I was just looking at Freecycle and someone has hamsters to give away. They're 6 weeks old, he says. That seems a bit young, but rodents mature fairly fast ...

Anyway, I have this mouse and I will most absolutely not let them be together, so don't worry about that. But it's been a very long time since I had a hamster, and I have a nice hamster cage that I got for my mouse before I realized it wasn't appropriate housing for him. He uses it sometimes as a playhouse while I clean his aquarium, but he won't miss it if it has a permanent resident. My question is, the guy has several and I can't decide if I should get two (of the same sex, naturally) to keep each other company, or only one. With mice, you can't have two males together or they fight; but you should have at least two females together or they pine away for lack of a companion. I had hamsters when I was a kid, but only one at a time and they seemed to be okay with that. But I also had a single budgie by herself and while she seemed to be okay with THAT, now I realize that budgies need company and it was probably mean to have poor Ferdie all alone in my room all day while I was at school.

I have everything necessary to make a hamster comfy -- a water bottle, the cage with lots of tubes and a wheel and a sleepy compartment and the food I buy for Henry is also appropriate for a hamster.

I'm not sure what the recommended procedure is but I've recently had hamsters and I've tried companions and wound up having to buy ANOTHER cage because they didn't get along. However, if they were raised together then they already get along. So if they had two females and your cage is large enough to be comfortable for two I would say go for it! And make sure you get a good ball for each of them. Mine LOVED getting in and rolling around.
Also, I'm sure you know more about small pets than I do, but I've recently been told by my vet that the wood shavings aren't that great for bedding. The little recycled newspaper pellets is a better dust free bedding. Let us know what you decide! I really like hamsters. And I've seen them in with mice at pet stores before, so maybe they could have supervised play time. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Siobhan, Siobhan, what in the world are we going to do with you?
For the record, I know you've had a hamster before so you know what they're like, but IMHO hamsters are totally boring in comparison to mice or rats. Until I had rats a few years back I never knew how much fun little rodent pets could be or how much difference there was. I say GO FOR THE LONG TAILS if you want another little fuzzy in the house!
I know, I know- that is NOT in any way related to the question you asked. I just had to throw it out there. Brandie's post also made me think of something that hadn't crossed my mind before regarding your Henry. HAve you considered letting him try out a little hamster ball? That might be fun for the little feller! Would also be handy when you're cleaning his cage. Just something to consider...
You be sure to let us know when you bring home those new hamster babies

Long tails rule!

But if you really want a hamster...lol From my experience (I had hamsters growing up, many of them actually) I would not get two and house them together. They are not like rats who like to have a companion. Hamster tend to do way better on their own. I have purchased 2 together in the past and have had to seperate them once they matured because of fighting.

Edit: Rats don't bite out of nowhere like hamsters do. I have NEVER been bitten by a rat.

Hamsters are pretty solitary animals and even females when they reach maturity can fight to the death if not seperated. I agree about rats being better pets though they are so much more curious and playful, and generally friendlier. Congradulations on your decision to add a hamster to the family, although they sleep a lot, they are wonderful pets, super soft and cute.
My kids share a hamster named rolls we adopted from a family who didnt want him anymore. He is majorly grumpy when woken up.
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Rats are to the small fuzzy world like mules are to the equine world- mule (long ears) owners like to say that once you go long you'll never go back.

I've never had a rat or mouse. (I must admit I get a little squimish about the tails) But I really never had a regular hamster bite me for no reason. The dwarf hamster I had would take a chunk out of you for any reason. My hamster Daffie was VERY tame. I could let her go on the floor and she would come back when she wanted back in her cage. I understand this is not normal though. Anyhow, I do tend to agree with what everyone is saying with just one hamster. Like I said, they always seemed happier alone.

We're not allowed rats in Alberta.

