Here is a link to a very informative hamster website.Readerars can send in pic’s of hamsters and all in at it is a very information packed with nice hamster tips-here’s the link-http://www.Hamster-Club.com

Now,about my new hamsters.When mr.Tibbs died i waited for a month or two.Then I got opal and any from a local ,good pet shop.Opal And Annie are both female cambells dwarf hamsters.They live in the same tank and are getting along great .Here is a photo i took of them.

They are sooo much more active than mr.tibbs(he was pretty old) They run jump hide chatter at each other,playfight,eat,chew,nibble,burrow,make nests,and when they are all tired out they cuddle up together in their nest.awww -how cute!

sad.                     on august 2,2009 Mr.tibbs a fawn/tan campbells dwarf hamster was found dead in his bed.He was three years old.Mr tibbs was buried neath the blueberry bush beside Mokug his cagemate for the first year of his life.The cage stood empty until september 24 ,yesterday.Yesterday I got two new dwarf hamsters!

They are eight week old female campbells hamsters.Opal(a pearly gray color) and anny( wild phase,grizzly brown) are very friendly and seem to love running in their ‘wodent’ wheel.They  first went in the opposite direction and furiously tried to move the wheel.Opal finally won and they went clockwise.Now they have gotten used to the wheel.

I will soon get some pictures of them here.

Hamsters need veggies to eat regularly.They are not just a “treat” or something to give them once in a while.Veggies are essential for the hamsters well being.If  a human didn’t eat veggies they would not be as healthy as one that did.This is the same for hamsters.If u don’t feed your hamster appropriately it will probably die sooner than a hamster that gets veggies daily .

Feeding hamster veggies is very simple.All you need to do is to cut a slice of veggie 9any besides acidic ones Will do ) and put it on the floor of your hamster cage you don’t even need to put it in its dish.Remove the veggie after a few hours so it doesn’t stink up the cage.

Here is a list of fruits and veggies to avoid.

1. iceberg lettuce
2. tomatoes
3. oranges
4. potatoes with eyes in them of unpeeled potatoes.
5. anything acidic

If you give your hamster veggies it will be very exited and dance around the cage sometimes !

If you have two dwarf hamsters in the same cage and only one wheel………. they will preform some amazing acrobatics.Here are some funny u-tube videos i found that will make you laugh guaranteed . ( But please be careful with your hamster:)                 

My hamster loves going in its wheel too. I heard that they can go a couple of miles each night.There are even certain things you can build that will record how long your hamster has traveled. The best hamster runner i have owned was called cloud.She and snowball would race around in the wheel and fall out occasionally too.It must be great fun to be a hamster!

Hamster - i will now go get the food yay! Mr tibbs is about to pack himsellf food of food or att least the cheek poutches make it look that way.

          Have you ever noticed that whenever you dump out the food in your hamsters dish and refill it with fresh food it kicks it around? The hamster will literally sit in its food dish and throw the food all over.

             This is the food that will have to be picked up in cage spot cleanings but some of it will go in the hamsters horde before you have a chance to tidy up the cage.Some people say that spot cleanings are useless and that it just gets dirty again.This may be true but it keeps hamster healthier because spoiled food is removed.

Here is a picture of Mr.Tibbs feeding his face ( above).I have have more hamsters than just him. In fact i did even breed the hamsters once or twice but Mr tibbs is the hamster I have now.It is quite strange to see only him on there when there were others such as ……snowball,mokug,cloud,martin,and others who were never named.Sometimes i just call them by their color like the spotted one or the gray one kinda funny! Most of these were Cloud and Snowballs offspring about 3 litters they had..)wow! I really got of topic there.

Anyway. There is a way to lessen this mess somehow it is…….

1. Put the food on a flat solid surface like a ledge not the bedding.
2. pickup the food right after your hamster has made the mess.
3. That’s all that can be done, hamsters are messy creatures you just have to accept it.

1.Breeder.This is the best choice as the hamsters will be tamer and may have a greater variety of colors if you like that.If you have any questions about hamsters a breeder will also be able to answer them.You may have to travel a bit far to get your hamster though.Make sure the breeder treats the hamsters good and only breeds healthy hamsters.

2.Friend,This is a great choice because you will probably know about the hamster .The hamster may be a bit old though.

3.Pet store Or shelter.Your hamster will have to be tamed a long time i pet store. but it is more convenient.Be sure to chose a pet store that treats their hamsters great and is a pet supply store   , not one that sells dogs or cats.The pet store should be clean too.I personally have never seen a shelter were they have had a hamster only cats ,dogs, and bigger rodents like rats and rabbits but it does happen sometimes and it is rewarding to know that you are giving a hamster a second chance.

What ever place you get your hamster the hamster should be very healthy with bright eyes ,smooth coat(unless a satin coated hamster) clean fur and the hamster should be lively and curious.

hamster -should i go down?

Dried grass clipping that have had leaves or other debris sorted out of them make very good dwarf hamster bedding or nesting materials.Grass bedding’s benefits include ………

• No aromatic oils (not like pine of cedar)
• Very economical
• hamsters can make all sorts of tunnels in grass bedding
• fun to dry and sort!

This is how to make grass bedding .It is very simple too.

1. Collect bucket-fulls of grass clippings
2. Pick out dirt ,sticks or anything that isn’t grass.:)
3. Put on a big flat surface to dry outside in a sheltered spot or barn or shed.
4. Enjoy! ( I am speaking to the hamsters)

Make sure the grass clippings come from grass that has not been treated with pesticide.

My hamster loves this bedding.

1.  Good clean habitat
2. good food and water
3. vegetables provided regularly and consistently
4. fresh non cedar or pine bedding                           
5. protection from predators
6. TLC (tender loving care) Health care
7. suitable nesting material
8. Exercise
9. Cage mates
10. Interesting environment

These are the things that will keep a dwarf hamster happy and heathly

view the huge nest my hamster made the water bottle is out and that was what made the hole the bottle is wedged in there

Dwarf hamsters are pretty easy to travel with.The most essentialthing to have is a traveling case

A traveling case can be small if it is only for a few hours but if it is longer than that you must have a fairly good sized one.7 by 11 inches is a nice size.A plastic critertrail add on with a handle and with bars in some places is ideal.You should also have enough room for food.A handy feature is a built in water bottle try to find one that doesn’t leak at lot as this is very troublesome.

Put some regular bedding in there and also put some nice nesting material. Shredded white paper is water was used there although now i have shredded toilet paper.

Fill the water bottle up and fill the food dish up. When traveling by car keep and eye on the case and make sure it is securely bolted and in a safe spot or you are holding it.

Hamsters can sometimes grow their nails to long and they will cause the hamster much discomfort when the hamster walks.This usually happens with old hamsters, and hamsters do not run enough on hard surfaces but it can also happen with any hamster ,no matter how well cared for.

Fixing these overgrown nails is easy but it is best to have a person who knows hamsters watch and help  you do it at first.This is how you need to do it.

Tools: Small,small human nail clipper

1. take the hamster out of its cage and sit down with it in your lap
2. grasp the hamster on the scruff of it neck with your thumb and forefinger very gently
3. Carefully clip off the excess nail on all four feet, one nail at a time (remember that not all nails will need it only do the long ones! )
4. pet your hamster to tell it its all okay!

I noticed my hamster had too long nails so  I did this to my hamster mr tibbs today . Now he is running around his cage just fine.