Buying your Hamster

Shopping list for setting up your hamster

A cage a sleeping house appropriate bedding* good food* food dish water dispenser a wheel

Before you buy your hamster
Before you buy your hamster, you should have a cage already set up with fresh bedding and food and water* and the table above). Also, have a good supply of hamster food*, treats, and things for your hamster to gnaw on (dog bones, pig ears, or any kind of "hamster chew"). A ball is very helpful, but always remember to take the proper precautions when using a hamster run-about ball: Block off all stairways going DOWN, make sure lid is VERY secure (if any doubts, use tape), never leave your hamster in its ball un-attended for over half an hour, make sure to tell everyone in your house that your hamster is in its ball so they know (trust me, this will prevent any mis-understandings to occur).

Also an extra water-bottle is very, VERY efficiant. In case you haven't already found out, your average hamster water bottle is very breakable and many-a-thing can happen to it to make it not work properly. An extra water-bottle can help in this case, expesially since fresh water is a MUST and this is not possible without a water bottle. No dish or crock can offer fresh water. If you have all those things ready then you can search for your pet hamster.

Choosing your pet hamster
When you buy your pet hamster, it should appear healthy. Make sure that the pet store, breeder, or adoption clinic have a reputation for taking care of animals well (expessially rodents). I personally suggest breeders to buy your hamster from. Most often, breeders are experienced, and know the exact date the hamsters were born. They also know more about the parents, they're breeds, how old they are, where they came from, etc. They also generally tend to be more attached to they're pets than your average pet store (that usually doesn't specialize in hamsters, nor care much about they're care).

Soft and silky fur, bright eyes, feet with no scratches on them, etc. these are all signs of good health. But lumps, bumps, discoloration, loose hair, wet bottom or tail, blood anywhere on its body, runny nose or eyes, and a nasty disposition are signs that a hamster has not been treated well, and you should search in a different pet store. What? Didn't catch all that? Check out the table below for all that in a neat, orderly fashion. Also, see 'Illnesses'. Also, it should be easy to tell that the cage is clean, all the hamsters living in that cage are healthy, they have a good kind of food (See diet) and that their water bottle is full. Pick out a hamster that doesn't have any scars, and seems healthy. It is a good idea that hamsters live alone. Some people keep hamsters in pairs as sisters, but they prefer to live alone. After all, they are not known for their sociability with other hamsters.

	In a healthy hamster	In a sick hamster
Eyes	Bright and shiny, no discharge	Inflamed, fur around eye sticky
Coat	Thick, with a silky sheen	Disheveled, dull, stained
Anal region	Clean	Smeared with fecal matter
Body shape	Evenly cylindrical	Sides caved in
Nose	Dry	Damp
Behavior	Lively, alert	Disinterested, apathetic

* For more references about different kinds, and pro's/con's about food, bedding, and cages visit our experienced Housing Guide. You'll be glad you did it.