Mike’s Fish Tank – Hamsters

Instead of fish this week, I want to talk about hamsters. A lot of people have hamsters and here is some info on them.

Generally hamsters live 2 to 3 years. The most common problem they face is wet tail. This is usually caused by stress. It causes massive diarrhea and can and will kill your hamster if not treated right away. There is a product called dri tail which usually works well if used in the beginning stages of wet tail. Hamsters can catch colds easily, so keep them away from drafts. If a hamster falls out of your hand onto the floor, it could seriously hurt itself, even die. Be sure to hold your hamster over a bed or down low, so if it falls, the hamster will have a better chance of not being injured.

Hamsters can have babies every 19-21 days, and they can start producing young at an early age. You do not need to remove the father. If a parent decides to kill the babies, It is usually the mom, not the dad. Some first time moms don’t know what to do and they may not take care of their babies. The next time she has babies, she usually does a much better job. Never feed Department or grocery store foods. It usually is not as fresh and a lot of the nutrition is lost thus shortening your hamsters life. We suggest seed as more of a treat. We prefer the square meal chunks. Hamsters love it. It’s a chunky food that also helps keep the animals teeth filed down. Plus it is filled with all kinds of minerals and vitamins. For treats, maybe a little bit of carrot ,but just a little. They also make a variety of hamster treats which we stock right here at our store. Those are made especially for hamsters and are safe.

When you first get your new hamster home, give him a few days to settle in. He or she will be afraid after being in a box, a car ride and then having all those new smells at your house. Sometimes they are more apt to bite when they are scared. So let them settle in before handling too much. Also, a lot of hamsters and other small animals are allergic to cedar bedding. To be on the safe side use pine or fresh world. They are safe and will not harm your pet. Some Department store sell a pine cedar mix so be careful where you buy your bedding. Many small animals can die after being exposed to cedar bedding

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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