Happy (almost) Halloween!

Teddy's Post!

Hi guys!How are you?I'm extremely sorry for the lack of posts,but I'm getting my laptop back in a week or so.Yay!

Since its almost Halloween I thought this would be fitting!
My hamster is a mix of several different breeds. As a result he has patches on his body where his hair grows longer than than the rest, and to keep him comfortable we give him regular “haircuts”. But one oddity we never change is the long strand of hair that grows from his forehead. It’s just a single long tuff of fur. All we have to do is give it a little spin and he instantly becomes a fabulous unicorn.

I found it on tumblr!So I'm gonna do a longer post when the time comes,as it's almost our first year anniversary!

We'll definitely do a post to mark that!

Here is a blog that I really like.Its cute,informative and just look at those pictures!

http://hammyhappenings.wordpress.com/

Thank you for reading!!!

♥ Teddy!

R.I.P Nibbles

Teddy's post!
Hi guys...Some bad news.Nibbles the hamster passed away a few weeks ago.Of course her owner was very sad,and shes gonna do a post soon.
R.I.P,Nibbles :(

Sorry for the lack of posts.I have an excuse as well-my laptop is broken.It's incredibly diffucult to post on my phone...

Just a little update on what was going on...I'll post again tomorrow if the librarys open,k?

♥ Teddy :)

Fuzzy Friends!

Teddy’s Post!

Fuzzy Friends!

Hey guys!Today I decided to do a post about Friendship between hamsters and other animals,if you know what I mean!

I actually got inspiration to do this post when I saw Inky’s post,

 Z is for Zoo-- the story of a unique friendship     !

You can check it out here:

http://inkythehamstermommy.blogspot.ie/2012/04/z-is-for-zoo-story-of-unique-friendship.html#comment-form

This is about a cat and a hamster in Japan I think.

Please note:I haven’t got a clue about what they are saying!

But its cute,and the hamster is adorable!

Here is also the ridiculously funny song dealing with this subject,if you’re interested

There are loads more videos out there,but i decided to post just these two.I'm sure you found it interesting,too!

Thanks!

♥ Teddy!

Ways to cool down your hamster in the Summer Months!

Hello everyone! 


Nibbles here, Teddy and I are both so sorry for lack of posting.
Wait till we are off for summer break though and you will see such a difference 
in posting time periods& consistency :D 


Today I am going to talk about ways to cool down your hamster in the summer months! ( Speaking of summer ;) )


While you cannot spray your hamster with water, there are many ways to do other things to make their summer months as enjoyable as yours :-)




Hamsters originated in desert areas such as Syria, but remember they lived in cool burrows deep underground.


Note- Hamsters have very few sweat glands, so helping cooling them down is essential.


Note- Hamsters do best between temperatures of 65F ( 18.33 C ) and 78F 
( 25.56 C )


Hamsters can have many illnesses due to heat, including ; heart attacks,heat stroke, and are susceptible to kidney problems brought on my heat stress.


How To Prevent Hamsters From Becoming Over Heated
 Hamsters should always be kept in rooms where there is good ventilation or air conditioning because they will get sick and they could die if they over heat. If your hamster is sleeping on his back in a different place than usual, he may be trying to cool off. Hamsters will sleep on their backs if they become too warm, trying to get rid of some of the extra body heat through their belly's.


Signs A Pet Hamster May Be Over Heated
An Over heated hamster will be hot to the touch, have an overly warm nose and feet. An over heated hamster might be panting heavily with an open mouth and be lethargic. You might also observe your hamster laying sprawled out in the open with his feet stretched out behind him. Hamsters will do this so they can try to lose some of the heat through the bottom of their feet. They also may not eat or drink much, which can lead to dehydration.


How To Keep A Hamster Cool
During the summer it's important to make sure the room you keep your hamster in cool, even if you aren't home. There are several very effective ways to make sure your hamsters are kept cool in the summer. Most importantly make sure they always have fresh, cool water available to them. Hamsters can become dehydrated very quickly. With animals that are watered via a bottle, make sure the mechanism is functioning properly so that your pet can access the water that is there.


Freeze water bottles and wrap them in small towels or cloths and place them inside the hamsters cage. Wrapping them in a cloth first will absorb the condensation from dripping inside the hamsters cage and make sure if he lays up against the frozen bottle he won't get too cold.


Place their cage on the floor in the coolest part of your home. Tile floors stay cooler longer in the summer months.


Do not keep the hamster cage near or on the window sill or near a window. First of all, hamsters like to sleep during the day and will be bothered by the light and during the summer the area right near the window is going to be warmer than other places in your home.


Don't use a glass aquarium as a cage. Glass aquariums don't allow for air circulation and the inside of a glass aquarium may stay a couple of degree's warmer inside than on the outside. 


Always try to keep the room you have your hamster in at the same temperature. Constantly changing temperatures can stress hamsters and make them more susceptible to becoming sick.




Also another thing I do is put a large mug in Nibbles cage. It is cool so that when she becomes hot she can lay in it. I usually have some raisins or some treat inside for her :-)


Also bring your hamsters outside! It gives them vitamin D from the sun which is very important for them. I usually let Nibbles go on the grass for 15-30minutes. Be aware of dandelions though as these can may your hamster feel a bit ill, but it is not deathly. Nibbles loves to eat daisy's which is fine for your hamster. 


Note- In warm conditions try not to put your hamster in his/her ball inside. It has very limited ventilation holes for breathing and can make your hamster hotter.


These are some photos I took of Nibbles when I brought her out the other day&also the mug I have in her cage :-) Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed!


Love,

Injured or Sick Hamster - Signs and Symptoms.

Hey everyone!
Nibbles post(:
My owner has been quite sick lately with the flu  - which means more time to post :D 
So I've decided to do something to do with sick hamsters. Which brings me to the conclusion of injured or sick hamster- signs and symptoms topic!


You never know - that one thing you think is weird about your hamster could turn out to be something wrong. So be careful! 




If you are concerned that one of your pet hamsters might be sick, you probably already have a good feeling something might be wrong. By closely observing your hamster’s behavior and physical appearance, you can determine if you have a sick hamster on your hands. Once you determine there is a problem, you can go about treating a sick hamster. Treatments can include things you can do yourself or if your hamsters are sick to the point the need special medication, you will need to go to the vet. Of course you can help avoid having to do this by learning how to prevent hamster illnesses.

Signs and Symptoms of a Sick Hamster

Change in Your Hamster’s Behavior: Good hamster care involves observing your hamster often to see how it acts on a good day. Understand what a typical day is for your little pets. Watch the wake up routine; does the hamster in question stretch and yawn like it usually does? Is your hamster eating and drinking the usual amount per day? Has the interaction it has among other hamsters roommates changed in any way? If you answered yes to any of these, it’s possible your little guy or gal is under the weather, injured or sick.

Interaction Between You and Your Hamster: Next observe how your hamsters interact with you. When you open the cage door are your hamsters responsive? A normal reaction would be for it to perk its ears up and look towards your direction. A sick hamster might be completely out of it and not have any reaction when you open the cage. It might also cower or get nippy as it might feel vulnerable when it is sick or injured. Of course if your hamster is new, it might be a bit shy until it gets familiar with being handled.

Coat and Fur: A healthy hamster with a satin coat should have sleek coat or fur. It it looks dull or wet, it might be a sign that your hamster is sick. If a hamster coat that is normally rex now has a ruffled and dried out coat appearance, it can also be a sign of hamster illnesses

.Eyes: Healthy hamster eyes are bright and alert without redness. There should be no discharge or crusty parts; the should not be dull or sunken in appearance. Some hamster breeds have reddish eyes to begin with so it’s important to observe what the eyes of this hamster normally look like.

Nose: The nose of a hamster should be dry and not runny. A runny nose can be a sign of a cold or some other virus.

Tail: A wet hamster tail is not a good sign. This is wetness can either be fecal matter or urine. If you notice your sick hamster not moving away from where it just did it’s business, this is a strong indicator that there is a real health issue going on.

