Meet Our Hamster Charles...

Meet Our Hamster Charles...
I'm just 4 weeks old!!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Five Tips For Buying Teddy Bear Hamsters...

  1. A knowledgeable dealer will naturally advise you, but if you are very uncertain take along an acquaintance who is familiar with teddy bear hamsters. Hamsters can almost always be found at good pet stores.
  2. Don't go to buy a hamster until the afternoon. The animals are rather lively then and you can evaluate them better. In contrast to guinea pigs and mice they are active at dusk and at night and prefer to be left alone to rest during the day.
  3. Choose a young hamster about 3 to 4 weeks old. Young animals become hand tame more quickly than older ones.
  4. Look for any possible signs of illness - bare places in the fur; sneezing; dry eye; teeth too long or nails too long; limping or dragging a leg; constant scratching or reddened skin.
  5. After you've bought your hamster, take home some of the nest material from it's cage. This will make it easier for the hamster to get used to its new cage at your home.


Choosing The Right Teddy Bear Hamster:

A healthy hamster has a smooth, shining coat, bright eyes without any discharge, a dry nose, and a clean anus; it's body is almost symmetrically cylindrical. Apart from that, it should make a lively impression, but if it has just come out of a deep sleep, this may not always be guaranteed.

In contrast, the coat of an ailing hamster looks unkempt and dull; the animal has sunken flanks and often a dirty anus. Inflamed eyes or a nasal discharge can also be a sign of illness. If the hamster is "wobbly" on its legs, trembles, sneezes, or wheezes, you should point it out to the dealer, but don't buy the animal. If an animal has diarrhea (recognizable by dirty fur around the anus), you should not buy any other animal from the same cage.


Male or Female?:

The sex you choose is not important. Some say that males become hand tame more quickly, but experts say they have had various experiences with each gender. Be guided by your own feelings when you are buying and take the teddy bear hamster that most appeals to you.


Differentiating Between Sexes:

In the male the distance between the anal opening and the genital opening is clearly larger than it is in the female, and males have a more pointed rear end. In the sexually mature male (from the fourth to the fifth week of life), the testes are clearly recognizable to the left and right of the anus.


The New Home:

Before you get your new teddy bear hamster, set up the cage and choose a permanent location for it. It's best if you bring the hamster home in its little transport box the quickest way possible, because the unusual circumstances intensify its efforts to free itself as quickly as possible.

When you get home, put the carrying box in the cage, open it, and wait until the hamster comes out by itself. Take the old nest material you got at the time of purchase of the animal and put it in the sleeping house. It bears its scent and will signal: this is my home, even if the surroundings don't match anymore.


Careful Acclimation:

Most hamsters are at first quite confused and frightened by the move and the many new impressions. Normally it takes about a week until the hamster has gotten used to its new surroundings. There are a few things you can do to help it get used to its new home...

  • Cover the cage with a light cloth to allow it to investigate its new home in peace.
  • Limit yourself to changing food and water.
  • At first, don't change anything in the cage; your hamster will then feel at home more quickly.
  • Postpone visits from friends who want to meet your new pet.


Now all you have to do is choose a great name for your new little friend!

Please bookmark this blog at the bottom of the page and come back often, there'll be lots of interesting facts and information on teddy bear hamsters! I've got lots I'd like to share with you!

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you soooo much for telling how to identify a male hamster from a female. I would have had to guess since the pet store i'm purchasing from doesn't tell the gender. So thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you.I am getting a teddy bear hamster on Monday and I just want to get my facts straight.Thank you again.

Anonymous said...

thankyou very much im looking forward to buying a teddy bear hamster!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you soo much!i already have a hamster but i may babysit my friends and i needed to get more equannted to them! thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you soo much!i already have a hamster but i may babysit my friends and i needed to get more equannted to them! thanks again.

Anonymous said...

thanks so much, this really helped me!

Anonymous said...

I thank you with all my heart for giving me all this cool info I'm going to get a teddy bear hamster soon! Thanks again

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the info. hope to get a teddy bear hamster soon!!!!!

Anonymous said...

thank you so much for all the great info. on hamsters im am nervous and all so exited i cant wait to get my cudddley friend this friday im a little scared that it wont like me and bite me because im not even good with taking blood BUT...... i will do all the things that u said and im sure it will adapt to me and home and we will become bestest friends

Anonymous said...

This info about teddy bear hamster is very helpful and detailed. Thank you so much for having this blog setup and getting this info out.

Anonymous said...

We received an abandoned teddy bear hamster about 2 months ago from a family member because they decided it was time for a boyfriend instead of a pet...and it was doing just fine and yesterday I came home and it was dead. It was doing just fine yesterday morning! What is the life expectancy of one of these critters?

Beth said...

So sorry to hear that your hamster died, but unfortunately that's the sad part, they have a very short life span, usually between 2 and 3 years.

Anonymous said...

Thank you soo much for the info. on teddy bear hamsters I'm thinking of getting one and my mother said that I have to do research before I can get it, this website is PERFECT!I thank you so much it has inlightened me very much and I really apreciate this website I can't wait till you add new stuff I will definetly be on when you do and I will. I had no idea that a hamsters fave toy is a chew toy that is so cute!!

Unknown said...

hi beth! i have been trying to search around about my pet - chow chow, a teddy bear hamster. i'm just concerned because i only have ONE hamster.. wouldn't he be sad or something? although i read thru other sites that they aer solitary? prefer to be alone? please help!

