DealDash Pet Talk: Hamster

Most kids would love to have a pet. Sometimes it just isn’t practical to have a cat or dog. How about a hamster?

I admit it, hamsters are not as exciting a pet as a cat or dog. However, they can be great fun, especially for younger kids. They have all of the great hallmarks of a perfect first pet; they are inexpensive, their habitat can be easily purchased and not very expensive, and they are easy to keep as a pet.

There are different breeds of hamster, but if you are going to your local Petco you will probably see short and long-haired European hamsters. When you get your hamster they will probably be a baby or young hamster, not yet fully grown. When they are adults they will be around 5 inches long and can live between 2 and 3 years with good care.

When you are shopping for your new pet hamster be sure to look for one that has bright clear eyes, is active, and doesn’t have any kind of moisture or wet look neat it’s tail. The best way to pick a great pet is to make sure that you get the healthiest one that you can find.

As I said before, the hamster and it’s supplies are fairly reasonably priced, and they don’t need a lot of accessories to be happy. The hamster itself should be between $12-20 if you go to a chain pet store. Below I will list the supplies that you will need to get your new little furry buddy off to a good start.

• Cage
• Bedding – high quality paper bedding, crumbled paper bedding, or hardwood shavings. Cedar-based products are not suitable. They can give your furry friend a respiratory infection.
• Water bottle & food dish
• Food (prepared hamster pellet diet as well as fresh fruit and timothy hay)
• Wheel (for exercise)
• Chew sticks

That’s all you really need to get started. I would suggest getting the biggest cage that’s reasonably priced and can fit easily where you plan to keep the cage. Hamsters love to run and climb, so multi-level cages with tubes are recommended but not required. When you are looking for a cage be sure that it’s made for hamsters and not a larger animal such as a guinea pig, because  a hamster can easily squeeze through the cage bars if they are spaced too far apart.

I hope that you found this article helpful to get your family a new little friend. If you’re looking for pet supplies DealDash has you covered! Check out DealDash’s pet section at this link right here. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!