My son has a regular syrian hamster and what everyone is suggesting is correct: get one. Hamster in the wild (yes, they're actually little desert rodents!) have very large territories for an animal of their size. The females allow the males in during breeding season and chase him off once she's taken. She raises the little hamlets by herself and when they're old enough to support themselves she chases them off to find territories of their own. They don't need and/or want the company, they like their space. =) My son has a syrian hamster right now and she was hand tame almost right from the get go they've been domesticated down so well. The rarer breeds aren't necessarily as tame just because they haven't been selected for pet quality for as many generations. I've had trouble with the little dwarves too...

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OMG- that little hamster butt picture is the cutest!!

They do have cute litty furry ends, don't they?

My mouse never, ever bites me, and didn't even when he was still terrified of me. Every now and then he takes a little nibble when he's making sure I'm me and not someone else. But it's not a bite in any way, it's more like he's tasting me -- he sticks his little tongue out when he does it.

But you're right, my hamsters and my gerbil always bit me. Hard. Like they MEANT it. Mom and I were just talking about that the other day. When my brother was a kid (he's much older), he was trying to pet HIS hamster and it bit him and ran off and they never did find it, and Mom was telling me how she worried that it was rabid or something. And I said, my hamsters bit me all the time. She was stunned. "You never told me that!" Well, sheesh, Mom, hamsters bite, I knew that, didn't think it was worth mentioning. So then she was worried that I kiss Henry and what if he bites me in the face. I said Henry NEVER bites me, mice don't bite, no need to worry about having him near my face, it's CLYDE you should worry about, HE bites me every single DAY.

The cage I have probably isn't adequate for two hamsters, and I think one would be more likely to get and stay tame, anyway. I would really like to have a rat eventually (I can HEAR my mother squealing, "WHY would you want a RAT???" but she doesn't live with us, so that's okay, ), but I think I'll wait until Henry has gone to his reward in case the smell of a rat nearby would upset him. He probably won't mind a hamster as much.

One hamster per cage...

Andie used to raise hamsters and sell them to pet stores when she was in her early teens... While it's possible to have two females together for a while, soon as they are mature they will start fighting almost as severely as males.

And if the person that has them hasn't separated them yet and they're older than 3 months of age...I'd suggest you get a male because chances are the females will be pregnant.

Remember, a hamster life span is about 3 years...

I have kept both mice and rats as pets and years ago I used to be in charge of all the rodents at a pet store where I worked. It was my job to sex and separate and keep birth charts on everyone. While I have never owned a hamster, I have cared for many of them, and I would have to also throw out a vote for rats as my favorite pet rodent. I tell people they are like little cats with dog personalities. They are MUCH more social, curious, cuddly and comical than a lot of the other rodents. One of the best pets I have ever loved to own. Hamsters, I agree, are better as a single, but are much more nocturnal than rats. I have met several sweet ones, but ratties take the cake. Rats are better kept in pairs or more. You can also find a reputable rattery that has fancy rats of various types and varieties and better quality, healthy, hand trained, socialized, etc. I personally love the dumbos, soooo cute. There is a whole realm of rat and mouse fanciers, registries and clubs out there that most people are unaware of! Whatever you decide, enjoy!

These hamsters are six weeks old, so it's unlikely the girls will be pregnant. I'm not sure they should even be away from their mama at that age. But I was going to get a boy anyway. Getting one so young means that if all goes well, I'd have him for a good long while, as rodent furbabies go. Mice don't live that long, from what I've read.

And Scarlett, the pet store had dumbos a couple of months ago and I spent a long time looking at them but thought the teeth were intimidating. Then someone here told me pet rats are highly unlikely to bite and not to worry about the teeth so much. THEN the next time I went to the pet shop, the rats were gone and they haven't had more since then. WOULD Henry freak out if he could (no pun intended) smell a rat? Because the birds are afraid of mice, so Henry has to live in the bedroom, where the birds can't see him, and a rat would, too. Henry's feelings have to come before my wish to have more critters on the place.

