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hamster maggiekarp
My brother wants to get me a belated birthday gift, and I kinda want hamsters. I'd like two, but I don't know which gender to get. Two male? Female? One of each? And hamsters seem to be different from mice and gerbils, so how would I go about taking care of them?

I have a cage that housed three male gerbils comfortably, and I have corn cob bits for litter and old newspaper. Should I use something else or will that be good?

As for food, should I get Hamster-specific stuff or is all-purpose vermin feed okay?


Any other info is greatly appreciated!
>> Anonymous
Hamsters are solitary animals. Housing multiple hamsters together is asking for trouble! Also keep in mind that hamsters can't be handled as much as mice or gerbils. Waking up a hamster and trying to pick it up is a great way to get bitten. They can be Emo little bastards....

Personally I think that gerbils make much better pets. They are social so you can keep more than one together. They also smell much less than hamsters do!
>> Anonymous
>>120663
Seconding all of this. Get something friendlier and more fun to own, such as a Gerbil or a Rat. You can keep multiple of those, and they're generally more fun to own. Hamsters suck and are overrated.
>> Anonymous
People shouldn't give pets as gifts. It's cruel. Sure, in the beginning, it's cute, and fun to be with, but once the hard truth comes in, when you have to feed it, groom it, take it for walks, clean it, taking out the litter, etc., suddenly it doesn't feel like fun anymore. And not before long, you're going to find excuse to let someone else do the work that you should rightfully be doing. And not long after that, the poor pet will be taken to the SPCA, probably to be put to sleep if it doesn't find another owner.

Don't give pets as gifts.
>> Anonymous
Doesn't two male hamsters fight and kill eachother?
>> maggiekarp
... but... but... I want the hamsters...
>> Anonymous
Get a male and a female hamster, then you can make money selling baby hamsters to all friends and neighbours!
>> Anonymous
>>121006

Normally, I agree with this. But the OP is clearly in on it, and is willing to accept responsibility for the pets. Heck, OP even said he/she WANTED the hamsters. That's a far cry from someone randomly giving a pet as a gift to an uninformed and possibly unwilling recipient.


Anynway, OP, if you want a Hamster then by all means get one. But do your reading first: Hamsters are NOT social animals. You can only keep two together if they are littermates and even then only when they are young. Adult hamsters are solitary animals and they are territorial. Housing two adult hamsters together will cause them all sorts of stress and they will fight and hurt each other. A single hamster is very easy to take care of (and they're damn cute), just don't expect to be able to pick the little guy (or girl) up whenever you want to. Upset hamsters are very prone to bite.

I suggested Gerbils and the other Anon suggested Rats becasue these are small furry pets that are more social and will tolerate a lot more human interaction than hamsters will. If you want a pet that you can play with, this would be the route to go. On the other hand, if you're content to leave the little fuzzball in the cage with minimal handling, then a Hamster will be fine.
>> Anonymous
121006

The OP actually ASKED her brother to give her hamsters. While I would otherwise agree with you, read the post.

PS - My high school boyfriend almost bought me a scorpion as a Christmas present without asking me or my parents.
>> Morrie
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Syrian hamsters fight.
Dwarf hamsters (Campbell's and winter white Russian hamsters, Roborovski hamsters) get along with each other but suppose it's better to introduce them young. Get two at the same time and they are lot cuter too. See pic.
Chinese hamsters might get along with other chinese hamsters and anyway you dont put male and female together unless you want lot of little hamsters. x_X It should be obvious with every animal.