Hamster Review

Overall Rating

Cute
Inexpensive
Easy to handle
Clean
Don't take up much space

Short life span (around 2-3 years).
Sometimes bite (but usually become tame).
Nocturnal, so they're not always awake when children are.

Hamsters make great pets and are perfect for older children. They're adorable and can can fit into the smallest of homes. They come in a huge variety of colours and have virtually no tail (good news if you find the long tails of mice off putting). Any pet is a massive responsibility so make sure you're 100% committed before even thinking about getting one.

What you'll need:
A sturdy wire cage (the biggest you can afford), wood shavings, paper bedding, a small food dish, a gravity water bottle, gnawing blocks, a quality hamster seed mix, a nesting house, an exercise wheel, toys (tubes, see-saws etc), a book on hamster care,and safe cage disinfectant.

Choosing your pet:
Get your hamster from a well-run, clean pet shop. Pick a young animal, around the age of 8-12 weeks, so it will be easy to tame. The gender of your pet doesn't really matter as there is no real difference in their characters. When choosing your hamster, pick a lively, inquisitive animal that's not too shy. Make sure your chosen animal looks healthy, with clean fur and no visible injuries. Also, check that it's cage mates are also healthy. And watch out for wetness around the tail area as this is often a negative sign.

Caring for your pet:
When you get your hamster home they will be scared so leave them in peace, in their cage, for about 24 hours. At first they might nip. It's a very common problem, so don't be discouraged. My hamster, Stuey, was very nervous at first and he bit me. I wasn't too pleased, as you can imagine, because I just didn't expect it. Thankfully, Stuey is the sweetest hamster I could have hoped for now because I didn't give up on him. Just talk to your pet gently and start by simply stroking them until they trust you enough to let you handle them. Daily care includes, giving your hamster a fresh supply of food and water, removing all droppings and soiled bedding from the cage and, of course, handling your pet. The cage will need to be completely cleaned out on a weekly basis. Remove all bedding, wash the cage with warm water and then spray on some cage disinfectant. When it's dry put in fresh wood shavings and bedding. Remember to keep your pet in a safe, secure place while all this is going on, because they are cunning escape artists! Also, you can give your hamster some fresh food every few days. They love apple, carrot, grape, cheese and cucumber.

Health problems:
Thankfully hamsters are relatively healthy animals. However, be careful if you have a cold because hamsters can catch them and they struggle to recover from illnesses. They can also get cancer which is often fatal but sometimes operable. Always check your hamster for lumps. Be careful when handling your pet because a fall can be very dangerous, so if your pet has a fall let it recover from the shock in it's cage and then take it to the vet if you think it's seriously injured. Another serious illness is ' wet tail '. Look for runny, smelly droppings and wetness under the tail. Take your hamster to vet quickly if you think they've got it, as it's often fatal if not treated promptly.