Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We stoped yesterday at Petco for cat and dog food and ended up coming home with 2 cute baby hamsters that someone brought in to give away. This is the first time we have gotten any kinda pets without first doing the research but it was a kinda quick do it now thing cause some guys that wanted snake food were trying to take the babies. My 9 yr old daughter decided she wasnt leavibg w/o at least 2 hamies so I made sure we got to lil girls and they are now comfy in thier new home and getting tons of love and attention. I had a 30G fish tank that I set all up with cedar bedding, a water bottel, a shallow food bowl, a lil 2 level hamie house with a tube and ladder and a spinning wheel. We put in paper towel rolls which they love going in. I got them a pre-mixed hamie food that they are picking the seeds out and eating. Is there anything else I need for them or should set up for them? What kinda treats can they have, like vegies or fruits? I will get them a lil exercise ball this week so they can go for a roll around the house but other then that I dont know what else we may need for them. Should they have vitamins in thier water? Thanks for any info or advice.

>>We stoped yesterday at Petco for cat and dog food and ended up coming home with 2 cute baby hamsters that someone brought in to give away. This is the first time we have gotten any kinda pets without first doing the research but it was a kinda quick do it now thing cause some guys that wanted snake food were trying to take the babies. My 9 yr old daughter decided she wasnt leavibg w/o at least 2 hamies so I made sure we got to lil girls and they are now comfy in thier new home and getting tons of love and attention. I had a 30G fish tank that I set all up with cedar bedding, a water bottel, a shallow food bowl, a lil 2 level hamie house with a tube and ladder and a spinning wheel. We put in paper towel rolls which they love going in. I got them a pre-mixed hamie food that they are picking the seeds out and eating. Is there anything else I need for them or should set up for them? What kinda treats can they have, like vegies or fruits? I will get them a lil exercise ball this week so they can go for a roll around the house but other then that I dont know what else we may need for them. Should they have vitamins in thier water? Thanks for any info or advice.

Sounds like a fairly good setup for the time being. Just keep an eye on them carefully. Hamsters are solitary animals and when kept together after the reach maturity you can sometims have big fights erupt and one may after a time end up seriously injuring or killing the other. Carboard boxes and towel rolls and such are good toys. Paper towels and toilet paper are great for nesting material for their sleeping quarters.

Cereal such as Chex, total bran flakes, cherrios...they make for great healthy treats. Stay away from cereals with sugar and such. Peanuts and other seeds can be fattening so don't ever try to use them as a stand alone diet. Try to get them into wanting pelleted foods as well. Kaytee makes a good one.. Rainbow Exact Hamster/gerbil Diet. Also rodent blocks are good to get into the diet if you can. I personally prefer the Mazuri Rodent Blocks (5663 formula). Mazuri is the purina mills specialty line of exotic animal foods...everything from rodents up through zebras and beyond <g>

Being that they are in a glass aquarium you really have to be diligent on the cage cleaning...ammonia from their urine is a heavy gas and hangs low rather than dispersing up and out... glass tanks are high... so the air ventiliation is not always the best for getting the ammonia smell from to circulate out of the tank. If you can successfully potty train them to use a small animal type litter pan you can save a lot of work right there by having something you can clean on a daily basis. This is assuming the hamsters pick themselves a favorite corner to go pee in. If you can potty train them in this fasion then the rest of the cage can be cleaned say once a week.
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Wyvern

Thank you for the advice and info...its greatly appreciated. I do have a question for you thou--how in the world do I train them to a lil litter box? Can I just put regular clay cat liter in a shallow bowl or something?...I had no idea they could be potty trained. I dont mind cleaning the cage as often as it needs to but it would probably be a great idea while they are so young to potty train them if I can. My rabbit goes potty in only one lil spot in his cage all the time so its much easier to keep his house clean for him, once a week I change all bedding and hay out. So do you have any advice on how to potty train them or maybe a link or something. I havent found much in the way of informative web sites yet. Yes i did read that after they get a lil older they might start to fight so we will be keeping a real close eye on them and be ready to seperate them into different cages if need be. So far they seem fine and they do play, snuggle together to sleep and the one cleans the others ears and head, its so cute. Thanks so much for the great advice and info.....

