Hamster in soil???

[JamesW123]

I recently made a terrarium. It was for a bonsai tree and right now has a small fountain, bonsai tree, and sand garden. I was looking on the internet and saw a site that said a man had seen a hamster living in soil and was wondering if i took the fountain out (and possibly bonsai tree) would it be a suitable habitat because i mean they could burrow real good in the soft earth.


Didnt wanna try till someone said it was good

[TiaMaria]

I myself wouldn't try it. There is too much dust and dirt and it will cause a URI.

[bubblz]

It may be a nice play area but I don't think I'd have him live in there.
You may even want to try a sand box for you hammie. (don't just use sand you find outside) My guys LOVE it the go bonkies in there

[Spudnik]

I've read that soil is suitable for gerbils, but haven't heard the same for hamsters.

[Mousey11]

mice live well on it and it keeps the smell down, but I don't know about hamsters..

[bubblz]

I couldn't find any reseach to support hamsters living in "soil".

[TiaMaria]

That's cuz there isn't any to my knowledge.

[lilangel1518]

you could try it and see how it goes. thats what i would do. if you think about it wild hamsters do not have aspen or carefresh to live in so obviously they must be living in dirt or sand somewhere. see how it goes and let the rest of us know

[snapplekid13]

I was just browsing and saw this thread. I know mice live well in soil because it al the rage at the mouse forums.... But read the wikihow on it. You have to get all the germs out first. It keeps the smell down greatly too.

I dont know what would happen to hamsters though.

[TiaMaria]

No offense to the 2 guys who posted last but they are newbies and shouldn't be offering advice that could harm your hamster. If you don't know the effects don't do it.

[lilangel1518]

tiamaria do your research b4 u post ive been on this forum for months now i just dont post much b/c all people do is argue and criticize everyone else and ive been raising hamsters for years so im offended by being called a newbie and i think an apology is due

[Sparky2006]

i dont think that soil is sutibal...itll prob get ur hammie dirty (espically if white!! lol) maybe to play in, but i wouldn't recomend it....maybe sand but not really soil.

[Yorkie Licious1]

I would not try it... I am a newbie myself, but still without any knowledge... I would not try it.

Just take the dirt out and put in Carefresh... or Aspen.

[bubblz]

From what research I've found wild hamsters tend to live in sand and make burrows with soft nests. I don't think this will fix your delemma but it gives you other angles to explore

[Sparky2006]

Yes, you could try sand. As that was what they bascially used to live in.

[Yorkie Licious1]

Yes... sand. But in general, I don't know... if you used play-sand wouldn't the silica be harmful?

[TiaMaria]

lilangel, if you ahve been here for a "long" time and crap then why do you have such a dumb post, so far from proper advice? Grow up and come back when you learn a bit more.

[TiaMaria]

Oh wow..MONTHS I've been here for years and never in my life would I give advice saying just try it and see what happens..use your head.

[JamesW123]

Tiamaria there is no need to start a flame war. i was just asking a question because i knew hamsters liked to burrow and everyone else was actually giving advice whereas well you werent. So please advice or nothing. oh, and apology was due to lilangel.

[TiaMaria]

Flaming is when you call someone names. I simply told this person to grow up and use their head. It isn't proper advice for someone to say, just try it. It could seriously kill or injure your animal and people coming in here for advice don't need to read posts from people who don't know what they are talking about or think, just try it and see what happens. There is no apology due to lilangel and I won't plain and simple. You obviously don't know how it works here, we don't sit by and let people give bad advice. Either suck it up and take the PROPER advice given, or find another forum that obviously doesn't give proper advice and doesn't care about your animals, because it will never change here, we give a damn about our pets and others.

[lilangel1518]

u could put the animal in and see how it reacts to it. in the wild there are no vets there to take care of every creature. i do care about my animals very much. i think u r rude and stuck up and need to stop yelling at others thinking yourself better. he asked for advice and by seeing how it goes if the hamster likes it and takes to it well then there u go if u notice a problem then u take the hamster out and put it back in aspen or carefresh geez not everyone has to do for their hamster exactly what u do

[snapplekid13]

I admit i am a "newbie" at hamsters.. ive never held a hamster in my life. Now i know it doesnt hurt mice if you take the right procedures but hamsters are in the same family.

