Syrians

[ratbrat21]

Ok I was talking to hubby and he said i can have a syrian hamster for christmas. Since I have lost so many pets, whether by death or the ones I rehomed. Is there anything i need to know about syrians? I know they are big. I know they have to be by themselves. I have a harlan teklad lab blocks i feed all my rodents with some seeds for the smaller rodents. Anything else thats important? I'm doing research now and until i get one. So yay im so excited. I have never had a syrian before!! :)

[HandcuffedAngel]

- Hidey house [like a Timber Hide-A-Way or something like the igloos].

- A wheel [not wire].

- Carefresh or Aspen bedding.

- Toilet paper or paper towel tubes.

- Something to chew on [even the tubes work out okay].

Fun, but not a necessity:

- Some type of playhouse like the paper houses or wooden play houses for hamsters.

- Sand bath.

- Run-About Ball.

Remember not to feed anything by Kaytee! They use ethoxyquin, which is commonly used as a pesticide.

[calikid]

LUCKY YOU!!!!! i have 2 syrain hamsters and there one of the best pets ive ever owned lol what hancuffed angel said is about all you need but i would really recommend NOT GETTING A PLASTIC CAGE LIKE A S.A.M there a bit too small for adult syrains :)

[Punkygirl0101]

There is not anything different about owning Syrians than dwarves, except for Syrians being solitary! Good Luck Joelle! I can't believe you have never had a Syrian before! They are great, and tend to be easier to handle than dwarves.

[janie36]

Maybe a small rock or two, to help keep their nails down!
Lots of room, as they love to explore, we have ours on several levels, as in the wild they live in a system of burrows!
Good luck with your new Ham bam! They're excellent pets:-)

[Chaos]

I don't want to be the one to point this out, but I know how desperate you were when you had to rehome your ratties, and I know one of the reasons was vet bills, as well as affording things like hammocks and rat toys. Syrians are more hardy than rats (especially respiratory-wise) but chances are your hammie will need to see a vet at least once. Syrians are also very smart, and need a good bit of human interaction and free time, just like rats. I guess I just don't really understand having to rehome a few animals because of financial or other reasons, and adopting another animal which needs time, money, a cage, proper food, and plenty of toys. Please think it through, and make sure you can afford the animal for its entire life. I'm really not trying to be mean here, but its something you seriously need to consider.

[CookieDough24]

Good advice. Althought I am happy for you that you can get one, make sure you are able to take care of it first. Some people think (not saying that you do)that hamsters are just little toys that you can throw in a cage and watch run on its wheel. But they are so much more! I don't think I have to worry about you thinking like this as I see you have a dwarf, but I just wanted to make sure! Good luck!!! :)

[Punkygirl0101]

I have to agree with Chaos! You have had to rehome a large number of your rodents for financial reasons, and because you had too many! And I am pretty sure recently you have said you are having trouble getting everyone to the vet! I think you should hold off on the Syrian for a while!

[dwankrista]

I'm with Chaos and Punky on this one.

[ratbrat21]

thanks for all the helpful advice. When i say for christmas i dont mean like right on christmas....sorry if that confused everyone. I'm not sure when really. And yes i know i had to rehome rats. Mainly cuz i kinda had a little rescue going and i couldnt care for those rats that had a cronic URI. I can afford vet bills....just not all the time which is what those rats needed. I'm in no hurry. Just kinda sitting back and doing research. Sorry...i seem to confuse everyone alot. I dont type to well and its hard to express whats really happening. But yes the reason i rehomed the rats was cuz of the cronic URI. And I dont see any harm in 1 hamster....yes all my pets get alot of attention. :)

[CookieDough24]

I'm not loaded by any means, but if my hammie or any other of my pets got sick, you could bet I would take them to the vet before I got those new shoes I've been wanting! The truth is, you never know when someone could have to go to the vets, so if you can't always have a little money saved, like in a separate account for emergencies involving your pets, then you shouldn't have pets. And its not just "one hamster", its a living, breathing animal, not something you can just stack on a shelf when your done with it.

[ratbrat21]

i totally didnt mean it like that. I mean you all act like im getting alot. I did just have a dwarf hamster die AND a mouse. Its not like im getting over what i had. And besides i already said im not sure when. I wanna make sure i get what i want...in color and temperment. All i wanted was a little help. And i do thank you for the help i did get. I'll remember next time to just do research on my own and not ask here again.