I have handled countless rodents and the rats never bit me. But never, never hold them by the tail as some people do. Only do that if you want to hurt them and find out just how hard they can chomp your hand! I do not recommend feeder rats (or any rats for that matter) from a pet store. They are highly inbred, overbred and often aren't healthy, don't live as long and are not as genetically sound as those you would get from a knowledgable and truly good rat breeder. If you want to rescue instead, there are tons of ratties out there that need good homes as well. If you want more info and resources, shoot me a PM. Typically lifespan for a "Norwegian Long-tailed Hamster" lol, is similar to most other pet rodents. Anywhere from 3-5 yrs.

Also, those "babies" can begin reproducing as early as 5 weeks old, believe it or not. It's not healthy, but it is possible. I always began separating litters at 5 weeks to avoid any undesired breeding. As far as your mouse freaking out, I wouldn't be too worried about it, but I would also never introduce an adult rat to a mouse or your mouse would be no more. Just like cats and dogs, they are natural enemies, but there is always the exception to the rule in many cases. I myself kept rats and mice at the same time, housed separetly in the same room. I had my one old girl mouse, Scout, and I used to let her play with my rats when they were babies and she loved them. Once the rats are much bigger than the adult mouse tho, it's not a safe idea to leave them alone together.

This is Scout with ratty baby Velvet:

Awwww, what a sweet picture!

ur maus was bleh

testing to see if it works this way...
<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/10/28/funny-pictures-about-it/"><img title="funny-pictures-cats-ate-your-pet-mouse" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/funny-pictures-cats-ate-your-pet-mouse.jpg" alt="funny pictures of cats with captions" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com">Lolcats and funny pictures</a>

nevermind- guess not.

See??? That's why I can't have a cat!

I've been in touch with the guy who has the hamsters and I'm picking up a boy tomorrow. I'm thinking of calling him Horatio, unless it manifestly doesn't suit him. What do you think?

Hamlet may be more appropriate in this case.
*snort*

Har! I don't want HIM to be crazy, even if *I* am. I considered Yorick, but that seemed an unfortunate way to begin his sojourn with us, named after a skull. It really should begin with an H, anyway. George and Gigi. Bonnie and Benjy. Clyde and Jade (the one-syllable name with a hard "d" sound). The two rodent babies ought to have similar names, too.

You sound as bad as me. If I had the room and my way about things I would one of everything! Congrats on your hamster. I've always enjoyed them. Its so much fun to watch them roll around in the ball. Have you ever considered Sugar Gliders? They're so cute and I've been toying with the idea of maybe someday having one or two.

Humphrey is home and installed in his own tank, with a toilet paper tube and a wheel and a tiki hut house -- the pet store didn't have the little plastic house like Henry has -- and he can't decide what he thinks about all this. Neither can Henry, who heard me bustling around getting Humphrey's house all fixed up and came out of his house to see what I was doing. They can see each other but they won't be hanging out.

Humphrey is gray with red eyes and a chubby little butterball. He's very cute. When he's settled in a bit, I'll take a picture. Right now, he's kind of mad about the whole thing. BUT ... he's been handled all his life and already lets me pick him up. I'm letting him alone for a while so he gets over being mad. He didn't like the carrier much.

I bought a ball -- I didn't get one for Henry because by the time he was tame enough to get into one, he was also tame enough to run up and down my arms and not try to jump off. Humphrey wants to jump off. So Humphrey will have to run around in a ball, while Henry's happy to use me for a jungle gym or run around in the bathtub.

Hubby's going to KILL me ... Last night I said, "Someone wants to give me a hamster" and he said, "You're not thinking about TAKING it, are you?" Well, yeah, actually, I am. So he said, "Don't you have enough cages to clean already?" Well, yeah, but what do you care? You never clean any of them!

LOL You're too funny!!! What's next?

I think I'd better stop or I'll have to nag Hubby to build on. Two dogs, two parrots, two budgies, two rodents and two humans. We're balanced now, and I think the Ark is full. The people I got Humphrey from told me he was born on Sept. 23. That's Hubby's birthday, too.