Heres the wikihow on it and it says RODENT pets i think hamsters are rodents. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Soil-As-a-Pet-Rodent-Substrate

But the saying goes "GO TO THE VET BEFORE THE NET!" Ask your vet and see if its alright. And dont call me a newb.... you had to get to you 1700 posts and "years" of experiance some how! So HMPH!

[TiaMaria]

Yea this is how..I LEARNED..then I TAUGHT! Now it's your turn to do the same thing, suck it up!

[snapplekid13]

I learned that its safe for mice so i did some research and taught that it was safe for hamsters!

I learned then i taught!!!!!!!

So suck it up!

[TiaMaria]

u could put the animal in and see how it reacts to it. in the wild there are no vets there to take care of every creature. i do care about my animals very much. i think u r rude and stuck up and need to stop yelling at others thinking yourself better. he asked for advice and by seeing how it goes if the hamster likes it and takes to it well then there u go if u notice a problem then u take the hamster out and put it back in aspen or carefresh geez not everyone has to do for their hamster exactly what u do


Your post has to be the dumbest I've read in a long time, I don't care if you think I am rude, people here respect my posts because they are all based on knowledge and experience. Telling people to try it and risk their hamsters life is just stupid, so stop opening your mouth unless you know the facts. Hamster originally came from the deserts, where there are sand. Not from a bunch of soil and dirt. Dust from the dirt WILL cause upper respitory infection and I know this for fact. You shouldn't question someone who has 4 years veterinarian experience. Just don't do it, hamsters lungs are very fragile and doing something like that won't be a good enviroment for them. They will end up sick and then you will have to pay for medication at a vet, if they arent treated soon enough URI's will cause death. If you can't breath you die. Plain and simple.

[TiaMaria]

I learned that its safe for mice so i did some research and taught that it was safe for hamsters!

I learned then i taught!!!!!!!

So suck it up!

Mice are a very different story, they run in graineries and dirt and soil, hamsters don't they orginally were found in the desert with sand. The dust in soil WILL cause a upper respitory infection. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. You obviously haven't learnt enough about hamsters to even be posting here. You wanna kill a hamster, go ahead and do it, it'll just prove the fact I am right. I have 4 years of veterinarian experience behind me plus work at a vets office. In this case I am right and you are wrong.

[snapplekid13]

did you see my post before that? Im a newb at hamsters. Im just saying safe for mice=prolly safe for hamsters.

[TiaMaria]

Well I am telling you that it isn't. Mice can be in soil and hamsters can't. Just because they are all from the rodent family doesn't mean they can stand the same things. Hamsters lungs don't respond well to dust or dirt, it can cause a number of problems and if it is untreated it can cause death in hamsters. Where as mice's lungs can be expose to a number of different climates, enviroments, habitats. etc.

[Sparky2006]

"u could put the animal in and see how it reacts to it. in the wild there are no vets there to take care of every creature. i do care about my animals very much. i think u r rude and stuck up and need to stop yelling at others thinking yourself better. he asked for advice and by seeing how it goes if the hamster likes it and takes to it well then there u go if u notice a problem then u take the hamster out and put it back in aspen or carefresh geez not everyone has to do for their hamster exactly what u do"

you need to find out if its okay first!!!!!! okay look its better to be on the safe side...and not try it....and not be on the safe side.....and try it! -doctor-

"yelling at others thinking yourself better"

god damn you shes not like that ¦( like me were trying to give SAFE advice b4 anything is done!

"hamster likes it and takes to it well "

the hammie may like it but it may cause problems not neccassairly (excuse spelling...) to be seen like a red nose etc.......it maybe in side the hammie like the repriatry problems etc. And then it may be too late. :(

[PetLuver21257]

Listen Tia, it's time you calm down. When I saw how many pages were on this thread, I knew that there was a fight a brewin'.....

Tia: You may be partially right about lilangel and her posts (they are SOMETIMES a bit off). But you are only partially right; you still owe her an apology none the less. Also, you could have totally said what you said in a NICER way.

