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Advice on caring for hamsters2007-11-24 21:57:25

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!

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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.

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You vet or pet shop should be able to sex him/her for you.