up the cage. Very dirty.

haih~~~
my little lou fu zi dies liao...
:-(

my very health concious fren told me to put in some salt, then "sink" the vege in the water, after 2 hrs then change the water n repeat the steps n just go for 3 or 4 rounds then the vege shud b very clean aldi....i dont know how true is it but i am practicing it ...hope this can help

my hamsters even like to bite their bottles..
but, luckily the bottle still can be used..
i dont know until when it can.. hehe..

oo.. just let them jalan-jalan a..
will try your method later..

rice??
never had any experience giving them rice??
they eat it much ke??

my hamster also make bising sound by goncang the bottle..sometime at late nite...the result..i take out their bottle from the tank..

haha.. just take out the bottle.. even the sound is cruel.. hehe..
if not, later your bedding will wet, then have to change the new own..
tention, only one day change the bedding, then have to change it again..

your bottle tak elok la..
my hamster goncang2 but not tumpah la

oo.. maybe la kot..
hehe.. my hamsters goncang them kuat-kuat kot..

huhuhu buy new bottle la you...
nanti u though hamster drink water but hakikatnya air tumpah..not drink la

rest in peace...

yah yah... give them eat cooked white rice (not nasi lemak la)... they love it... but not too much la... same with oats, cannot give too much, later they cannot berak...

lolz.... wrestling with the bottle ar??... mine keep pulling the bottle into the cage... as a result, her whole body is wet...

If you wanna wash pesticides from vegies there is actually a detergent that is for washing vegies and fruits.... erm.... I can't remember the brand coz long time ago but it washes really well.

Salt water baths for vegies? Never heard of that but if you soak vegies in saltwater... I don't think it give smuch effect... coz how do we really know if there are chemicals left? Anyway, if you wanna be safe, get lah vegies from the night market or wet market. Most of the vegies sold there uses very little pesticides... you will know coz some of the vegies got holes and brown markings, that is really a good sign. Many people thought that vegies with holes are bad hahahah....

Sometimes I buy romaine lettuce or butterhead lettuce... those organic hydroponic ones.... Rm4.99 for 2 heads... LOL... my mom say I'm crazy, buying vegies and fruits for my pets hahahah....

Iceberg lettuce is actually very bad to be fed to hams.

About the soaking in water, it's a method to help remove most, if not all the traces of pesticides. The salt will form free radicals in the solution which attracts the pesticide chemicals. So, soak the veggie completely in water, then add some salt and leave it for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the veggie and wash it again. It'll be quite clean already.

Another method is as Hun stated, get the holey veggies from pasar malam. LOL

This post has been edited by Reanne: Mar 2 2007, 07:38 AM

Er....i think ur statement regarding soaking vege in salt water is wrong........ (no offence)
Actually, by soaking veges in salt water will actually lead to pesticide clotting. A lot of ppl thought that by soaking them into salt water, the pesticide can be washed out easily.
The actual fact is that, it will help the pesticide to bond on the vege even harder.
The best way is to wash the vege with the pesticide detergent thingy.
Another way is by washing them with flowing water. Meaning on the tap, let the water flush on the vege for some time. THis method waste water loh.....
Soaking the vege in the water will not help much.
Any corrections??

so... which one now...?

ok.. i'll try feed them rice..
see weither mine like to eat rice or not..
of course la not nasi lemak.. hehe..

anyone here ever bathed their hamsters with bathing sand/powder... how to do it & what brand is the good one...?

what i always do is..
i pour the sand bath into bowl (dont know how to call the square bowl one)..
then, put it in hamster tank..
sooner or later they will dig and roll..

This post has been edited by dien: Mar 2 2007, 10:05 AM

be careful giving rice...
make sure take out the leftover...
or ants will attack your hammi's home..

arraille, your hamsters are syrians..
and i remember reanne said long time ago..
syrian dont really need sand bath..i myself pernah try..it just dig dig..not rolling..like the dwarfs did..

Syrians do not sand bath coz their fur is never that greasy... sand bath more for hamsters that have greasy fur, it get rids of the oils properly and condition the fur. For Syrians, I groom using just a toothbursh... just brush the fur is enough.

wa....thanks for the creative thinking idea hun...
groom using toothbrush...
a very good idea..

Hahaha... my friend who gave me my 1st syrian told me that.... that was like 12 years ago hahahah... but if your syrian's fur a bit greasy or smelly, just apply some baby powder, rub the powder into the fur with your fingers and later brush away the powder using a toothbrush. Then the hamster will smell nice and look nice too. I call this Dry Bath... heeheh... coz sometimes dogs and cats also must dry bath.