>>Thank you for the advice and info...its greatly appreciated. I do have a question for you thou--how in the world do I train them to a lil litter box? Can I just put regular clay cat liter in a shallow bowl or something?...I had no idea they could be potty trained.

Bascially find what corner they prefer and put a hamster litter pan there. Don't use kitty litter... use bedding. Some petstores now sell various types of litter pans for small mammals, including hamsters. They have the high corner backs since some animals really like to lift their hindend when they go. <g>
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Wyvern

First thing I'd do is actually get rid of the Cedar. It can be hazardous to their respiratory systems. Pine too to an extent, but I've had good luck with a little pine mixed with some unscented/plain white paper towels.

Mixed food is good. They do seem to pick through it and love the seeds. Veggies and fruits only once in a while and in moderation. I also get my guys Hartz L/M Square Meal cubes, which they LOVE and it helps keep their teeth trimmed down. (If the link works, you can find it here. Your local pet store MAY have it also.

http://www.hartz.com/showroom/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&User_ID=498100&st=3337&st2=-82107224&st3=-88017301&Product_ID=780&CATID=6

If the link doesn't work, if you go to www.hartz.com and go to the hamster food section, you'll find it there listed on one of the last pages.)

Also, personally I like to use wheels that have solid running surfaces as I've seen hammies get their legs and stuff caught in the wheels with the rungs.

Some companies do make drops to put in water, I haven't done that so I can't really comment on it. Wood chew sticks are also good to help their teeth. They keep growing without stuff to chew on and if they get too long, it can be a health problem.

As of right now, I have 6 hammies and a gerbil. I have friends that own a pet store and have given me 3 hammies and the gerbil, I am doing rehab the 3 hammies (thankfully I don't have to rehab them and give them back. They're so cute and smart amidst their issues) due to various health issues, one was born without a right front paw, one had lost his right front paw(we're not sure how at this point) and the gerbil was born without a tail. He's my armageddon gerbil..shreds everything in sight. My other 3 hammies are Russian Dwarves. 3 Russians and one of my teddy bears have died in the last year due to age and other health issues. Feel free to visit the gallery to peek at my guys. I don't have a pic of my gerbil or my new hammie up yet because they don't stay still long enough to get a good pic

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.pl?user=10077&cat=500&thumb=1

Hope this helps a little. Good luck!!!
~ Mousetek

Yes I was told to actualy weave a strip of poster board into the wheel so they dont get hurt, weve done that and they just fly at like 100pmh in that thing LOL. I was told to just replace the strips after they start to look worn or are chewed up. I seen a wheel thing that lays flat and they get into it to run that looks cool and I am getting that one also as soon as the store gets the smaller sized one in stock, they only had big ones when I was there. I had read something about pine shavings so I wasnt sure if it also inluded the cedar, I will get some of that other small animal bedding for them tomorow. Ive used the cedar with our rabbits and never had any problems but I guess its not good for the littler critters. I get huge bags of cedar and or pine for my horses so I just always have it around but I wont use it anymore for them now that I know it could hurt them. Sounds like you have your hands full helping those lil ones feel better, they are lucky to have you. So many people think that just cause these lil ones are so small that they dont matter as much as bigger pets and its such a shame, some people dont know what they are missing ya know. I will see if I can find the treats around at a store and see about the blocks for them to chew on also. Thanks for all the advice and info...

No problem! I'm glad to help out. Yep, the posterboard works also. I have the solid based wheels so I never had done that myself, but have seen where people have said that works nicely.
I know what you mean about people "not caring" about hammies that are ill and stuff. They are so cute and are good little companions. They are funny and relaxing to watch and 2 of my little ones jump right into my hand when I put it in their cages. Nacho will squeak if I don't play with him...he's funny. Even just putting my hand in to get a food dish or something they'll try to move my hand with their paws or nose to climb in. My new guy is still jumpy...he'll take LOTS of work. He'll let me touch him once in awhile but his temper is something else... The main thing with hammies and bedding is they burrow in it, so the fumes and stuff can get to their little lungs and cause issues sometimes.
Well, gotta run. Glad I could give ya some advice,
~ Mousetek

>>Yes I was told to actualy weave a strip of poster board into the wheel so they dont get hurt, weve done that and they just fly at like 100pmh in that thing LOL. I was told to just replace the strips after they start to look worn or are chewed up.

