Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat

1. 

   I know its not a cat, but they're still pretty cute anyway! Here are videos of Gizmo, my darling and loving Syrian hamster, and Sparky, the new hamster we got on Saturday. This is the little guy that was needing a special adoption because he was older so everyone was ignoring him. Still working on getting him settled in, he seems much more active than Gizmo but that might just be because he's not settled in yet. Hope you like the vids!

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G074qeJ3psc - Sparky
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_AFX-2kWzg - Gizmo

   Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

2. 

   Hi Metsa, I'm letting Airy know about this thread. She really wants a hamster but won't get one until she has a job. She has the hamster cage already. Oh, she's in LA not NZ, we don't have hamsters here.

   Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #

3. 

   Why don't you have hamsters in NZ? Lol that she has the cage but not the inhabitant! I wasn't too keen on the idea myself - a rodent was always a prey animal to me and not a pet - until we got Gizmo and she is so great and gentle and cute, I really came round to them. If she has a cage like Sparky's one with tubes, be aware that golden/syrian hamsters can get stuck in the pipes - Gizmo did and hence the change to a larger, pipe-less cage. Apparently hamsters have been known to suffocate or have heart attacks when they get stuck. Sparky is so small that its more of a struggle for him to climb them than a risk of getting stuck.

   Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

4. 

   Metsa, he's adorable, I forwarded your link to Son, who will appreciate that since he has some too! Remember to scoop him with you hands together underneath him to pick him up, that way, he won't bite..... the dwarfs are more prone to bite than the 'bigger' ones.....

   Posted 2 years ago by AV #

5. 

   I think her cage does have tubes so I'll make sure she reads this thread Metsa. Don't know exactly why we don't have hamsters in NZ but I'm guessing it's because they are rodents and if they get free into the outside habitat they could well become a pest and possibly a threat to plant life. There is a lot we don't have here, being a fairly isolated island. There are a lot of animals that were brought here when NZ was first settled in the 1800's that have become terrible pests, rabbits and possums are the worst. So we keep out anything that might upset our ecological balance.

   Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #

6. 

   Just watched both videos and they are cute as can be Metsa, I can see why Airy wants one. My mother fell in love with her great niece's hamster while staying in London, she said it never ceased to make her laugh with it's mad antics.

   Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #

7. 

   AV - hmm, we'll have to see if that works. I put my hand in there yesterday, for him to get used to my presense and smell. He was on a platform, like in the video, so I put my hand near it. He noticed me after a minute or so, jumped onto my hand, bit each finger then went back to the platform and carried on what he was doing. Luckily I was wearing gloves, so he didnt actually hurt me. I'm not sure if it was curiosity or aggression or fear. He didn't seem more bothered than normal, he's always more twitchy than Gizmo but I suspect it's normal for him.

   Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

8. 

   Awww, Metsa, sounds like curiosity to me... maybe he's like a toddler, has to test everything by putting it in his little mouth...

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

9. 

   Metsa, they are both so cute!! Sparky is a doll and who could pass him up! I am glad you gave him a loving home. I love his cage, very nice. It's actually bigger than my house.

   Posted 2 years ago by cricketsmama #

10. 

    Bump :)

    Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

11. 

    Metsa, your babies are SO cute and I am very impressed with the condo...those are some digs!!! :)

    Posted 2 years ago by katthays #

12. 

    I too love the hamster condo. We have had hamsters in the past and they are the sweetest little creatures!

    Posted 2 years ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #

13. 

    Little update on Sparky. Just had him out of the cage for the first time, opened the door and let him come out in his own time, had my gloves on luckily :D. He came onto my hands fine, nibbled everything again. It looks like he's grabbing and biting, but I think its more nibbling. He caught my b/f, who wasn't wearing gloves, and didnt break the skin or leave a mark; I suspect it just looks so vicious because he's such a fast little creature. We gave him a few minutes to settle down, then let him come out again, and let him have an explore of the sofa for a few minutes. He nibbled everything! Including this laptops' power cable, moved him quickly off that! Feeling so much more positive now though that he'll become fully tame and happy :).

    Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

14. 

    Cute hamsters, Metsa!! I love the huge cage/habitat you have for them. :)

    Posted 2 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #

15. 

    Just buried Sparky tonight sadly :(. He died when I went away to my sister's wedding. He was fine the morning I left, but when my fiance arrived home from work and went to take them to the hamster sitter, he found he was dead. Sigh, poor little Sparky. He was only about 6 months old, there must have been something wrong inside him. I hope he was happy with us while we had him.

    Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

16. 

    Oh Metsa, I'm sorry. From everything you said I think Sparky was definitely happy with you. He was certainly well cared for and loved.

    {{Metsa}}

    Posted 2 years ago by Kilroy #

17. 

    Oh Metsa....I'm sorry to hear about your little Sparky. He was so cute. I hope he didn't suffer. (((Metsa))) =(

    Posted 2 years ago by Karenopa #

18. 

    I hope so too, Karen. And I hope you're right, Kilroy, I feel guilty like maybe I should have realised he was sick. I mean, I knew he had vision problems and couldn't walk right, that's why I suspect there was more wrong with him that killed him. And I should have known - I had one of the funny thoughts I have sometimes the night before - 'something is congentially wrong with Sparky. We shouldn't expect to keep him long.' Sigh, I just hope he was happy, he seemed to be and I don't think we could have done more. But still feel guilty, guess it'll pass.

    Posted 2 years ago by metsa #

19. 

    I'm so sorry Metsa {{{hugs}}}

    Posted 2 years ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #

20. 

    Metsa, I am so sorry to hear about Sparky. But you gave him a good home and you couldn't have known that there was something wrong. Please don't feel guilty - you gave Sparky the chance that probably most would not. He was loved!

    Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #

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