I have been given a hamster by a friend of my fathers, apparently shes a she but i'm not sure, I have no experience of hamsters at all and was hoping someone who does know about them could give me some pointers what i really need to know is 1. How can I tell if my hamster is really a she? 2. my hamster seems to be extremley obese/what can I do about this?3.How often do I need to feed her and clean out her cage?4.When I picked her up she bit me really hard,is this normal? and finally my cat is refusing to come into the house because the hamster is here, why? all serious answers greatly appriciated thanks
Answers:
I had 3 hamsters that turned into 7 that turned into 1! Um, I think you just sex the hamster just like any other small animal! You should know just by looking...you should probably try to find out what kind of hamster yours is - I can't really say what weight yours should be without knowing what kind it is. I used to have long-haired teddy bear hamsters! I suppose you could change her diet - not drastically, but maybe limit the amount you give her a little bit. I put food in her dish every morning and cleaned out the cage once a week - depending on how dirty it got. And that's definitley something NOT to slack on because hamsters have a distinct odor! When you pick her up, make sure that you're not doing it in a harmful manner - she probably hasn't been really handled and you should work with her everyday on that. Hamsters can be very aggressive - and even though they're really little, those little teeth really hurt! I used to carry mine around everywhere with me; in the summertime I'd put them out on the lawn - one at a time, though - and just watch them run around in the grass for 15 minutes or so and then bring them in. You should probably get a ball or something for the hamster to run around in - exercise is very important. And as for your cat...she's probably a little upset that you have another pet! lol. Seriously! Just show her the hamster and act like it's no big deal. Animals are smart, they'll come to terms with it sooner or later. She's probably wondering why you have a fuzzy mouse in a cage! Good luck!
my grandson has a hamster, he never sees it as it is a nocturnal animal. my daughter feeds it once a day and cleans the cage out every 3 days. i think they need a lot of handling when awake to tame them.
You vet or pet shop should be able to sex him/her for you.
They are quite round little creatures - again, get someone to look at her who knows hampsters. Could she be pregnant?
(my daughter was given a fat guinea pig once - then there were 3!)
If you put somehing like a jam jar in the corner of her cage, there is a good chance that she will use it as a loo, then it will be easy to give it a good wash out each day.
Hampsters store food and not only in their cheek pouches - any excess will be hoarded away somewhere in her cage.
Most animals will bite when nervous - she will probably be very friendly once she knows you.
Make sure her cage is always fastened securely or she will be out chewing her way through carpets, doors and furniture before disappearing down the back of a sofa!
re the cat. Buy the hampster a large plastic ball in which she can be contained and she will be able to roll herself all around the cat!!
The only real drawback with hampsters, is that they can get very active at night so if she has a wheel in her cage, disable it before you go to bed!
1. Turn over your hammie and look at the hole nearest the tail. If what looks like only one hole, then it is a female. For male, the two holes are quite far apart.
2. All hamsters, at one point of their lives, look obese. That's normal because they are at their peak and matured age.
3. Change her food every day and make sure sufficient water is also given. Clean her cage after every 3 days and replace all wood shavings or newspaper shreds with new and clean ones.
4. Hamsters usually bite and it is very rare to find one that doesn't. Wear gloves when you pick her up, soothe her, talk to her and give her love. But when you do, make sure your hands are free from any food smell, and only when she is fully awake.
5. Your cat is probably jealous of the new attraction, but it will get over it. But make sure your hamster's cage door is always closed because it could climb out and your cat may devour it.
6. Lastly, don't feed her food that you eat. But you can give her fresh vegetable like carrot and fruits.
Hope all these information will help you. Have a great time with her.
Ok first of all you need to let your hamster get used its new invirment for 24 to 48 hours. talk to him/her softly. Then pet him/her gently while in the cage. But first get a piece of his/her favorite food and put it in your hand. Let him/her take it from your hand. Then gently pet him/her and talk to him/her. Let him/her get used to your voice and scent. If that doesn't work then get a cup and put it in the cage and let the hamster crawl into it. pick the cup up and bring it to the bath tub. ( make sure the bath tub has no water in it, completely dry, cleaned out, and the drain down) let the hamster out in the bath tub. get in to. Talk to him/her and let it run around the bath tub. Do that for ten minutes every until it lets you hold it without biting you. You might want to hand feed him/her if it doesn't take it. Be patient with your little guy. Feed your hamster once the food bowl is empty and always give your hamster fresh water every day clean the poop out everyday and clean the whole cage ONCE a week or earlier if it starts to stink. DO LOTS AND LOTS OF RESEARCH ABOUT HAMSTERS!
Question for you is your hamster a dwarf or a teddybear/short hair hamster. Dwarfs tend to need more time to tame and socialize. If it is a regular size hamster then flip your hammy over facing you look at the tail area there should be a hole there where they pee if its a male hamster then there should be testicles hanging if not its a female. At a point in a hamsters life they will look obese thats when they hit maturilty and the long hair teddys look big because of their hair. I always recomend foodwise the mix a bag of the kaytee brand rodent blocks ( compressed rat and hamster food) its good for knawing and a bag of regular hamster feed mix it should last you a while just give them a little of each. Change water and food everyday and if you give any veggies which by the way you should take any uneaten veggies out. You should change the cage once or twice a week depending on how dirty your hammy gets it. I recomend carefresh bedding its nice and soft dust free and they love to burrow in it. Always make sure that there is chew treats for their teeth. I also recomend giving them bena bac powder it helps with their digestion and helps to prevent wait tail ( direah in small animals which could be fatal) out the messured amount thats on the package of bena bac on a little cabbage. When cleaning her cage use a mild soap nothing to harsh. To socialize your new pet try hand feeding them treats. When handling your hammy always make sure your hands are clean if you smell like food they will think your food. Your cat is probably unformular with your new pet a little jeleouse just make sure your cat gets the same attention as you had givien before hamster.
