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Reply to "Hamsters: a reminder about small animals."
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[quote=Anonymous]Does anyone here have or had a hamster? I would like to talk about proper hamster care and the dangers of getting hamster care information from pet stores. Basically, lots of people view hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc, as small, disposable, beginner pets. However, this is not true. A lot of the information spread about them is false. For example, the tiny colorful wired cages with tubes at the pet stores are horrible for hamsters. Since they are newly domesticated animals, they still have most of their instincts. They are very territorial and will show stress behaviors if kept in a small enclosure. These include bar climbing, bar biting, jumping, pacing along the walls, and chasing your hand when it’s inside the cage (cage aggression). Lots of these behaviors are often considered normal when they are not. Hamsters are ground dwellers, not made to climb. This brings me to my next point, which is that often hamsters will not be provided with enough bedding. In the wild, they make complex systems of underground tunnels which they sleep in. Care guides usually recommend one or two inches of bedding, which is not enough at all for hamsters to burrow and satisfy their natural instincts. Another problem with these cages is that the wheels in them are too small. There are five species of domesticated hamsters. The Campbell’s Russian dwarf, the Winter White dwarf, the Roborovski dwarf, the Chinese dwarf, and the Syrian. Only one of these species fits the wheel that is included in these cages. Some brands of cages have a four or 5 inch wheel, others have 6 inch wheels. The Roborovski at minimum should run in a 6.5 inch wheel. Winter whites and Campbell’s dwarf hamsters should have 7 to 9 inch wheels. Chinese hamsters need 9 to 11 inch wheels, and Syrian hamsters need it 10 to 12 inch wheels. Some stores also sell wire bar and mesh wheels, which hurt hamsters’ feet and can cause bumble foot. Plus, how would you like running on metal wires? It’s painful for hamsters too. Over time, running in a too small wheel can cause back damage and premature death. These reasons are why ethical hamster breeders and the hamster community recommends at least 6 inches of bedding or more, at least 450 in.² of floor space (levels or connected habitats do not count). The bedding also should not be scented with lavender or similar scents, or made a of soft wood like pine or cedar. These have toxic fumes that can cause hamsters to have respiratory issues, which can lead to death. Often times, hamsters are not provided with the veterinary care they need so they die early and are just replaced by another hamster that will suffer the same fate. All because of them being marketed as easy to care for, cheap, disposable, and good children’s pets, which they are not. Hamsters are nocturnal, usually waking up at around 9 PM and going to sleep at 5 AM, meaning if you do not wake the hamster up (which is bad for them), a child will almost never get to see their hamster. Since hamsters are newly domesticated, lots of them prefer not to be handled, which is not something that children want in a pet. Instead of these cages that are horrible for hamster’s well-being, the hamster community recommends bin cages, which are storage bins with the lid’s center cut off and replaced with mesh, DIY cages, fish tanks with a minimum of 40 gallons, or IKEA bookshelves turned sideways. Lots of these options are often cheaper than the ones sold at pet stores and are bigger and better for the hamster. Hamster balls, something that is often associated with the hamster, is also something that is bad for the hamster. They are poorly ventilated with little slits, which are also death traps for hamsters’ toes if they get caught in them. The ball makes it so that every step the hamster takes cause them to roll, so they either have to run around or stay still. The poor ventilation causes high humidity inside the ball, which can make the hamster feel stressed and trapped. I recommend avoiding those at all costs, except to carry the hamster around in with the lid off. Finally, hamsters should never be kept together. Syrians are strictly solitary, and if caged with another hamster they will fight to death. Dwarf species do live in groups in the wild, but only to hunt together for safety. Normally, they live miles apart in their own territories, something we are not able to replicate in our care. For this reason, no hamster should be kept together with another hamster. Of course, this is not all the information about hamsters, but some that I feel is important to share. For more information, please look at Victoria Raechel, MunchiesPlace, and ErinsAnimals on YouTube, the Hamster Hideout forum, and www.hamstercareguide.com. I hope you learned something from this, and please remember that all animals deserve love and care, regardless of price or size. Feel free to ask me any questions regarding hamsters and their care.[/quote]
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