finally got pet 4 kids

Well, I finally got a pet for the kids. A cute little light brown and white one. Oh, he's a syrian hamster by the way. The fluffier kind.

Some questions.

He was born March 10/05. Five weeks old. Isn't that a bit young to be going out or is that about the right age to be given away. The lady I got him from neglected to separate her boys and girls and....SURPRISE. She had 6 babies and was just giving them away.

Is there anything special I should be feeding someone so young? As well, things a baby shouldn't be getting till they are older?

What I'm looking for is a good, healthy menu for this little guy. What I do have is...Hagen Nutri-Block for hamsters, mice, rats and gerbils. Protein is 16% Fat is 4.5%, Fibre 4.5%. If you were interested as to the ingredient list I could supply that for ya. I also picked up a bag with a whole lot of variety in it. It's made by Hartz, and it's called nature's gold, hamster and gerbil food gourmet. It's got a ton of things in it. All kinds of grains,seeds, dehydrated fruits and veggies. Protein 14% Fat 6% Fibre 9%. Once again, if you were interested in the ingredient list I could list it for you. Can these be given together or just give him the blocks all the time and use the other as a treat a couple times a week? OR give him the Hartz one and lose the blocks?

Is it ok to be giving him fruits and veggies, or should I be waiting till he's older? I read somewhere these things should not be given to a little one.

Does he need one of those brown mineral blocks?

Does he require vitamins in the water if he is already getting a balanced diet?

Questions upon questions. Aaaahhh this is harder than feeding my kids. But, I guess once I get used to how things go with him it will be a breeze. I just want him to be a healthy, happy little guy with no tummy upset on account of me being unknowledgable. He is the friendliest little hamster I've ever come across, too. He just can't wait to get out of his cage. As soon as he hears someone come he sits up on his hind legs and waits to hear if you are coming closer and then he races to the door of the cage and waits for you to take him out. As soon as a hand goes in he leaps onto your hand and races up your arm. Talk about hard to hold onto. He's a live wire. But I guess because he is so young that is to be expected. Just like a kid. Can't nail them down.

I'm really hoping the dreaded wet tail will bypass this little guy. Everyone I know who has had hamsters has had to deal with this problem, and have lost a number of pets to this nasty affliction. From what I've read it occurs most frequently in little ones, syrians especially, who undergo the stress of new home/owners/food. Crossing my fingers.

Ok. That's enough for now. Everyone who has hamsters, please share with me your knowledge and experience.

We haven't got a name for him yet. With 4 kids everyone wants something different,so this might take awhile. I don't think he really cares, as long as he is loved. When I go toward his cage I just call him sweetie and he races over. I might have to stop with the sweetie part, tho, as I always call my 5 yr. old sweetie, and heaven forbid that she gets jealous of a hamster. :)

Thanx a bunch for any help/suggestions that you guys can give me.

I wish I could help you answer some of your questions. I have never owned a hamster. I just wanted to say congrats!!
jodi

Thanks Jodi. He's sooo cute and what's a good word to describe him? Hmmm. He races around in his cage, on the bars, all over us, one of my kids jokingly said he needs ritalin. :D

He's so little and soft that your hand can barely sense the feeling of him. Does that make any sense?? My kids commented the same thing. "He's so soft. I think."

I'm waiting anxiously for answers to some of my questions. Somewhere, once again on the net, I think I read too much. All of the stuff that you read starts to turn conflicting after awhile and makes you more confused than when you started. Anyway, this one place said never to feed ANY pet Hartz products, as their products are of questionable value. I think that's the word they used "value". And guess what I picked up at Walmart last night. You guessed it. I was thinking of returning it.

I hear that Kaytee products are a good brand name for your rodent type pet. Kaytee Fiesta diet to be exact. I dunno. I dunno.

To prevent wet-tail, feed him a bit of plain yogurt for the first few weeks.

Kaytee is a HOTLY debated topic on any animal board. They use a potentially harmful preservative, Ethoxyquin, in their foods, and their lab blocks are corn-based, which is very difficult for snimals to digest. Personally, I would steer clear of Kaytee products. Hagen is a much better choice. :)

I would give hi the pellets as a staple, and give him a little bit of the mix daily. (That's what I did when I had hammies)

He does not need mineral blocks or vitamins in his water.

I like to start them on fruits and veggies young, just be careful not to give him anything too watery. (Lettuce, celery, watermelon, etc)

:D That plain yogurt with all of its bacteria seems to be a cure all for all ppl and pets the same. I love it. Ok. No problem with the yogurt. We always have some plain stuff in the house...I like to mix mine with pineapple or oranges..mmmmm. Could that be given to him as well? The fruit part being a treat once in a while I imagine.

Regarding the mix..I just read on some site that Hartz products should not be fed to ANY animal. What are your ideas? So far no Kaytee products. Not a problem. If the Hartz is not a good idea what would be a brand name of choice for all those yummy seeds and things? You know, if I think about it I actually did read somewhere quite a while ago the same thing about Hartz brand. Someone was likening the Hartz brand as next to poisoning your pet.

About those blocks that I have for him..when I read the label it seems like there is hardly anything in there that would seem that interesting. Here's how it goes..ground wheat, wheat middlings, soybean meal, ground corn, brewer dried yeast, cane molasses, vegetable oil, soy protein isolate....then it goes on to list all of the vitamins and minerals added. The analysis is...crude protein min 16%..crude fat min 4.5%..crude fibre max 4.5%..moisture max 10 %..then it lists calcium, phosphorus etc. I guess that would be where the extra goodies like the seed mixture comes in, to give some variety. Is that right? Should he be allowed to eat the sunflower seeds in that seed mix, as I hear they are really fattening? Take them out and use as an occasional treat?? Is there a certain brand name of the seed mixture that you used to use that worked out for you?

Does he need hay on a daily basis as well? If so, what kind for his age...timothy or alfalfa?

This all seems so confusing...at the beginning anyway. So many conflicting ideas on the net, it's not even funny. For example..no seeds, some seeds, no fruit or veggies when young, yes to veggies/fruit...well, now I have the veggies/fruit idea cleared up, thanx to you.

When you say no watery fruits/veggies...does that mean just now or for all the time?

Thanx for your help. I'm sure other questions will come to mind after I press the submit reply button.

It's best not to offer watery veggies at all when he's a youngster and in moderation when he's older. Iceberg lettuce is a BIG no-no for their entire life.

I think mixing the yogurt with some fresh fruit would be OK for him. Edit: I seem to remember reading somewhere that citrus can contribute to urine crystals, so maybe banana would be a better fruit to mix with his yogurt. I don't have any personal experience with this, it's just something I think I remember... :)

My favorite brinds of small animal food are Harry Hamster, Volkman and Harlan Teklad. Harlan can be expensive and hard to get though. >.< I hope one of the other hammy owners on here jumps in with what they feed their little critters, 'cause I'm not sure what's available except at the one store I worked at.

I liked to take out the sunflower seeds in my hammy's mixes and use them as treats when I was handling them, so they learned that this was a _special_ treat for when they were being friendly. I used various types of birdseed with my little fellows, I would scatter a tablespoon or so in the bedding and watch them dig it up and stuff it in their cheek pouches...CUTE!! No-sunflower cockatiel seed seemed to work best.

As far as I know, hamsters don't _need_ hay, and if allergies are a problem in your house, it might be best not to bring in loose hay. If you do opt for somethough, go with Timothy.

Diet for small rodents is one of the biggest arguments in pet forums...my old rat forum was scary at times...they would outright attack people for feeding seed mixes and whatnot.. 0_0

You have been majorly helpful Wolfchan. Thanx. One of the seed mixes, Tekland, I can pretty much guarantee I can't get here. I've been to quite a few pet stores here and don't recall ever seeing that one. The other 2, I'm not so sure. I'll have to phone around tomorrow and check. Mind you, me being in Canada and you not, makes a big difference. I'll take out the sun seeds with whatever mix I land on. Mind you they don't have to be given for him being nice as he is such a sweetie already. Extremely hyper, tho. Really. Is this normal for him. Whenever I go to any pet store that has hamsters they are always so quiet and laid back. Basically, they never move. This little guy gets up when the kids come home and he is basically frantic the whole evening. We take him out quite a bit,but it just never seems to be enuf for him. He's like the energizer bunny for goodness sake.

A question about the yogurt. How many times a day would be a good idea to give him? I gave him a bit on the end of a baby spoon. He loved it, by the way. The amount on the spoon was like 1/16 of a tsp. and he had like 1/2. As you can see, I don't like to guess things. I just want to be told the right thing right off the bat.

Another question. What is the idea for giving the birdseed? Extra things in there that are not in any of the hamster food? Did you give the bird seed daily along with blocks and hamster seed mix or was that another treat for here and there?

The hay thing I don't think would be too much of a problem. This time around I'm keeping the shavings in the basement....FAR AWAY from the kids room. I used to keep the bag beside the piggie cage at all times. Easier to get to when cleaning. Mistake. I'll have to think of something for the hay. Usually the hay, especially timothy, is so dried out and brown in stores. It's nasty. I don't know how they can sell that stuff. It's supposed to be nice and green and yummy looking. We have a best west right beside us and their timothy is nice and green..but EXPENSIVE. It's $9 a small bag. Mind you, for 1 little hammie I'm sure that one bag would last forever. How much could he possibly eat, if you give it to him sensibly,and not just throw a bunch in the cage to get wasted.

Oh, by the way. We decided on calling him Kiwi. He's round and fuzzy....just like a Kiwi. We had him running in my hallway today, I never knew something so little could run so fast, and we were seriously thinking of calling him Mario. :D

Well, time for bed. Tomorrow I have homework to do with finding some kind of seeds for kiwi. If I can't find the brands that you suggested is there anything special I should be checking for on the ingredient and analysis list on the bags that I will be looking at? You know..protein, fat, etc.

Thanx again, Wolfchan. I really do appreciate the time you have spent answering my questions ;) :D And just think. I might think of more. :eek: