How do I do this?

[Hamster.Lover.Lover]

Hi, all
I’m really interested in getting a hamster but I’m not completely sure where to start. I live in a super rural area and there are no confirmed ethical breeders near me.

I’m looking for a small-medium breed, and some tips for care, dietary needs, housing, and just anything else I can’t think of right now.
(Suggestions for breeds are 100% accepted and encouraged!)

 

[Maz]

Hello. I wonder if there are any rodent rescues in your area? If not you could try small ads like Craigs list Sadly there are often people advertising to rehome their hamsters - whether it is due to an allergy, a move, or "child lost interest". That might be a start. And it's great to give a hamster a good home.

Hamsters are actually "species" rather than breeds So there are Syrian species, Russian dwarf hamsters are another species (two types plus hybrids), chinese hamsters are another species. Roborovski dwarf hamsters are another species again.

They are all quite small Syrian hamsters are the largest and probably the easiest for a first pet (some may disagree!). But the others are all small so a Syrian is perhaps the nearest to medium. You can get average sized syrians and large syrians!

A Syrian hamster is about 6 to 8 inches long. Hamsters need to live alone, so don't get two. If you do get two, then they each need separate cages and must never meet (they will kill each other).

If you have a look on the home page, we have care guides on there about suitable cages and enclosures (housing) what to put in them and how to set them up. There's also an article/guide about safe and unsafe foods for hamsters. For day to day hamster mixes, just start another post on here
I hope that helps a bit. This is the home page. The images for the safe food list, escaped hamster and hamster wheels are all Syrian Hamsters! They come in all different colours.

The Hamster Forum

Articles index

www.thehamsterforum.com