I see no reason why you should yell at snapplekid. He admitted he didn't know a lot about hamsters, but he knows about mice and was offering the information about this subject that he knew. Snapplekid was just being helpful.

snapplekid: I am sorry that Tia is yelling at you. I see that you were/are trying to help and I thank you for acting maturely when "fighting" with Tia. :)

lilangel: It was a bit wrong of you to say "try it out" before knowing all of the facts and everything, but that's all that was wrong. So next time, just think before you post. ;)

Okay, so enough of this fighting, I really think it is silly. Tia, you are against fighting and all, so please stop starting fights!! :undecided

[TiaMaria]

snapplekid is fine, it's lilangel that is not to bright up there, I don't owe anyone an apology especially someone who is willing to endanger there hamster by just trying something out that I said was harmful.

[PetLuver21257]

If snapplekid is fine, then stop fighting with him!

I understand with lilangel...

[Moosley]

Well... sheeesh guys LOL

I wouldn't put hamsters in soil because:

- not natural (they dont have the same soil type in syria)
-not necessarily safe if the hamsters tunnel and it collapses on them
-it isnt so comfortable for them
-they cant burrow into nice nexts and pile it up
-there is a lot of work involved in baking the soil in an oven to kill off the germs..

etc

and definately dont keep hamsters in sand because:

-even in Syria etc it isnt 100% sand
-wrong type of sand
-most sands bought around here arent safe or suitable
-a lot of work involved in baking the sand to kill the germs off it.
-it is very abbrasive and will make their feet VERY sore if they are on sand for long.
-it isnt comfortable for them, they can't nest etc...


For those who said 'keep them on soil or sand because it is natural', that is taking it too far, there is keeping hamsters as comfortable and as natural as possible which is a great idea. But we musn't forget that these hamsters aren't wild at all and probably haven't been wild since the 1930's. If you think of a hamsters lifespan.... you can fit a lot of generations into that... they don't have the same instincts as wild hamsters any more...

Another thing is that due to breeding them in captivity, they not longer had need to have tough skin on the pads of their feet, if you feel your hamsters feet, they are soft and squishy.. wild hamsters would have tougher feet to cope with the coarse sand they live on...

[TiaMaria]

thank you moosley!

[JamesW123]

thanks for all the help guys but i have decided to get a degu instead. i already bough a three level chinchiila cage that i attached to an aqaurium so i am all good. thanks

[Yorkie Licious1]

Tia, are you flaming? Lol.

Anyway I see something REALLY wrong with the link you provided:

1. ''Release animal in the new substrate and observe initial behavior. Watch for signs of skin, eye, nose, or respiratory track irritation, as well as signs of extreme fear or discomfort that doesn't quiet down after two days.

What!!! Obviously the animal learns to live with the pain and discomfort... and appearently there is a high risk of it.

2. Make sure the soil is bought in a bag, and make sure that it is made from organic materials with no fertilizers, plant food, or pesticides.

Watch out for creepy-crawlers that might evict your pet from it's home.

Ummmm... with organic materials and no pesticides there will always be ''creepy crawlers''... therefore both ways it doesn't work- with or without pesticides!!

As you can see this whole idea of soil for hamsters is not a good idea at all... and as I recall Syrian hamsters live in sand... soooo if you do not want to use bedding, like normal people, you could use DESERT sand and only DESERT sand if you wanted to.

I don't know but the silica from play-sand might cause a URP problem... but maybe others can comment on this...

Good luck, and please reasearch!

[Yorkie Licious1]

Oh wow... I just typed that whole thing and found out now you're getting a Degu... heh.

[Sparky2006]

hehe! lol, Good points thought.

[Caitandcritters]

Hmm... Degus are fun. :)

I'd just like to add: A mouse's resp. system is MUCH more sensitive than a hamster's. By far. I use dirt for my mice, not only to reduce smell, but for the fact that it isn't dusty. Aspen and carefresh are much dustier, and yes, I do use all three substrates so I'm not talking out of my rear on this one. I'm debating dirt as a substrate for my LH syrians, as aspen just gets tangled and I dislike Carefresh in my tanks. But of course I won't be rushing into a decision willy nilly as they are doing fine on newspaper.

[JamesW123]

sorry Yorkie. And cait, you say dirt would be less dusty? because i didnt neccesarily mean soil i just meant something along those lines becasues i knew they liked to burrow.

[JamesW123]

this is the sit that gave me the idea to begin with
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/classroompets/mammals-hamsters.htm

just ctrl f and type in soil and it will bring you to the part i read

[snapplekid13]

Tia, are you flaming? Lol.

