Should I or no?

[FlopsnWills]

Okay, so I'm wondering if I should go for thisopportunity or not. I have been wanting a dwarf hamster or two forsometime now and I've been doing some research. I was browsingCraigslist today and found out babies will be available in my area onthe 22nd. I e-mailed them and asked them if the litter was accidentalor not. They're housed on pine bedding, so not the best of conditions.

We have 4 cats, 4 dogs, and Charlie and William.. would it be totallyinsane to get one of these cuties, or maybe even two? I have a 10gallon tank I would house them.. what are your opinions?

 

[binkies]

Go for it! Hamsters in my honest opinion areeasy to care for and can be great fun. Plus you will be getting babies,so it will be easier to bond to them. I got a freshly weaned dwarf andshe was the nicest hamster in the whole wide world and lived to beancient. Go ahead, do it! You'll love it.

 

[karona]

I say all go except for the tank. Hampstersshould not be kept in tanks because the smell of their urin stays inand gives them respitory problems. It also keeps the humidity in whichcan lead to bacteria groth. Dwarfs are great I had several just get acage with at least 1/4 wire sides for air.

 

[naturestee]

I never had problems with ventilation in my oldsolid plastic hamster cages, and I know rubbermaid bins are verypopular for large hamster cages. As long as you take the wetbedding out everyfew days(which I've found has tobe done in a wire cage too) you don't get a problem with urinesmell. A 10 gallon aquarium should be fine for one or two.

My last hamster was dwarf and he was a crazy biter even though I gothim at 9 weeks. But he was such a cheeky littlemonkey! I've heard they do well with same-sex friends butI've never done it. I'm more used to the larger Syrians.

I'd go for it!

 

[Michaela]

Yeah you should get a pair!:bunnydance:

I have 2 chinese dwarf hammies and they are so cute and fun to watch!And the easiest pets I've ever had to look after (well...apart fromgoldfish).

The only thing is, we got 2 males, brothers. For a few months theylived together happily, then one started bullying the other. It gotreally bad and we had to separate them.:?

 

[FlopsnWills]

Thanks for your input guys.. I also posted on ahamster forum and they said I MUST get 2 and a 10 gallon is way toosmall. Hmm onder:

Whoever is selling the babies hasn't gotten back to me yet, so I'll seeif they do or not and take that as an answer. Even though I don't havethe best hamster knowledge, I think I could give them a good life. I'malso leaning towards getting one because I really don't want to have toseperate them if they start fighting.

I've had 4 syrians and I loved them all so much, I haven't had a hamster since I was like 12.

I'll let you know if they get back to me.

Natalie :bunnydance:

 

[FlopsnWills]

Also, here's a pic from their ad:

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Rubbermaid bin cages are big, cheap and easy to make.

Many hamsters are bar chewers, which can be deadly, so I like the bin cages for that reason.

Let us know if you decide to get them.

 

[pamnock]

Dwarf hamsters are notoriously territorial andwill fight. Our 2 females would not tolerate each other atall and had to be kept separate.

We keep ours in a terrarium-like setting (keep humidity low!) withpotting soil, which helps keep odor down and minimizes cleaning.

Few people realize that hamsters are omnivores and enjoy insects -crickets are a nutritious and delicious snack for yourhammies.

They also enjoy worms. - yummy :vomit:

I also provide a small amount of fruits& veggies as well asregular hamster feed.



Pam

 

[Echo]

Hey, I've kept hamsters for years, I have 14 at the moment, 13 are dwarfs.

A lot of people stress you need a pair but lots of people also advise not to get a pair as they will fight.
Well it is pretty much up to the breeding and the nature of each individual hamster so there isnt really a right or wrong.

I try to give all of my rodents bar the need-to-be-solitary animals thechance to have company and it mostly works out but sometimes doesnt.

Out of the 13 dwarfs I only have 2 lone males separated from fairlyserious fighting, and then on the other hand all the rest get along.
In my experience females will be a lot less likely to fight in a pair,i've never over many years of keeping them had to separate femalehamsters.

10 gallon tank is slightly small for them but there is a lot of homeadetub tanks you could make if you dont want to buy a larger glass tank.

You won't haveissues with respiratory probs due to a tank if you clean them regularly.

 

[FlopsnWills]

Well, I heard back from her!
I kinda of have mixed feelings now that I know the litter was on purpose :dunno:

I thought I might've been helping out on an accidental litter, and I don't know if she's a responsible breeder or not.

Should I wait and get a rescue? What do you guys think?

 

[Snuggys Mom]

I did a quick search on Petfinder.com and found plenty of Missouri hammies that need homes.

It's something to consider.

 

[FlopsnWills]

Yeah, I actually did a search on Petfinder andthey're like 3 hours away. I also checked their Classifieds and there'snone in my area. Hmm... what to do, what to do.

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Sometimes Petco has hamsters for adoption (if you have them in your area).

That's how I got Hazel. She was full-grown when I gother. I guess she was too big to be put in with the babiestheyhad, so they pulled her out and gave her away.

 

[FlopsnWills]

Aww, they were just giving her away? That'shorrible! Someone very irresponsible could've taken her, thank god youdid before that happened. I've seen pics of her, she's very adorable.She looks like a little black bear

We don't have a Petco around here, but we do have a Petsmart. Wouldthat be a better option than supporting a breeder I don't know?

 

[Echo]

FlopsnWills wrote:

Well, I heard back from her!
I kinda of have mixed feelings now that I know the litter was on purpose :dunno:

I thought I might've been helping out on an accidental litter, and I don't know if she's a responsible breeder or not.

Should I wait and get a rescue? What do you guys think?

She isnt a responsible breeder if she needs to resort to online advertisement like craigslist.

it is up to you if you take them or not, you'd have equal chancefinding one in a petshop, and being able to handpick a friendly onewould be a bonus.

I went to buy some dwarf campbells last year and put my hand in thetank and they all hissed at me so I bought a syrian insteadlol

 

[FlopsnWills]

I was thinking the same thing about heradvertising on Craigslist. I really don't want to support anirresponsible breeder. She's also selling them for 5 bucks, so theycould easily be snake food.

I'm wondering if Petsmart is a better option onder:

 

[undergunfire]

It is okay if you get them from Petsmart. Everylittle critter needs a good home. I got my two mice from Petco andrescued (yes, I call it rescued) a pregnant (I think) mouse from a mom& pop pet shop.

My one mouse likes to be held, my other will run away from you, and therescue tries to nip (I think its because she is pregnant).




- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts