# dwaft hamsters and children



## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

after much consideration 5 months ago i got my 10yr old daughter a dwarf hamster, she'd wanted one of her own for many yrs as we have plenty of mice, i had hoped she would want a mouse of her own but no she fell in love with a hamster and so we got hammy,:blink: well she's surpriced me she is really good with her and handles her daily without fail, she feeds her cleans her out remembers to add water and removes her wheel at night as she lives in her room and replases it in the morning. i was advised by all my family that the novalty would wear of very quickly so i'm a really proud mum that shes proved them all wrong, 

so when she ask me a few weeks ago for another pet to live in her room we went out and she chose a goldfish, we set up the tank and stabilised the water and flish came home 2 weeks ago again shes kept up with his cleaning feeding and turning on and off the air pump morning and night, 

sorry i have gone on but i am so please and proud at how she has managed to look after these animals, shes very deslexic and finds it hard to mix with other kids and its great to see her find something that she can do well in.


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Thats great that she has something in her life that she is in charge of and some pets to care for..


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

What breed of dwarf did you get? I love the dwarf ones. We have a Chinese (also from pets at home - couldn't resist cos she was all on her own and nothing to play with) and a Roborovski. Also got a Syrian too.

Well done to your daughter for looking after her hamster.


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

shes a chinese and shes lovely, so friendly, even i can hold her, lol she loves to come to the tanks side and get her treats, so so cute.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

miniloo said:


> after much consideration 5 months ago i got my 10yr old daughter a dwarf hamster, she'd wanted one of her own for many yrs as we have plenty of mice, i had hoped she would want a mouse of her own but no she fell in love with a hamster and so we got hammy,:blink: well she's surpriced me she is really good with her and handles her daily without fail, she feeds her cleans her out remembers to add water and removes her wheel at night as she lives in her room and replases it in the morning. i was advised by all my family that the novalty would wear of very quickly so i'm a really proud mum that shes proved them all wrong,
> 
> so when she ask me a few weeks ago for another pet to live in her room we went out and she chose a goldfish, we set up the tank and stabilised the water and flish came home 2 weeks ago again shes kept up with his cleaning feeding and turning on and off the air pump morning and night,
> 
> sorry i have gone on but i am so please and proud at how she has managed to look after these animals, shes very deslexic and finds it hard to mix with other kids and its great to see her find something that she can do well in.


Sounds like she is doing a good job. My two help out with my horde, its a great way to learn about pets and as long as you are there to back it up there's nothing wrong with that.

Well done her


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

ceretrea said:


> Sounds like she is doing a good job. My two help out with my horde, its a great way to learn about pets and as long as you are there to back it up there's nothing wrong with that.
> 
> Well done her


i check on hammy often. 
my daughter has always helpped me with all the animals and we have a few lol, she still has to help out on cleaning day and she is getting more helpful each week


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

And because she learns from you, she will be a fab pet owner when she's older.

Some people have qualms about children having pets, I say its down to the parents. If they don't care, the child has no chance. But if you are enthusiastic it will and does rub off


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

Aww bless her mine are the same at 5yrs old and 6yrs old BUT we have always had pets and it's always been part of our routine since they were 2-3ish I think it's made my kids more compassionate about animals etc 

My daughter got house points last yr in reception for being kind to animals and showing older children who to behave properly lol! 

I think pets are an amazing thing for children and even more so for children who have extra needs (my son being one!) they learn so much from them


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

its great your daughters looking after her so well, but it is cruel to remove a hamsters wheel at night, that is when they are most active and NEED their wheel

why dont you invest in a nice quiet wheel, the karlie wonderland wheel (the woden ones) are so quiet, all you ever hear is the patter of feet, if that.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Aww she sounds lovely. We've only had our Chinese a few weeks but she is very very shy and only seems to come out when we go to bed. I hope she gets a bit braver as she gets older.

This is her..


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

Lil Miss said:


> its great your daughters looking after her so well, but it is cruel to remove a hamsters wheel at night, that is when they are most active and NEED their wheel
> 
> why dont you invest in a nice quiet wheel, the karlie wonderland wheel (the woden ones) are so quiet, all you ever hear is the patter of feet, if that.


we have tried several different wheels, but they all keep her awake. and i know that hammy is happy with his tubes and other toys, thats she can use quietly in the night, shes also learnt to wake up in the early morning so that she can play in her wheel it seems to work for her, if i thought for a second that i was being cruel then i wouldn't have a pet at all.

also as my daughter is awake from 4 in the morning hammy has plenty of early morning wheel time.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

miniloo said:


> we have tried several different wheels, but they all keep her awake. and i know that hammy is happy with his tubes and other toys, thats she can use quietly in the night, shes also learnt to wake up in the early morning so that she can play in her wheel it seems to work for her, if i thought for a second that i was being cruel then i wouldn't have a pet at all.
> 
> also as my daughter is awake from 4 in the morning hammy has plenty of early morning wheel time.


I think cruel is a little harsh.

Have you tried the Flying Saucer wheel? We never hear our mice on theirs.


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

ceretrea said:


> I think cruel is a little harsh.
> 
> Have you tried the Flying Saucer wheel? We never hear our mice on theirs.


we have flying saucer wheels hammy has never used hers, it was in for over a month and she never once payed it any attention, she seems to prefer to climb,


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

Some rodents need to be taught what it is or how to use it. A dab of something tasty on the 11 or 1 position helps or putting them on it to make it turn.

Out of all my mice, about half knew how to use it straight away and half didn't


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

miniloo said:


> we have tried several different wheels, but they all keep her awake. and i know that hammy is happy with his tubes and other toys, thats she can use quietly in the night, shes also learnt to wake up in the early morning so that she can play in her wheel it seems to work for her, if i thought for a second that i was being cruel then i wouldn't have a pet at all.
> 
> also as my daughter is awake from 4 in the morning hammy has plenty of early morning wheel time.


have you tried one of these?
Wonderland Exercise Wheel: Great Small Pet Accessories at zooplus

they are so quiet its untrue, if you really cant find a wheel that your daugther can sleep through you need to move the hamster, it is not fair on the hamster to remove the wheel at night, they need it, in the wild they would run anything up to and over 10 miles in a single night, they can not do that without a wheel


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> its great your daughters looking after her so well, but it is cruel to remove a hamsters wheel at night, that is when they are most active and NEED their wheel
> 
> why dont you invest in a nice quiet wheel, the karlie wonderland wheel (the woden ones) are so quiet, all you ever hear is the patter of feet, if that.


Yeah this was what I was gonna say...hamster really do need a wheel at night....they can run up to 8 miles a night on it! But the Karlie one I hear is the best!

But seriously your little girl sounds very mature for her age...responsible! It's a wonderful thing to see!!!!!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> have you tried one of these?
> Wonderland Exercise Wheel: Great Small Pet Accessories at zooplus
> 
> they are so quiet its untrue, if you really cant find a wheel that your daugther can sleep through you need to move the hamster, it is not fair on the hamster to remove the wheel at night, they need it, in the wild they would run anything up to and over 10 miles in a single night, they can not do that without a wheel


Wouldn't they smell if the hamster wees in them? My chinese hamster has a silent spinner but she always wees in it. I want a wodent wheel for our Syrian as he has the savic rolly wheel that comes with the hamster heaven but it doesn't half make a noise and the piggies are in the kitchen at night, I think he gives them all headache.:laugh:


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Wouldn't they smell if the hamster wees in them? My chinese hamster has a silent spinner but she always wees in it. I want a wodent wheel for our Syrian as he has the savic rolly wheel that comes with the hamster heaven but it doesn't half make a noise and the piggies are in the kitchen at night, I think he gives them all headache.:laugh:


iv never had that problem, but if you have a hamster that loves to wheel in their wheel you can spray it with plastikote, which gives the surface a wipe clean plastic effect, it is safe if nibbled at too

i hate the rolly jumbos, not only are they load, but the spindles are beggers for snapping lol, i only have karlie wheels and wodent wheels, if it was a choice between the 2 though, i would vote karlie, they are quieter and more stable then the wodent, also the wodents sometimes trap food and such in them and end up rattling till you tip them out


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> iv never had that problem, but if you have a hamster that loves to wheel in their wheel you can spray it with plastikote, which gives the surface a wipe clean plastic effect, it is safe if nibbled at too
> 
> i hate the rolly jumbos, not only are they load, but the spindles are beggers for snapping lol, i only have karlie wheels and wodent wheels, if it was a choice between the 2 though, i would vote karlie, they are quieter and more stable then the wodent, also the wodents sometimes trap food and such in them and end up rattling till you tip them out


No I can't say I'm thrilled with them to be honest especially with the noise they make. Might try the Karlie for the Syrian then as he doesn't tend to wee in his wheel. It will be the £12.99 one for a Syrian won't it?


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> No I can't say I'm thrilled with them to be honest especially with the noise they make. Might try the Karlie for the Syrian then as he doesn't tend to wee in his wheel. It will be the £12.99 one for a Syrian won't it?


yep, unless your syrian is a big heffalump that one is perfect (20cm equates to 7.9inch) if your ham is a heffalump, there is a 29cm version, not sure where sells it without looking though :lol: 
but if he fits the rolly jumbo fine he will fit that one fine


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> yep, unless your syrian is a big heffalump that one is perfect (20cm equates to 7.9inch) if your ham is a heffalump, there is a 29cm version, not sure where sells it without looking though :lol:
> but if he fits the rolly jumbo fine he will fit that one fine


Well he's only a baby yet, we've only had him about a month or so so maybe I will see how big he grows first. :laugh:


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Well he's only a baby yet, we've only had him about a month or so so maybe I will see how big he grows first. :laugh:


is he a pet store hamster? pet store hamsters are very unlikely to outgrow the 20cm one, none of mine have outgrown it, ever :lol:

if you want ill go snap you a pic of some one on theres so you can see what they are like size wise


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> is he a pet store hamster? pet store hamsters are very unlikely to outgrow the 20cm one, none of mine have outgrown it, ever :lol:
> 
> if you want ill go snap you a pic of some one on theres so you can see what they are like size wise


Yes he was from Pets at Home, this is him..









Yes please.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

he is lush, if hes from PAH i doubt he will out grow a 20cm wheel, how old is he?

just uploading pictures


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

please excuse the state of the wheel its one of my "spare" ones, i was going to get betty on her wheel, but i found her curled up in her nest when i went up, poor old girl, had seen it coming for a while, she was old and badly bred, and the rest of her line, apart from 2 of her daughters, are gone (big rescue) 

my other 2 syrians with karlie wheels are badly bred titches (have already lost 3 from their line, again rescues)

so i got boo boo out and used the spare karlie


























for the OP i have a vid uploading too, which shows just how quiet the karlie is


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> he is lush, if hes from PAH i doubt he will out grow a 20cm wheel, how old is he?
> 
> just uploading pictures


Probably about 10-12 weeks I would think.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Probably about 10-12 weeks I would think.


bless him, he will probably grow a bit more then, they tend to stop growing around 4 - 5 months ish

this is a vid of Boo boo on the wheel, so quiet
YouTube - Boo Boo


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Lil Miss said:


> please excuse the state of the wheel its one of my "spare" ones, i was going to get betty on her wheel, but i found her curled up in her nest when i went up, poor old girl, had seen it coming for a while, she was old and badly bred, and the rest of her line, apart from 2 of her daughters, are gone (big rescue)
> 
> my other 2 syrians with karlie wheels are badly bred titches (have already lost 3 from their line, again rescues)
> 
> ...


Aww sorry to hear about Betty.

Yes it looks quite big - what size is that one?


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Aww sorry to hear about Betty.
> 
> Yes it looks quite big - what size is that one?


thanks hun, knew it was coming but im still gutted to have lost her, poor old girl
its the 20 cm one


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

ty for your sygetion of a different wheel again i will try it. 
As for taking the hamster out of her room i believe that my daughter would see this as a punishment and that would be of no help to anyone. like i have said hammy has access to her wheel from 4am until 8pm and her cage is huge, she also comes out and goes in her ball during the day, she has climing ropes and hamocks, tubes and other toys that she can use i am sure that she is not under exercised, 

but like i said i will see if i can get this new wheel and hope that it works.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

miniloo said:


> ty for your sygetion of a different wheel again i will try it.
> As for taking the hamster out of her room i believe that my daughter would see this as a punishment and that would be of no help to anyone. like i have said hammy has access to her wheel from 4am until 8pm and her cage is huge, she also comes out and goes in her ball during the day, she has climing ropes and hamocks, tubes and other toys that she can use i am sure that she is not under exercised,
> 
> but like i said i will see if i can get this new wheel and hope that it works.


sorry but if your daughter is as responsiable as she sounds im sure she will understand if you explain it to her, it doesnt need to be a full time move, when your daughter goes to bed you could move hammie into say the bathroom, then when she gets up move her back

im sure if you explained to your daughter that taking hammies wheel away at night is like taking her favorite toy away when she wants to play with it, she would have no problem

but yes i would deffinatly try the karlie, they are a bit more expensive then normal wheels but so so so worth it


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