Anyway I see something REALLY wrong with the link you provided:

1. ''Release animal in the new substrate and observe initial behavior. Watch for signs of skin, eye, nose, or respiratory track irritation, as well as signs of extreme fear or discomfort that doesn't quiet down after two days.

2. Make sure the soil is bought in a bag, and make sure that it is made from organic materials with no fertilizers, plant food, or pesticides.

Watch out for creepy-crawlers that might evict your pet from it's home.


Dont you always have to watc out for sneezing wheezing and things though???? Dont you always have to watch out for "creepy crawlers"?

Wow we did all this and you decided to get a DEGU LOL!!!!

[JamesW123]

lol i really am sorry my mom just saw a degu in the pet store and after she did some web research she decided that it wold be a better choice.

sorry again. But,hey i do want a hamster in the furture so...

[Caitandcritters]

By dirt I mean the all purpose, untreated, dirt. I get it at wal-mart, and either freeze or bake it depending on how much I bought or how soon I need it. :) Its about... Oh 94 cents a bag, and it works well. For mice, anyway. Still debating on the hamster part, myself. :)

[animalmagic]

I am so sick of this you guys. We all mean well, it just comes across in different ways because not everybody is the same. I know you all mean well. You do. I know. It's just people's personalities clash, but we really do need to find a way to stop the explosion that keeps happening.

Seriously, I'm gonna say what I feel. Tia, it seems like when there's a disagreement on this forum you seem to be in the middle, and you are usually the one to start name-calling. You gotta remember that a lot of the people on here are a lot younger than you. Respect that! Some are just kids trying to help.

Which leads on to my next point. Petluver- you offer good advice, I find you helpful on this forum. Also, you seem to have turned a corner now where you ask questions before flaming people, which is great. However, and I don't mean this in a horrible way but sometimes I do find your posts incredibly patronising. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm sure that many members are older than you and it's kinda weird to be spoken to like a 5 year old from someone that's younger than you.

To the "newbies", don't worry, everyone here is really nice, they just all care a lot about animals and sometimes it comes out the wrong way. Everyone, remember that you haven't all always been experienced- everyone was a "newbie" once, you gotta start somewhere.
I know the new people wanna offer help and advice, and that's cool, just don't offer definite advice unless you're 100% sure you know what you're talking about.

Also, just because you're a newbie on PetsHub doesn't necessarily mean that you're a newbie to hamsters, or dogs, or whatever people are talking about. They may know more than you give them credit for. I think we need to stop judging people by the number of posts they have on PH.

That's all I shall say for now- I'm sorry if I offend or upset anyone. I'm prepared for the flaming, which is probably inevitable :rolleyes:

[animalmagic]

Oh, and James- good luck with your degu! I hope you have a lot of fun with him/her. Do lots of research and check out the degu forum- I'm sure they'd love a new degu owner, cause they don't get many over there :goodvibes:

[Spudnik]

Great post Abby.

[Yorkie Licious1]

Yea... that was good!

To whomever posted about my post...

Think about it... why would a hamster have extreme fear on Carefresh or aspen???

Dirt obviously has more risks... because people don't know a whole lot about it as a substrate yet... plus think about it... dirt has more dust... plus it is totally un-natural for their habitat...

Desert sand would be the best bet... because it is native to their habitat and heavier so it might not cause a URP.

On the other hand... being it is heavier... that could also pose a problem of it colapsing during tunneling.

And play-sand is not a good idea because the silica could pose a health problem... but I don't know.

So, I'd stick to Carefresh or aspen before risking it.

For a hammie anyway.

Good luck with the Degu... RESEARCH!!!!

[Caitandcritters]

plus think about it... dirt has more dust...

Again... I find the dirt that I buy is LESS dusty than Carefresh or aspen. Maybe its just the type I buy, but my mice (who, as I stated before, have a much more sensitive resp. system than hamsters) do great on it with no URI's to report.

plus it is totally un-natural for their habitat...

Just found this part funny... As obviously you can find Carefresh and wood chips lying around in Syria... *giggle* But I get your point. ;) :)

[TiaMaria]

Mice have lived in dirt and such for years and years even before they were tamed. Hamsters haven't, you wanna be a retard, go do it elsewhere and not on this forum. I've had about enough of you!

[Sparky2006]

"plus it is totally un-natural for their habitat... "

good point!!!! lol

whats URP????

on the other hand-- RESEARCH!

[Spudnik]

Nice to see that all members here are capable of mature conversation without hurling insults. :rolleyes:

[Sparky2006]

yes....


whats URP?

[animalmagic]

Do you mean URI? If so, that's an upper respiratory infection. Small animals like hamsters and mice can get them easily from things like pine or cedar bedding etc. They have very delicate respiratory systems. Bless!

[Sparky2006]

oh okay! but i new they have delicate respiratory systems i just didnt know what it was! thx

yeah bless!

P.s. what about gerbils?

[Moosley]

Gerbils do great in 'soil'! :) i can tell you that, plus their fur is slicker and the soil doesnt get in their fur, they are also far better at tunneling.

By URP i think they were generalising it as 'upper respiratory problems'.

[animalmagic]

Ohh I see. Thanks Moosely :)

[Caitandcritters]

Mice have lived in dirt and such for years and years even before they were tamed. Hamsters haven't, you wanna be a retard, go do it elsewhere and not on this forum. I've had about enough of you!

^^^^ Better not be directed at me, because more people are tired of your stank comments and attitude, missy.

Anyways.

[Sparky2006]

shut up all of u!

[bubblz]

Hey Tia you know I have no issues with you at all but I'm not a fan of the retard comment. I work with kids who are diagnosed as retarded. (And Btw the more I work with them the more I wonder how others escaped that diagnosis) I understand the frustration but I just hate the word :)

[Spudnik]

Bubblz, you're the first person I've spoken to on here that shares my opinion on the use of that word. :)

[bubblz]

I equate it with using racial slurs. Especially considering the poor kids who are "retarded" get such a bad name and some of them have much more common sense than "normal people"

[animalmagic]

There's a reason it is not commonly used anymore. You would think that people were above it now, because words with that meaning should have been eradicated by now, as people are supposed to be better educated nowadays.

There is a big difference between calling someone an 'idiot' and calling them a 'retard'. Because clearly, whoever it was directed at, however stupid or foolish they might be, is not a 'retard'

[bubblz]

if you want to get techinal idiot and even moron are techinicaly meducal terms that defince certian IQ level and other behaviors....it's crazy how many everyday words go back to being insulting some where in their lineage.
Also some words efeect some more than others.
An arguement is not what I was looking for and I wasn't looking for anyone else to come down on someone for a world that I don't like.
really not that big of a deal. If we all wnet completley politically correct in everything we said or did imagine the content and emotion that would be lost
;)

[animalmagic]

It's true. I do feel that at times political correctness is necessary but then again at other times people can go overboard with being politically correct, for example the "baa baa black sheep" nursery rhyme being changed to "baa baa white sheep" to be politically correct. It can border on the ridiculous. ANYWAY, way, way :offtopic: there!

Lol.

[PetLuver21257]

Bubblz, I totally agree with you! When people say that, I just get so angry! Expecially since my uncle's retarted... :(

[Pepperland]

I know! I also hate it when people use the term "gay" as a synonym for stupid. My uncle also has problems (he is extremely paranoid; he believes everyone wants to hurt him).

[PetLuver21257]

Yes the use of gay also is just absurd!

[bubblz]

gay is not a medical term. it's an adj. that means happy that the homosexual crowd choose to use as a way of saying they are happy as homosexuals.
I don't think the two are in the same catagory of wrongs.

[PetLuver21257]

No, they are. I know what gay means, but people say like,

"OMG, you are so gay! That's the stupidest thing ever! You guys are so GAY!"

They don't mean it as happy.... :(

[bubblz]

I just think the word has no context anymore becuase it has be given so many sub-cultural definitions.
I think words like retard are much, much worse.

[PetLuver21257]

Yes retard is worse, but seriously, on a lot of boards on the internet, when people disagree they all start saying, "You are so gay... blah blah blah..."

Eh, whateva....