Unknown said...

hi beth! i have been trying to search around about my pet - chow chow, a teddy bear hamster. i'm just concerned because i only have ONE hamster.. wouldn't he be sad or something? although i read thru other sites that they aer solitary? prefer to be alone? please help!

Beth said...

Hi Joyce,

What you have read on other sites is right, hamsters are naturally asocial, they LIKE to be on their own, as strange as that may seem. Males and females only come together for mating and then afterwards they quickly separate again. Two hamsters kept together increases the danger that fighting will result. A single hamster in human captivity does not need another for company, so don't worry about your hamster, he won't be sad or lonely on his own.

Lori said...

I just wanted to say that when it comes to hamsters, no matter the type. When you first bring the hamster home it's best for the first day or two not to bother it. Let it get used to the noise and surroundings around it.Then you can talk to it daily, keeping it short and sweet for the first couple of days.Then add more talking daily, making sure not to pick it up for @ least the 1st 2 weeks.Then start by putting your hand in the cage and when it's ready it will come to you.I have my 8th Teddy Bear and her name is Gracy.I love her so much. She is so spoiled.Spending 5-6hrs., a night with me.She starts by sitting in my chair with me and as she wakes up,after she's done running around on me I put her in her little rugrats cage on the floor in front of me,making sure I take her water bottle to her cuz she's always thirsty when she wakes up. I also put treats in there so she has something to munch on. I know, I'm pathetic.Then I put her in her ball and she runs around for at least 3hrs., if not more.Then I put her in her homes until the next day and we start all over again.She has 5 homes with tubes running everywhere.Every week or so I change her toys in her homes around.She loves it.With all of her homes you'd think I had more then 1.She's 5mos., old now.She has smoke grey and lite grey hair which is @ least 1 inch long.She's beautiful and has the cutest personality.She's my little sweetie whom I love very much.That's my story of my "Little Gracy Girl"

Anonymous said...

Thank You sooo much. i have a teddy bear hamster, and with these tips i can give her a better/healthy life.

-YAY!

Anonymous said...

OMG this totally helped my parents are finally letting me get a hamster and i decided on a teddy bear one and i am sooooo excited it's really corny but they said my sister and i we are both getting one for us to do a presentation on our hamster and why we want one and this helped alot thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

thanx so much i just saved two orphaned mice with injuries but even with medication and care they couldnt survive the night and i had the perfect cage and im going out to get a teddy bear hamster today and im sure these tips will make him/her comfortable

Sarah said...

Thank you for telling me all about the Teddy Bear hamster, This was really helpful information since im buying one in about 2 weeks. Teddy bear hamsters are REALLY cute and i can't wait to get one! Since you wrote all this helpful infomation, I think getting a hamster will now be WAY more sucessful!

P.S. Lori thanks for that other infomation.

Anonymous said...

thank u sooooo much these facts will totale help me

Anne said...

I am getting a Teddy Bear hamster, Thanks for the info

Anonymous said...

My Hamster is bedding in her activity wheel, along with storing food as well. What is the proper way to prevent her from doing this? The Hamster was given to me by a previous owner who said she has never done this before. There is a place within the cage for the Hamster to bed down, which she was doing for the 1st week we had her.

Vicky said...

I think this site is great :) I had a teddy bear hamster called Frank - he lived till 2 1/2 years and died two days ago :( He was the sweetest little thing and when we first got him, he actually came running towards us from inside the cage and started sniffing and greeting us. The first time we put our hands in the cage he almost seemed to jump on it to come out! He was the best hamster we've had :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much!! This really helps, though i had a Dalmation hamster before this Teddy bear and she only lived for seven months, my mother thinks they only live for about a year and i say two to three, if u could help us solve this disagreement that would be wonderful!!

Unknown said...

we purchased 2 teddy bear hamsters about 2 weeks ago hoping 1 was a boy and the other was a girl and reading on this web site i am sure we did right, but the boy has not developed yet? is that normal?

shelby said...

I just got a teddy bear hamster. the pet shop i got him from was giving him meat. I this healthy? I have never heard of giving hamsters meat. he is a long hair seems larger than the teddy bears hamsters i've seen.

Beth said...

Small pieces of raw meat are fine to give hamsters! Just make sure that it is raw - such as a small piece of steak. Don't overdo it though, only about every 2 or 3 days.

Beth said...

In response to your question Robert, male hamsters don't become sexually mature until they are about 4 to 5 weeks old - then the testes are clearly recognizable.

Anonymous said...

OMG! i never thought i would want a hamster then i went to my friends house and saw she had a teddy bear hamster. And it came crawling to me when i let it out of the cage. so i played with it for 3hrs straight and now i want one for my b-day witch is in 5 days! so i wanted to know more about them and now i do thanks to this blog! thanx alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Unknown said...

thank you soooooo much now i am getting a teddy bear hamster i am so excited they are so cute thankyou for telling me this info now i know how to get them super healthy and everything!!!!!

Ms. Bee said...

Thank you for this info. My question to you is, do you think the Teddy Bear Hamster is a good pet for a six year old? My son is six (but a mature six). During our most recent pet store visit, he fell in love with this type of hamster and I had to literally drag him away from the tank. :) I really want to get him one but I just need to do my research first.