Pet Hamsters . . . Fascinating, Fuzzy Balls Of Fun!

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Why Get A Pet Hamster?

Kids have such a fascination with small fuzzy creatures. As a child, most of us grew up with hamsters or at least had friends who had hamsters as pets, right?

Hamsters are pretty easy to take care of. The most difficult aspect of hamster-keeping is telling if they are female or male and being toally WRONG. Come on . . . who has purchased two hamsters thinking they were the same gender and ended up with ten hamsters?

So if you're contemplating getting a hamster for your kids (or yourself), here are some quickie tips and resources to get you going . . .

Featured Lenses About Hamster Care
Did You Know?
Hamster Habitats

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About Hamsters

Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. Hamsters. T.F.H. Publications Inc.

Hamsters are crepuscular. In the wild, they burrow underground in the daylight to avoid being caught by predators. Their diet contains a variety of foods, including dried food, berries, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. In the wild they will eat any wheat, nuts and small bits of fruit and vegetables that they might find lying around on the ground, and will occasionally eat small insects such as small fruit flies, crickets, and meal worms. They have elongated fur-lined pouches on both sides of their heads that extend to their shoulders, which they stuff full of food to be stored, brought back to the colony or to be eaten later.

Although the Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) was first described scientifically in 1839, it was not until 1930 that researchers were able to successfully breed and domesticate hamsters.Barrie, Anmarie. 1995. Hamsters as a New Pet. T.F.H. Publications Inc., NJ. Pet Syrian hamsters are descended from hamsters first found and captured in Syria by zoologist Israel Aharoni.Fr...

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Did you Know?

Biologists and geneticists tend to use hamsters and other rodents to demonstrate genetic possibilities. In genetics, we often discuss how genes are dispersed in relation to hair color, eye color and other traits.

When you have hamsters as pets, you get to witness this phenomenon first hand. It seems that half the fun for kids is seeing the baby hamsters grow up with various fur colorations.

Hamster Care and Feeding

How To Feed Your Pet Hamster . . .

Handling your pet hamsters should be kept to a minimum and you should always wash your hand before and after.

Hamsters can have a tendency to bite if they become scared. So be cautious with very small children.

You'll want to make sure you feed your hamster properly simply by NOT over-feeding them while maintaining proper exercise. You can feed them hamster food purchased from the pet store, vegetables, and little hamster treats.

Hamster Training

How To Handle Your Hamster and Teach It Tricks

Training Your Pet Hamster

by: Gerry Bucsis, Barbara Somerville

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 01/06/2010)

Once owners teach their hamster to welcome their touch, training can go on to include many games with widely available cage toys, as well as litter training, rolling on a rubber ball, and even leash-walking. This will be much appreciated by owners who don't know how to get started training caged pets, but want to learn. Features full-color photos on nearly every page, tips for hassle-free travel with a pet, advice on managing behavior problems, and a selection of games that owners can teach their pets to play.

Featured Lenses About Hamster Care

Want More Info On Caring for Your Pet Hamster?

How To Take Care Of A Hamster | Pet Hamster Care

If you are wondering about pet hamster care or how to take care of a hamster, that means you've probably recently adopted a pet hamster. Congratulations! Teddy Bear hamsters are wonderful, inexpensive pets and are among some of the most popular pets...

Rodents R Us! Headquarters

Rodents R Us! Hiyas! I'm up with rodent lenses! It's helpful for teachers and such! Rodent related lenses whether rodent pets or wild rodent friends, all are welcome.

My Syrian Hamster

This lens is all about the day I got my hamster. It's the story of seeing her, falling in love with her, deciding to buy her, running round getting all her toys and such, and then getting her home. Having then set her up, there is a breif description...

Did You Know?

There are many breeds of hamsters including Dwarf hamsters, Syrian, Russian, Chinese, and Hybrid.

A word of caution. . . Dwarf hamsters are very susceptible to infections from cedar chips because it can tear holes in their tiny mouths.

Hamster Habitats

How Should Your Pet Hamster Live . . .

There are lots of hamster accessories available on the market, from plastic and metal cages to tubes and wheels. Since hamsters are burrowers, they prefer to have lots of bedding to hide under as well as tubes to create little nests in. The bedding should be changed weekly or twice a week depending upon how many hamsters you have.

Hamsters like other pets need to have exercise so giving them wheels to run on or having a hamster ball to run around the house in, is a 'blast' for them.

To add to a childs's wonder tubing and cages come in a variety of colors. You can create straight pathways to other larger home areas or curve them around to re-enter the same cage. If the caging you provide is plastic, your hamster may try to chew or claw their way free. Simply monitor their activity when you clean the cage to make sure they are not producing a hole. Some hamster owners choose to go with a metal wire cage with tiny slits to avoid a "Great Escape."

Pet Hamsters . . . Fascinating, Fuzzy Balls Of Fun!

Why Get A Pet Hamster?

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

About Hamsters

Did you Know?

Hamster Care and Feeding

How To Feed Your Pet Hamster . . .

Hamster Training

How To Handle Your Hamster and Teach It Tricks

Featured Lenses About Hamster Care

Want More Info On Caring for Your Pet Hamster?

Did You Know?

Hamster Habitats

How Should Your Pet Hamster Live . . .

Hamster Cages & Habitats

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Hamster Videos

Pet Hamsters In-Action

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Other Hamster Resources Online . . .

More Information On Hamsters Is Only A Click Away

Hamster Fun Stuff

Toys, Habitats and . . .

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Fascinating, Fuzzy Balls of Fun!

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