[bubblz]

it just shows some people have no class and when they have nothing left to convince one of their arguement they call the other person gay. I noticed boy are quicker to use that one (maybe because females have so many other nasty terms for eachother)

[bubblz]

well I don't want to make this out to be Like I started a witch hunt or anything. I like Tia, I think she's funny, knowledegable, and she's defended me to other little trolls here.
So I don't want this to get out of hand :)

[Sparky2006]

I live with a "retarded" cousin, and i dont mind the word too much, but i dont call people it.

"baa baa white sheep!

here there saying baa baa rainbow sheep!

now thats unnessary!!

I think people go over the top about sexist and racial things. Like the gollywogs
teddybares someone was selling here, they said it was racist. HOW IS IT RASIST! things like that piss me off.

OT ! lol but people who speak another language and LIVE here are stubborn. (no offence) That they should speak English, like if we went to live in a country with a diff language, we spaek their languags, why can they ours?? (i had to state that point.)

[Sparky2006]

And the gay thing, i hate that! But i do say it some times (not really anymore)....i try not to. But What is so bad about gay people there okay, just like straight people.

[Spudnik]

OT ! lol but people who speak another language and LIVE here are stubborn. (no offence) That they should speak English, like if we went to live in a country with a diff language, we spaek their languags, why can they ours?? (i had to state that point.)

Many English people living in other countries are VERY stubborn and disrespectful of other cultures. I don't think that people speaking their native language is harming anybody. We shouldn't be listening into their conversations anyway :p

[Sparky2006]

"Many English people living in other countries are VERY stubborn and disrespectful of other cultures. I don't think that people speaking their native language is harming anybody. We shouldn't be listening into their conversations anyway "


i know but they should speak that language aswell

[TiaMaria]

Wow..I disappear for a day and come abck to find like 5 pages of what words are inappropriate to use! Although I find this serious a part of me just want to laugh because in todays world many words such as gay and retarded are use to define many different words such as gay can mean hommosexual, happy, or stupid and retarded can mean handicapped, stupid, special needs etc. I won't say it's appropriate to go around calling everyone those names but shit happens. If people want to argue and be totally dense to the information stated and go against it and are willing to harm their beloved pets they are every word in the book. I really don't care if people don't like my post because they are truthful and knowledgable. I could care less if people think they are rude because they can go put their head between their legs and complain about it to someone who really cares. This isn't meant to be a big forum about mean "words" it's suppose to be about helping hamsters. If someone doesn't take your advice and the many others that advise against it than they are "retarded" and not in the handicapped or special needs way, so I'll say they are STUPID! I also hate people like cait..or whomever, that just jumped into the post and start mouthing off when they've not even read the whole thing, ya..you're not to bright are you?! Read the whole post before you comment and stop lipping off at me because I have more knowledge and smarts than you do. (this whole statement, comment is not to be taken harshly, especially by my friends here in petshub that do have brains, the rest of you..well you're just shit outta luck!)

[Sparky2006]

humph...........

[TiaMaria]

Your my friend Sparky..suck it up hun! :p

[animalmagic]

I don't know if you meant me in that post- but just wanted to say that I respect your posts as you are clearly very knowledgeable and it's helpful to have someone who knows what they are talking about.

So if I badmouthed you, which I don't think I technically did- I apologise, but I stand by whatever i said!

[TiaMaria]

No I'm not replying to you in that post, there are certain people i respect and have be-friended here, such as you, sparky, moosley, spudnik, chaos, bubblz..etc. There are more names..but im just too pregnant to think straight right now..lol..must lay down!

[animalmagic]

Too pregnant to think straight.. LOL that's good.

Have a nice lay down! I'm going to bed, it's 23:16 here :tired:

[bubblz]

Tia hormones goign bonkies? LOl I didn't want to bad mouth you and I tried to make sure I made that clear. No hard felling I hope :0

[TiaMaria]

Yea..my horomones are off the charts..just love me :D I try! :)

[Sparky2006]

"Your my friend Sparky..suck it up hun! "

Haha! lol, im glad im your freind! Thx!

"Yea..my horomones are off the charts..just love me I try! "

i will try...no promises tho! lol!

[TiaMaria]

hehe, s'all good :D

[Sparky2006]

good good! (that was point less....) lol

[Yorkie Licious1]

WOW!!!!!

What went on here when I was gone????

[TiaMaria]

I unno Yorkie..

[Yorkie Licious1]

Wow, wow, wow...

