Help! Hamster Questions! A New Owner! U Wouldn't Believe How I Got It

[j@cko]

Ok... I didn't really want to own any pet until this thing came up. FYI, I live in a school rez. Tonite I heard my neighbor sizzling outside so I went out to check out what was going on. When I got out, I saw one of the girls had a shovel in her hand and looked like she was trying to kill a hamster. I asked her why she wanted to kill it; she told me that they bought it a couple days ago but apparently they think it's possessed by devil....

Anyway.... After the chat, she decided to leave it out so it could just freeze to death. FYI, it has been out there for past 3 days!!!!!!
I couldn't just let it die like that.. I mean.. seriously..... So I told her... Ok.. I'll take care of it... Give me the cage and stuff.... Don't throw it out... (then she grabbed the cage out of the garbage bag that she's about to throw out)
Anyway.. That's how I got it... The real problem is this... I have never had a hamster before....
So, if any one knows how to take care of this thing.. plz give some tips and advice....
Another thing is.... I sent my friend pix of this little thing and she said that it looked like a baby hamy.... Now.. whenever I try to touch it.. it jumps back.... (very jerky) and make this very weird noise... like it's being threaten or something.... I feel very sorry for this little thing.... How do I make it not so frighten? Cu'z it looks like it has been seriously abused either by the previous owner or the wild animals....

Thx

update: I just found out that no pets are allowed in the rez.... So now I am not sure what to do..... I'll call up humane society to see if they take hamster...

 

[Eli]

If it's been abused, it will probably never be the same.

All you can do is be kind to it. Give it plenty of good food and water, and don't move fast around it.

Maybe the little guy will come around.

 

[Viper GTS]

Go to a grocery store & buy it some food & bedding. Make sure it has plenty of water, then give it a couple days to get used to you being around.

Don't force yourself on it, & all will be fine.

My brother live trapped a chipmunk once & kept it as a pet for a few weeks. Damn cool pet, would eat right out of our hands. That's until he accidentally stepped on it after it took a flying leap off his hand (as it was prone to do).

Oops.

Viper GTS

 

[Dacalo]

Provide it with lots of fresh water, hamster pellets, and good wood flakes for floor cover. Also provide it with some kind of place to hide for privacy (toilet paper cardboard roll works fine). In time, it will learn to trust you.

 

[Passions]

Hammy the hampster.

 

[brtspears2]

Give it a nice clean home. Give it food and water. Keep the room quiet for a few days, leave the hamster alone. Let it adjust the new settings. I find fresh fruit like apples are excellent ice breakers to gain rapport with the hamster. It might take months, just take your time, don't rush it. If it is male, it'll be a bit harder to tame, but they will all become tame after a while.

 

[Yossarian]

You should take a shovel to the previous owner's head and say "oh sorry, I thought you were possessed by the devil."

 

[j@cko]

Originally posted by: PipBoy
You should take a shovel to the previous owner's head and say "oh sorry, I thought you were possessed by the devil."

LOL... very good idea!

 

[jacob0401]

poor hamster...i hate people who can't take care of their pets with love...

 

[Viper GTS]

Speaking of possessed hamsters, my brother had one that was prone to running leaps (much like the chipmunk), she took a running leap from chest height headfirst onto a concrete floor. She was always a bit off after that, she got preggers & had a terrible time caring for her babies. It's a wonder any survived at all, only 2 out of like 15 survived.

The point to all this is that it's possible it's brain damaged or otherwise "not all there," hence the possessed hamster idea.

Viper GTS

 

[Turkish]

wtf, dude go and kill that biatch :|

poor hamster give him a clean, warm, comfortable home and plenty of water/food...

and dont forget the most important thing: LOVE.

 

[isekii]

Do it to her Hamster Style.

 

[Rayden]

i hear they are good on pizza.
i swear hamsters are the dumbest little animals. years ago my hamster bit my cat. my cat was scared of it after that.

 

[iwearnosox]

You went on a date with Richard Gere again, didn't you?

 

[Zee]

i was thinking of getting a hamster. can someone tell me how much a year it would cost to maintain?

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Lazee
i was thinking of getting a hamster. can someone tell me how much a year it would cost to maintain?

Not much, I'd say like 150 max

Buy bedding monthly, Food packets monthly

Each month expect like 10-15 bucks

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Lazee
i was thinking of getting a hamster. can someone tell me how much a year it would cost to maintain?

It's not going to be terribly expensive, I have no figures though.

The main thing is ATTENTION and cleaning the cage, changing their water..

A big bail of bedding isn't very expensive, and should last quite a while. Food isn't going to be that expensive for 1 hampster.

After the initial supply expense, I bet it'd only be like 75 - 100$/year.. please correct me if I'm wrong though.

 

[screw3d]

Hamsters give a nasty bite which leave a very small puncture in your skin when they are finicky.. beware.

Had a couple of hamsters .. died peacefully at the age of ~2.. loved them to bits though.

 

[nsafreak]

My sister has had a few hamsters and they've all been good pets. One other thing you might want to purchase along with the bedding is a few of those sheets of bedding that hamsters tear apart to make their own bed. All of the hamsters my sister had loved those things and they seem to be more comfortable with them. Just follow the advice that's been posed so far and you should be fine. The no handling part is pretty generic for any new pet really. I did the same thing with my guinea pig when I first bought him. Don't leave them totally alone though as it's ok to leave it in it's cage but to put your hand it to let it familiarize itself with your scent occasionally.

 

[j@cko]

I just found out that no pets are allowed in the rez....

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: j@cko
I just found out that no pets are allowed in the rez....

will they find out? i think it's pretty easy to hide a hamster...

anyways, just don't get it a play pal or anything... we did that and one of them killed the other :Q

lol @ pipboy's suggestion

 

[virtuamike]

Originally posted by: j@cko
Tonite I heard my neighbor sizzling outside so I went out to check out what was going on...

I read up to that part and I thought they were gonna cook it

 

[isekii]

just take it to a pet store.

they'll take it and resell it

 

[darkshadow1]

Originally posted by: j@cko
I just found out that no pets are allowed in the rez....

that doesn't mean you can't keep a hamster I had one for a year and no one cared

 

[jjyiz28]

Originally posted by: darkshadow1

Originally posted by: j@cko
I just found out that no pets are allowed in the rez....

that doesn't mean you can't keep a hamster I had one for a year and no one cared

please, i had a hampster in my dorm room.

anyways, this is what i suggest. to get it to trust you, get food pellet or whatever and hold it up with your thumb and pointy finger, hold it up, and it should eat it out of your fingers. keep doing this. soon it should trust you enough to be petted, but will scrunched to the ground when petted instead of being jumpy. keep feeding it like so and everything should be fine.

i kept my hammy in a plastic case with a top, so it did not stink up the room. don't worry, its has plenty of air inside. i think .