Yes paper strips work great on the wire wheels. I've also used sheet of craft foam (cut to fit) to line the wheel and give it a solid base. I would take a needle and sewing thread and sew it to the wire wheel to tie it down on the edges. I had a dwarf hamster that hated the dwarf size wheels, but was too small to use a 'big hamster' wheel, but after I lined a large wheel with the foam he would literlly fly at warp speed on that sucker. Whereas he would chew or pull out the paper stripes he totally left the foam alone. He really liked that soft spongy surface on his feet enough that he didn't want to destroy it. It also made for the cutest pitter-pat sound when he would run.
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Wyvern

Hi! I thought I'd find and let the little ones try the Square Meal cubes along with what they're getting now, but am having some trouble finding them. I don't live anywhere near those stores they have listed, and haven't found anything online. I was wondering if you might know of any online stores that carry them? If not, thanks anyway.

>>Mixed food is good. They do seem to pick through it and love the seeds. Veggies and fruits only once in a while and in moderation. I also get my guys Hartz L/M Square Meal cubes, which they LOVE and it helps keep their teeth trimmed down. (If the link works, you can find it here. Your local pet store MAY have it also.
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Haru!

Currently...

>>Hi! I thought I'd find and let the little ones try the Square Meal cubes along with what they're getting now, but am having some trouble finding them. I don't live anywhere near those stores they have listed, and haven't found anything online. I was wondering if you might know of any online stores that carry them? If not, thanks anyway.
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I don't use the square meal cubes as I prefer (well my rats do that is lol) the mazuri rodent blocks - formula 5663 instead, but if you copy the info down on/about the product you want and try asking around some of your local pet stores you may find one that is willing to special order it for you if they are able to get it directly from the company itself or through their usual distributors. Some 'mom&pop' type pet stores are willing to go the extra step for their customers (unlike chain stores) and get stuff special ordered when it is feasible for them to do it. I know mine does.
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Wyvern

Thanks! I'll write down and try to look for your type of food as well. I'm just trying out different foods-- would that be spoiling them? So far I've tried Kaytee Fiesta, Hartz, and some random brand. I'm really partial to Kaytee products though. Oh! Do you feed just the meal cubes, or that along with other foods?

>>I don't use the square meal cubes as I prefer (well my rats do that is lol) the mazuri rodent blocks - formula 5663 instead, but if you copy the info down on/about the product you want and try asking around some of your local pet stores you may find one that is willing to special order it for you if they are able to get it directly from the company itself or through their usual distributors. Some 'mom&pop' type pet stores are willing to go the extra step for their customers (unlike chain stores) and get stuff special ordered when it is feasible for them to do it. I know mine does.
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Haru!

Currently...

It's made by Hartz, they have http://www.jackspets.com/index.htm listed as a reseller, you may have to call or email them, their site is wimpy and I couldn't find it in their sales flyer. I don't know if Hartz sells direct, somehow I don't think so. A google search for LM Square Meal or something may also turn up somewhere. If all else fails, I can check with Betty (the lady I'm really good friends with who owns the local pet store) and see if she has a bag or two and I could ship them to you if I get totals and give you a price.
What's your email so we can work something out if you can't find out anything from jacks pets? Mine's LLPAPAR@CURRIEWEB.COM

~ Mousetek

Thanks for offering, that's very nice of you.

Well, before I bother you with that, I guess I'll wait and look around after I move back to San Francisco. I'm living in a pretty, er... somewhat remote and desert-y area now, so I guess it's no surprise it's hard to find anything at all.

>>It's made by Hartz, they have http://www.jackspets.com/index.htm listed as a reseller, you may have to call or email them, their site is wimpy and I couldn't find it in their sales flyer. I don't know if Hartz sells direct, somehow I don't think so. A google search for LM Square Meal or something may also turn up somewhere. If all else fails, I can check with Betty (the lady I'm really good friends with who owns the local pet store) and see if she has a bag or two and I could ship them to you if I get totals and give you a price.
>>What's your email so we can work something out if you can't find out anything from jacks pets? Mine's LLPAPAR@CURRIEWEB.COM
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Haru!

Currently...