wee beastie!
Apr. 22nd, 2008 03:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzfishI, um, seem to have inherited a hamster.
I came back from a meeting yesterday and my boss was complaining about her hamster. "The cat is really upset-- there's this snack, right there, already caught for him, and he can't eat it! He's started peeing on things."
So why does she have a hamster in the first place? Because her son's girlfriend W. is tender-hearted. There was a woman in the pet store where W. was buying dog food, trying to return a hamster. Seems the woman's daughter had bought a hamster, after being specifically told she couldn't have one, and had kept it in the pet-store box for several weeks until Mom found it.
"We can't take it back," says the cashier. (Perfectly understandably.) "Well, then," says Mom, "I'm just going to go let it go in the parking lot. I'm not taking it home." After a round or two of this, W. said "Fine, give me the damn hamster," and bought a cage and various hamster accessories to go with it.
Anyway, $boss isn't sure what to do with the hamster. (I'm not sure why W. can't keep it, maybe she's in a dorm or something.) And I've been sort of kicking around the idea of a small pet for, oh, over a year now, and I used to have hamsters when I was in junior high. So I said "You know, I could take it."
So I'm now the proud owner of a robo-hamster. She's about half the size of the Syrian hamsters I used to have. Hamster miniaturization technology has come a long way. She's also extremely fast, fast enough that I couldn't make out her feet when she was running on the wheel. She comes in a cage with a wheel and a loft, and has a small hamster-ball and a decent amount of extra food and bedding and chew-toys. She also has an opaque plastic tube, but no hamster-house on the main level. I may have to fix this.
According to $boss she's very skittish and squirrely, and doesn't take well to being held. We shall see about that. I have carrots and red peppers to bribe her with, and may see about getting some variety of unshelled nuts for chewing purposes. (Not almonds, I know.)
This is my first experiment in solo pet ownership in, um, ever, really. On the other hand, I figure that if I can take care of a lucky bamboo plant through four years and three moves I'm probably ready to move up to small mammals.
(Pictures, and a name, will be forthcoming.)
I came back from a meeting yesterday and my boss was complaining about her hamster. "The cat is really upset-- there's this snack, right there, already caught for him, and he can't eat it! He's started peeing on things."
So why does she have a hamster in the first place? Because her son's girlfriend W. is tender-hearted. There was a woman in the pet store where W. was buying dog food, trying to return a hamster. Seems the woman's daughter had bought a hamster, after being specifically told she couldn't have one, and had kept it in the pet-store box for several weeks until Mom found it.
"We can't take it back," says the cashier. (Perfectly understandably.) "Well, then," says Mom, "I'm just going to go let it go in the parking lot. I'm not taking it home." After a round or two of this, W. said "Fine, give me the damn hamster," and bought a cage and various hamster accessories to go with it.
Anyway, $boss isn't sure what to do with the hamster. (I'm not sure why W. can't keep it, maybe she's in a dorm or something.) And I've been sort of kicking around the idea of a small pet for, oh, over a year now, and I used to have hamsters when I was in junior high. So I said "You know, I could take it."
So I'm now the proud owner of a robo-hamster. She's about half the size of the Syrian hamsters I used to have. Hamster miniaturization technology has come a long way. She's also extremely fast, fast enough that I couldn't make out her feet when she was running on the wheel. She comes in a cage with a wheel and a loft, and has a small hamster-ball and a decent amount of extra food and bedding and chew-toys. She also has an opaque plastic tube, but no hamster-house on the main level. I may have to fix this.
According to $boss she's very skittish and squirrely, and doesn't take well to being held. We shall see about that. I have carrots and red peppers to bribe her with, and may see about getting some variety of unshelled nuts for chewing purposes. (Not almonds, I know.)
This is my first experiment in solo pet ownership in, um, ever, really. On the other hand, I figure that if I can take care of a lucky bamboo plant through four years and three moves I'm probably ready to move up to small mammals.
(Pictures, and a name, will be forthcoming.)
no subject
Date: 2008-04-25 03:15 am (UTC)Yeah, dwarf hamsters haven't been domesticated for very long. Good luck finding a vet, many places I've called had no idea what a dwarf hamster even is, let alone how to treat one. :/
I've always had luck with my hamsters. It usually only took me a week or two to let the little ones warm up to me, and then they were comfortable with me holding them. My two robo boys have been a real challenge. They were completely terrified of me until recently. I recommend getting some kind of bin with high sides, and letting her run around in it while you just kind of lay your hands in the bin with her. Eventually she'll get used to your smell and she won't be as jumpy. That's what I've been doing with my boys, and it seems to be working. Oh, and treats, treats definitely help you to win them over. XD Talking to them is good too, so they get used to the sound of your voice.
If you need any advice or anything, let me know and I'll do my best to help! Good luck!
no subject
Date: 2008-04-25 01:10 pm (UTC)This sounds like an excellent idea. Will try and see how she does with it.
Any particular treat recommendations? She seems uninterested in leafy greens and only slightly interested in carrots and bell peppers.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-25 08:33 pm (UTC)Too many fresh veggies can be bad for hamsters, so it's best to feed those kinds of things in moderation. Well, any food is okay in moderation, really - expect for chocolate. Chocolate is never good for pets, but you probably already knew that.
As far as other treats, mine have always loved yogurt drops. They come in a variety of brands and flavors, so you can try out a few and see which ones she likes. These (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753552) are good to get since they have a bunch of different things. Mine have always gone crazy for these (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750438) in particular. And it's good to get something hard for her to chew on so that it will keep her teeth from getting overgrown; something like this (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750439).
I hope I haven't annoyed you with all this rambling. ^^;