Plz help hamster newbie

[sheka]

Hi, im thinking of getting a hamster. Im pretty much looking for a low-maintenance pet, Ive always liked the look of hamsters and I had a gerbil, but my mom sais I can't have any small animals with a long tail shes sais they look like rats ( :( ). Just a couple of questions:
Can I keep em' in an aquarium?
Do they Like human attention?
What do they need in the cage?
do they have litter boxes or litter corners wher they go potty?
Do they go potty on ur hands?
What goes on the bottom of the cage?
How big should the aquarium be?
and any other info, Im still stuck between a hamster or a mouse, What r the pros and cons of each?

thanks,
Fransheska

[mitchl7]

Yes You can keep them in an aquarium, I recommend 20 gallons or more.
Yes, they do like attention. My hamster crawls all over me!!!
In the cage they need bedding (aspen if you choose wood shavings, i've heard other things work, but i'm using aspen right now), toys (tubes, toilet paper rolls, and things to chew to keep their incisors maintained), WHEEL, THIS IS A MUST, food and water (thats all i can think of right now).
Hamsters will designate a place to go to the bathroom and i have heard of people training them to use a litter box.
If they are tamed well, they probably won't pee or poo on you (unless they really, really, really have to, which is probably the equivalent of peeing your pants).
You need some bedding on the bottom of the cage, aspen works fine with my ham, Sammy.
I've never owned a Gerbil, but my hamster is great. She loves to crawl on me during play time and I'm taming her right now, I think i'm pretty well done. I love to hold her, she is really cuddly.
What kind of ham do you want to get. Syrians (the bigger ones) have to be kept alone, while dwarfs should be kept in a pair or trio.
Good Luck!!

[GillyXBean]

I prefer hamsters, personally. They are semi low maintanance I suppose, but you do still need to attend to them daily.

If you get a dwarf ham, which are the smaller ones, I'd recommend a 20 gallon tank. They prefer groups, though not all of them want to BE in a group. I have one that didn't like being in a group at all, so we seperated him into his own cage. If you are getting more than one, make CERTAIN they are all the same sex. If they are kept in cages with mixed sex, get male. Female have a chance of being pregnant, and from readin the post, I can tell you now you are not ready to have a bunch of ham baby's on your hands.

[bubblz]

1.If you don't already own the aquarium I suggest you get modular cages for you hammie. (see my other posts on why)
2. My hamsters love attention and often initiate it by waiting at the door to their cages.
3. They need a wheel, toys, tubes, a hideout, things to chew on, water bottle, food dish (you may want a ball to exercise the hammie outside the cage)
4. They make hamster potties that can be placed inside the cage or ones that can be attached to the tubes outside of the living area. (potty training hamsters was actually much easier than I would have thought)
5.They very rarely potty on you unless they can not help it (ie. are fightened of have been out of the cage for too long)
6. if you use wood shavings make sure you DO NOT USE cedar or pine (the aromatic oils that make these shavings smell good cause possibly fatal respiratory problems) I use a wood bedding alternatice called carefresh I love it.

[animalmagic]

but my mom sais I can't have any small animals with a long tail shes sais they look like rats ( :( )

Im still stuck between a hamster or a mouse

Lol, then I suggest don't get a mouse. Both those sentences kinda contradict each other as mice have long tails.

I think for a first time hamster owner, go with a Syrian. They're less zippy and fast so are generally easier to handle. I consider hamsters low-maintenance pets but that doesn't mean they don't need care and love and attention! They may be small but they give a lot back to you- they're adorable. My hamster died on Saturday :sorry:

Anyway, everyone has covered the basics for you, I assume the aquarium you have is from your gerbil. It should be fine to keep him/her in.

Any other questions, just ask.

:)

[PetLuver21257]

Q: Can I keep em' in an aquarium?
A: Yes you can, I prefer aquarium tanks to others because there is a lot of ground space, and it's escape proof with a screen top and clips.

Q: Do they Like human attention?
A: Some do and some don't. Usually they like it, but they only like to be held for a certain amount of time, not like for an hour, more like 20 minutes or so...

Q: What do they need in the cage?
A: Bedding, food, food bowl, water bottle with water, wheel, wooden house, toys.

Q: Do they have litter boxes or litter corners wher they go potty?
A: Hamsters are hard to litter train, I wouldn't waste money on a litter box personally, because they will go anywhere they want to go.

Q: Do they go potty on ur hands?
A: Sometimes they do, but mine only went on my hands once. It was poop, so it was easy to clean off...

Q: What goes on the bottom of the cage?
A: Bedding, either Aspen wood shavings or Carefresh. NO PINE OR CEDAR!

Q: How big should the aquarium be?
A: I would say 10 gallon for 1 dwarf, for 2 dwarves and up though, a 20 gallon and up. For a Syrian, a 20 gallon.

Exactly like animalmagic said, if your mom doesn't like rats, a mouse is like a miniature rat. Gerbils have hair on their tails where rats and mice do not. I personally would think that your mom would like a gerbil better than a mouse because hair on the tail is more appealing than a naked tail and a mouse looks more like a rat... Are you sure that she would let you get a mouse? If she said it's okay (not sure that she would though...) I would go with a hamster. Possibly hamsterS if you get dwarves. Good luck! :)