When I went to the pet store, they were all buried up sleeping so I couldn’t really tell. Anyway, could someone please help me on this? What should I look out for in particular (behavior, physical appearance, etc)? Thank you very much.
It depends on what kind your getting. I suggest you get a syrian hamster (aka golden hamster), they are best. How to get a healthy syrian aka golden hamster-
1) Is it hurt? Bleeding or scratched or even limping? Then it’s hurt and could possibly die. Try and get one that is not hurt in any way.
2) Is it way to fat or way to skinny? Try and get a fit one. The fitter the better!
3) is it acting sick? Sneezing, coughing, vomiting, or diarrhea? Then don’t get that one! Get very very VERY healthy one!
4) Is it all alone, with o few other ones, one other one, or a bunch of other ones? Has it ever been with other ones? Syrian hamsters can’t be kept together. I got mine and it had a partner, they seemed to hate each other, but my hamster was perfectly fine. Sometimes, they just get annoyed and bullied (but not seriously) when with others. So maybe it will be fine, it’s still better to get one that is alone. And do NOT get two or more golden hamsters unless your putting them in separate cages or are breeding them. How to breed them? I don’t know!
5) Is it active? It should be a little active, but they are mostly nocturnal, so not much. But if you poke at it or pet, it should twitch or get up and start moving around.
6) Is it eating and drinking? It really should be.
7) Hows it’s fur? It should be tip-top! If not, then get a hamster that has perfect fur (color doesn’t matter)!
Last but not least, do YOU like the hamster? Find one that has a color you like and a personality that its you! It is about to be your new little buddy!
Have fun with your new friend! Hope this helped!
You could ask a store attendant if you could identify the hamsters up close. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, so they’ll mostly be sleeping throughout the day, although they might get up every few hours to eat etc. Usually, hamsters hide in their nests throughout the day, and come out at night or in the early morning/evening, and you could ask the store attendant to remove the nest so you can get an overall view of the animals.
When you’re going to buy a hamster, consider what breed you’d like to have.
Syrian hamsters (Better known as Golden or Teddies) are the larger type and come in different colors and patterns. They’re easier to handle than the dwarf kind. It is easier to cuddle them.
If you decide to buy this type, make sure you don’t put two of them together in one cage, because they might kill each other.
Then there are four types of dwarf hamsters. They’re fast and small, making them more difficult to handle than their larger cousins.
- Russian Winter White: They can become 3-4" long, and have a round bullet shaped body. They have a thick, black stripe from head to tail. They’re friendly, and don’t mind living in groups or on their own. They’re naturally curious, so it’s easier to tame them. There are less official colors for this breed available, but when the days shorten, they change their coat for a white or gray one.
- Campbell Russian, or the "Eastern Russian Winter White": They can become 3-4" long, and have a sleeker body than the Russian Winter Whites, with a thinner black stripe from head to tail. Often, they’re less friendly than the Russian Winter White, but when handled correctly, they’re very sweet.
If you want more hamsters of this kind, it’d be best to get a mate of the same gender, unless you want nesting activities to happen.
This breed comes in different colors, although pet stores will probably only have the natural coloring available: a gray/brown upper body with a gray/black dorsal stripe, and white belly. They don’t become white in the winter.
- Roborovski Hamster: The smallest breed. They’re the fastest and difficult to handle. It’s more an animal to watch than to cuddle. Currently, there is only one coloration available.
- Chinese Hamster: This kind has a longer tail than the others. They can be quite aggressive when facing other hamsters, but are sweet pets. They can be fast and like to climb, but on overall, can be handled easily.
It doesn’t come with many color variations.
For the rest:
-Young hamsters are easier to tame.
-Their eyes have to be bright, but not watery.
-Make sure the animal you choose doesn’t have diarrhea.
-Their overall appearance must be clean.
-If they appear to be ‘lifeless’, don’t take them home.
-If you’re allowed to touch them, they’ll be a bit scared, naturally, but if they react
aggressively, its a bad choice.
-Don’t, really don’t, take a hamster which does ‘tricks’ in the form of standing and flipping backwards, landing on their back before standing up again. This could be the sign of a neurological disorder.
-Take an overall look at the hamsters’ cage. If it’s dirty, and there are too many animals, they will be prone to stress and diseases.
Good luck!
References :
Years of experience in handling and keeping animals.
It depends on what kind your getting. I suggest you get a syrian hamster (aka golden hamster), they are best. How to get a healthy syrian aka golden hamster-
1) Is it hurt? Bleeding or scratched or even limping? Then it’s hurt and could possibly die. Try and get one that is not hurt in any way.
2) Is it way to fat or way to skinny? Try and get a fit one. The fitter the better!
3) is it acting sick? Sneezing, coughing, vomiting, or diarrhea? Then don’t get that one! Get very very VERY healthy one!
4) Is it all alone, with o few other ones, one other one, or a bunch of other ones? Has it ever been with other ones? Syrian hamsters can’t be kept together. I got mine and it had a partner, they seemed to hate each other, but my hamster was perfectly fine. Sometimes, they just get annoyed and bullied (but not seriously) when with others. So maybe it will be fine, it’s still better to get one that is alone. And do NOT get two or more golden hamsters unless your putting them in separate cages or are breeding them. How to breed them? I don’t know!
5) Is it active? It should be a little active, but they are mostly nocturnal, so not much. But if you poke at it or pet, it should twitch or get up and start moving around.
6) Is it eating and drinking? It really should be.
7) Hows it’s fur? It should be tip-top! If not, then get a hamster that has perfect fur (color doesn’t matter)!
Have fun with your new friend! Hope this helped!
References :