Okay so that's some symptoms...

Look out for Nibbles next post - How to prevent hamster illnesses!

Nibbles ♥

Sources - 

http://www.howtotakecareofahamster.net

A is For Active

Teddy’s Post!

Hi! I said I would post more often and I never did, did I? So I had an idea that would (hopefully) make me post more.

You probably heard of the April A-Z blog challenge thing, did you? I don’t feel like waiting ‘til April, so I’m gonna do it now. Maybe I won’t get to do it everyday. But I’m gonna keep doing it ‘til it is finished.  But whatever, I’m gonna start with A.                       A is for Active

Yes, hamsters are very active. Did you know they could run up to 7 miles or more on their wheel in one night? (Now you know.)So it is important to have a wheel and a ball for your hamster. I didn’t have a wheel before I got the extension for Teddy’s cage, because there was no room for a wheel along with her other stuff. If I had put a wheel in her cage, there would be no free space there. That’s why I put her in her ball every day. Even if you have a wheel, (which I do now) you should always put the hamster in a ball at least twice a week, so s/he can get used to his/her surroundings. If possible, put him/her in the ball once every day. Only leave the hamster in the ball for a period of 15-20 minutes, but if you don’t have a wheel, or you are cleaning out the cage, 30 minutes is ok. Just be careful, because there is a lot of dangers in your house that could easily harm your hamster.

Always:  

·      Make sure the lid of the ball is secured tightly.You don’t want to find your hamster having a snooze under the sofa!

·      Close all front/back doors, as lots of hamsters have  been seen having a merry roll down the road!

·      Keep an eye on your hamster when s/he is in the ball.

·      Cheak for cracks before you put your hamster in the ball.

Never: 

·      Let a cat or dog near your hammy when s/he is in the ball.This could frighten your hamster and even lead to longterm stress or injury.

·      Put two hamsters in one ball.I’m actully not gonna bother to say how come, because it is just stupidity if you do.

·      Kick your hamster when s/he is in the ball.It could scare your hamster and also lead to longterm stress or injury.

·      Let the hamster ball near the stairs.Once, I had taken Teddy out of the cage and put her in the ball.The door was closed, and I was just cheaking my phone when I heard a loud noise coming from the landing.Teddy had somehow managed to push the door open and tumble down the stairs.Thank goodness she was fine but she was frightened and a little dizzy.

·      Let the hamster ball outside.

Ok, so that was a long post, and I hope this was helpful!Tonight,or tomorrow I’m gonna post about sutible bedding.So, thanks and bye for now!

♥ Teddy 

The First Post!

Teddy's post!


Ok,you can call me  Teddy,(in honour of my hamster)and welcome to our FIRST  post!Well,I hope you all had a great Hallowe'en,and I'm pretty sure it's time to be stocking up for the winter.So fill your CHEEK POUCHES with this handy winter info for your hammy!

• If you live in a place where it snows or freezes during the winter,it would be probably be best to stock up on bedding,sleeping fluff and food for your hamster.This prevents starvation if you run out of food and don't have access to anywhere close.
• Before the weather is bad,buy a few bottles of bottled water.This isn't just for you,but if the pipes freeze,it will mean your pet won't have anything to drink.So if you use bottled water,your hammy won't be left thirsty,and you can leave the water without changing it for around 2-3 days.
• Keep hammy-boo in a warm place.Hamsters can fall in a deep,coma-like sleep if their body temperature falls below around 5.C (41.F) which is like hibernation.To prevent this,keep his cage in a warm place,and wrap blankets around the cage.If the hamster goes into ''hibernation'',put his cage in a warm,dark place and leave it their for a few hours.Just before you turn the heating on at full blast,they can get heat stroke(I know,it's ridiculous since it's winter)in surroundings above 20.C(68.F).

Ok,theres a few facts,if you need help,just comment!

♥ Teddy!

(Sources:Hamster Family Pet Guide,by David Alderton.)