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I have had so many hamsters over the years I don't think I can count them. As for yours:
1) To tell on a young hamster, it takes a trained eye, and even the experts get it wrong. On an older hamster is easier to tell, especially if it's a male. If it isn't obvious, it's probably a female.
2) Just watch her diet. Most pre-packaged bagged food is fine with some treats. You can find websites and books that will tell you what people/fresh foods are ok. Stick with the packaged stuff for now, but keep the treats to a minimum. And as a rodent, she will store her food someplace other than her dish. So fill her dish every few days. Also, make sure she has a wheel and other things to play on to keep her active. When in doubt, call your vet.
3) How often you clean her cage will depend on big it is. Most comercial hamster cages are too small. I find that a 10 gallon or larger aquarium give the best space and is the easiest to clean. You can get a terrarium top and it would need to be cleaned weekly.
4) Hamsters bite when they feel threatened. You are going to want to gradually get her used to you and being handled. She also might be biting because she's bored and needs more stimulation. Is her cage big enough? Does she have enough places to explore? Would you be happy if you were her? Also, hamsters don't need people and it's very unnatural to be handled. So give her some time and an exciting home.
5) Your cat might not like the smell and may be threatened by it. But once it gets used to it, the hunting instincts will kick in and your cat will probably spend hours just watching the hamster, hoping it gets out. Give your cat some time to adjust, I'm sure it will be fine.
1-To tell if the hamster is really a she, you should probably get a look at what a he looks like and what a she looks like first. Something like Yahoo images or even books from your local library that have pictures of what he and she part look like on a hamster. Once you have a good idea, pick up the hamster, turn it over so that her belly is facing the sky and quickly look. 2%263-You should be feeding your hamster 2 times a week, i feed my gerbils Wednesdays and Saturdays. You should have a decent sized food dish for the food. Also, does she have a wheel to run on, this will give her exersize. 4- She is probably terrified of you if you JUST got her, so take it slow and about once a day offer her a treat-something like a carrot or a piece of lettuce or maybe a grape. But nothing cirtusy-poison to rodents. Once she starts taking the treats out of your hand, slowly but surely place your hand in her cage and wait for her. Hope this helps!
Why did you take on an animal that you know nothing about? You need to do alot of research.Here's some for starters:
http://www.aspca.org/site/pageserver?pag...
Some quick answers for you:
1.) Adult male hamsters usually have prominent testes, if you can't see any, chances are, you have a girl.
2.)She may have been fed too much of the wrong types of food, here's some info on what her diet should consist of: http://www.petshub.com/hamster/what-how-...
3.)Her food needs to be changed daily %26 her cage needs to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week.
4.)She probably bit you because she is frightened, you need to gain her trust, here's some info on how to do that:http://www.wikihow.com/gain-your-hamster...
It is unlikely that the hamster is the reason for the cat not going into the house, but you need to make sure the hamsters cage is kept in a safe place that the cat can't reach because if it gets the oppourtunity, the cat will kill the hamster.Good luck with it.
if u hold it so its backs in your palm and it legs in the air above the bottom if there is a small lumpy nit it a boy if nothing there then it is a girl
I have had 6 hamsters in my life time.
#1 Sexing hamsters are easier then most animals. You can clearly see the males testicles if it's a male. They have large lumps in there rear under the tail. Also the female's vaginal and anal hole are much closer together then the males penis and anal holes.
#2 Try feeding the hamster lots of fresh veggie and fruits. Lettuce, celery, carrots, apples, bananas. And give only a little hamster food. About 4 tablespoons. Don't feed it any treats for a while. Make sure you have an exercise wheel for the hamsters cage. You should also get a exercise ball where you can put it in to let it run around the house for a few hours.
#3 Hamster's need to be feed every day and when you put new food into the cage you must take out the old food to keep it from degomposing and getting the hamster sick. You must clean the cage at least once a week. If you notice it's dirty or really smells before a week is up clean it.
#4 Hamsters always bite. The reason is because there scared or your picking it up wrong. It also may not be use to humans so be very gentle with it. Do not disturb it when it's sleeping this will startle it making it a greater chance that it will bite you. When you want to pick it up don't corner it in the cage this will just frighten it more. Try letting the hamster come to you or cup your hands togther leaving o hole for the hamster to get in so it feels safe and secure. Remmber you are alot bigger and you lot scary plus it has to feel safe in your hands not like your going to drop it.
#5 thats strange that your cat does not want to come in. My cats were interested in my hamsters and wouldn't leave them alone. Your cat is probuly jealous or mad that you brought another animal into his/her territory. Cats really don't like other animals. You could try keeping the hamster in a bedroom or other room with the door closed so the cat can't see it. He/she will still smell the hamster and know it's there but maybe you can show the cat your not trying to interupt it's living space. Or try showing the cat the hamster (when the hamster is still in the cage so the cat does not eat it) so it knows what it is.
you need to clean her cage at least once a week and give her fresh food and water EVERY day.if her cage starts to smell and it hasnt been a week then clean her cage anyway.
-dorrheart3
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