[Yorkie Licious1]

I totally agree with you Tia! Sometimes I can get really irritated at people who don't know what they are talking about!!

[bubblz]

Yorkie your pretty cool but you get jumpy sometimes. I mean absolutley no disrespect and I want to say that right away. I get stressed out when I see you jump on other people (namely me that day in the dog forum). I think sometimes you're too quick to get hostile when you don't know all the facts. But I loves ya all the same

[Yorkie Licious1]

Ya... I do think I get pretty jumpy sometimes... sorry.

I just understand what Tia is saying... but I also understand what your saying...

Soooooo... I guess... I just learned how to be that way from the tough experiences I've had with some people... but that's no excuse...

[Yorkie Licious1]

:heartbeat Awwwws... I wuv u 2! :heartbeat

[TiaMaria]

Yea, I just spazzed out at Yorkie ont he cat forums for that crap.

[Yorkie Licious1]

Yeah. And I'm not mad at you...

[TiaMaria]

You still aren't understand the full situation on there though Yorkie. You need to put yourself in this little girls shoes, she feels helpless and alone and just lost her bestfriend because her parents arent intelligent enough to have her fixed.

[Spudnik]

Try not to patronise her, though. As an adolescent she might not appreaciate being referred to as a 'little girl' :p

[Yorkie Licious1]

What... girls at 13 are not stupid.

They know that the cat should be spayed.

[bubblz]

She has no money or control. You need to remember that.

[Yorkie Licious1]

Exactly... but I always persued my parents to do the right thing.

[muse]

My dwarf Drexel lives in soil and he loves it. Along with my two mice.

There is nothing wrong with it. It's great. You get NO smell and you only have to change it about once a month. Not to mention it's only about $3 for a big bag.

Just make SURE that if you do get soil that it's organic, don't get any that has feed, fertiliser or pesticides in it.

[Yorkie Licious1]

Muse... he has already decided to get a Degu... and keeping a hammie in soil is not smart.

[Moosley]

at least it wasnt off topic ;)

[muse]

Muse... he has already decided to get a Degu... and keeping a hammie in soil is not smart.

So? I figured I'd still post, no reason not to.

And no it's not. Hamsters live in the dirt in the wild, it's perfectly fine if done properly. I have an exotic vets conformation on this.

[Yorkie Licious1]

SO... some vets don't know what they are talking about.

And no... hamsters don't live in dirt in the wild... they live in sand.

So I think you might reasearch more before you give advice you don't even know about.

[muse]

SO... some vets don't know what they are talking about.

And no... hamsters don't live in dirt in the wild... they live in sand.

So I think you might reasearch more before you give advice you don't even know about.

Excuse me? I know what I'm talking about and so does my vet, he's been treating exotic animals for almost 24 years now. I know MANY people who use soil for their hamster, it's rather common actually. I know one person who is a WW breeder and she's had her hams on soil for years now and all her hams are tip top. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with using it.

You needn't be so negative.

[muse]

And not all hamsters live in sand. Some are from Siberia, etc. :rolleyes:

[Yorkie Licious1]

There are no hamsters from Sibera... I think that you mean Syria... and SAND is the main substrate.

If you know so much it looks like you and your vet would have cought that. ;)

[Spudnik]

Aren't winter whites also known as Siberian hamsters?

You guys just reminded me of a Fawlty Towers episode :p

[SodaCan]

Um, yeah. I hate to jump into this sort of conversation, but hey, it's fun! Yes, the two middle dwarf species (P. sungorus and P. campbelli) both come from arid, cold climates where, oh my gosh! They live on dirt and in and around grass sometimes!

[muse]

There are no hamsters from Sibera... I think that you mean Syria... and SAND is the main substrate.

If you know so much it looks like you and your vet would have cought that. ;)

Yes there is. Phodopus Sungorus (ie "Winter White", "Siberian Hamster".) is indeed a variety of hamster.

Perhaps you should get your facts straight before posting advice and not trying to be such a knowitall, hm?

[muse]

Regardless, I'm done with this topic. I've posted my input.

Ciao.

[bubblz]

Yorkie this is what we were talking about. Jumping on people. It's not nice.
Besides that's cool that your parents will let you persuade them but mosty 13 year old kids pull no weight with parents :)