How To Start Caring for Your Hamster

Buy a plastic easy to clean cage with round edges on the inside so that it's safer and even easier to clean. I recommend Habitrail OVO Suite.

One hamster per cage, please. Hamsters are solitary animals. Try not to pair them unless you really know what you're doing.

When bringing her home, be careful not to shake the box too much. Quickly assemble and get her new home ready. If possible, put in a little bit of the original bedding from her old cage at the pet store to help her feel secure.

I found a really good bedding. Ground walnut chips! They're not dusty (which I really hate in other types of bedding), and they last longer. Ours last almost two weeks before we need to change it.

Hamsters want a quiet safe corner to sleep. Put some light bedding in her room. I use the shredded paper variety (store-bought).

Never wake a sleeping hamster. Leave them alone if they are not in the mood to play.

To familiarize her with you, just put a piece of sunflower seed on your palm then put your hand gently in her cage. Let her climb into your hand voluntarily. Never grab at them. Never speak too loudly. They are easily startled if you do. I guess it's hard being a really small animal.

Do not buy cheap hamster food that looks colorful but not natural. Buy one that contains lots of oats, some sunflower seeds and corn. Just buy one mixed bag is enough. They don't really need much treats. But buy them some pieces of wood like apple orchard chips or branch. They love to sharpen their teeth on those.

If your tap water is not drinkable, better fill their bottle with boiled water or mineral water.

Brand New Baby Hamster

Meet Cortana. Our brand new baby hamster. After more than a year since Remy died, we finally got ourselves a new one.

Why the name Cortana? Well, this being my son's birthday gift, he got to name it. Those of you familiar with the xBox360 Halo franchise should recognize the name. Originally we wanted to name it Kat, the only female spartan in Halo Reach episodes. But then he decided on Cortana, the super computer (AI). Those two are about the only two female names he can respect at the moment. "Wow, that's great!" I said. "Cortana. Corrie for short."

She is a normal winter white. Very healthy and curious. Very agile, too, compared to Remy, our beloved pearl white hamster. Cortana can climb up the food bowl via the back of the wheel in her Ovo suite. Remy could not when he was a baby. I had to fix a couple of ice cream sticks on the stairs last time. One of which has since fallen off. Was thinking about fixing another one back when we spotted Cortana climbing up easily.

Even though busy with his studies, my son still make time to take care of Cortana every night. Hamsters are so easy to care for anyway. My son assembled the cage himself, too. So proud of him.

Sweet Remy

Our fluffy Remy is always calm and composed. His beady black eyes show his kind and gentle heart (I think )
Whenever it's supper time he would know. At the slightest sign of us approaching, he'd get into his food bin and just waits there for us to pour it in.
Plus he would regard me with his eyes sweetly as he tucks in. You can see it in this video.

We had five hamsters before him, so we know Remy is really special.
He is not jumpy or overly cautious.
He doesn't hoard his food somewhere in a corner. He keeps all the empty sunflower seeds, etc, in the bin for me to throw out the next day. It's extremely easy to keep his cage (Habitrail Ovo Suite) clean. I think he's one year old this month.

Sweet, sweet Remy.

happy chinese new year of the mouse !

This is a snapshot of my hamster, Remy.

2008 is his kind of year.

The chinese call it year of the rats, actually. But I prefer to call it year of the mouse here. :P

Singapore Zoo used the occasion this week to show off their capybaras, which actually are the largest rodents in the world.

I still prefer mouse. Or maybe we can call it hamster year? I suppose all rodents are included in this group of 'rats'?

Gong Xi Fa Cai, everybody!