Tips on Buying a Healthy Hamster - Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Pets

When purchasing a hamster, your best bet is a buy from an established breeder or from a pet store that breeds their own hamsters. If the pet store buys hamsters from an outside source, ask them from where they buy them. If they will not tell you, or if the source is not local, buy your hamster elsewhere. Hamsters are not very tolerant of being shipped - they can become very stressed, which can result in illness.

Whether you buy from a breeder or a pet store, be sure to look the facilities over. Are they clean and orderly? Do the hamsters look well cared for and do they have plenty of room to run around in? If the answers are no, look elsewhere. Some breeders will not allow you inside the area in which they keep their hamsters in order to protect them from outside disease. In that case, ask to see their records. These should list the ages of the stock, pedigree, and any illnesses they have had. If they don't have thorough records, consider going elsewhere.

Another source of hamsters is from a friend that raises them. If the parent stock is healthy and well cared for, they should produce healthy offspring.

Beware of buying a hamster that is the result of an accidental breeding. Hamsters are susceptible to several genetic defects and a good breeder will choose parent stock to ensure that these defects are not passed on.

No matter where you buy your hamster from always, be sure to inspect it carefully for any sign that it is ill. A healthy hamster should be energetic, clean, and the coat should be shinny. Its ears should be perky and its eyes should be bright. If the hamster is obviously ill, or if it appears to be depressed or lethargic do not buy it.

Age

Ideally, your new hamster should be between 4-8 weeks old when you buy it. If you are buying a pair of dwarf hamsters, which are going to be sharing the same cage, pick two that have been raised together as they don't bond well with strangers.

If the hamster tries to bite you when you pick it up, put it back and try another one. You want a hamster with a good disposition, for a pet.

Hamster Health

Hamsters are naturally very healthy animals and normally require very little medical care.

To keep them from getting ill, make sure that they are not allowed to become cold, give them plenty of room to roam so they do not become stressed, and keep their cage clean.

Signs that a hamster is sick:

Diarrhea - in a hamster, this is usually a result of something they ate, rather than an illness. It may also be a sign of internal parasites. No matter the cause, they can quickly die due to the dehydration caused by the diarrhea.
Cuts that do not heal. Normally a cut or bitten hamster will heal quite readily. If the wound is severe, if it becomes infected, or if it fails to heal, it may need veterinarian care.
If your hamster has trouble walking, or seems very stiff, it may have a Vitamin E deficiency. This seldom occurs when hamsters are fed a balanced diet.
A wet tail may indicate that your hamster has tapeworm or an intestinal bacterial infection.
If your hamster maintains a hunched posture, appears depressed and has ruffled fur it may have a disease called amyloidosis. This normally affects hamsters older than one year old.

Parasites

Hamsters are susceptible to internal parasites, like tapeworms and pinworms. Tapeworm is usually fatal for hamsters. Signs of tapeworm include loss of appetite, fur will lose its sheen, it may be lethargic, and the tail will remain wet. Handle hamster and bedding materiel with care. Use disposal plastic gloves, or wash your hands thoroughly after handling anything in the cage. Other animals may acquire tapeworm by ingesting the eggs present in the hamster's feces.
Externally, hamsters can get mites. Signs that your hamster has mites include constant scratching and small bald spots.

If your hamster does become ill, take it to the veterinarian immediately. Due to their small size, they can succumb to an illness, especially diarrhea, with amazing speed.

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The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only.

Always consult your doctor for medical advice.

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