Choosing The Right Hamster For You And Your Family

Choosing The Right Hamster For You And Your Family

Hamsters are loved as pets around the world by young and old alike. Their cute antics and playful nature make them a popular choice for a family pet. The average hamster lives anywhere from one to three years, so when considering a hamster as a pet for a child it is important to keep this in mind. Coping with the loss of a pet hamster can be a sad yet important life lesson for a young child, and in the meantime they can learn responsibility while they care for the daily needs of their pet hamster.

The two most common pet hamsters are the Syrian hamster and the Dwarf hamster. The Syrian hamster has been bred into many different types that go by several different names: Teddy Bear hamster, Golden hamster, and Fancy hamster to name a few. A fully grown Syrian hamster can reach about seven inches in length, with the females being just a touch larger than the males. The most important thing to remember about Syrian hamsters is that they’re extremely territorial, so you must only ever have one Syrian hamster per cage. They will fight to the death if housed with another Syrian hamster!

Dwarf hamsters are smaller, and most importantly, can share a cage with other Dwarf hamsters without fights breaking out. Dwarf hamsters are a popular choice as they tend to be quite tame and friendly as long as you handle them correctly.

When taking your hamster home it’s important to remember that hamsters are extremely susceptible to stress, so you want to make the journey to their new home as pleasant as possible. A pet store will typically give you a small cardboard box to carry your hamster home with, but if possible you should bring a larger container filled with hay and some hamster food.

You should buy and prepare your hamster cage before heading out to get your hamster so that when you return to your house his home is ready and waiting for him. Be sure to get the essentials such as bedding and nesting material, a food dish, a water bottle, and some toys. Having all of this prepared will drastically reduce the stress on your hamster.

If you choose a wire cage for your hamster make sure that the distance between the wires is no more than half a centimeter or else your hamster can squeeze right through!

The location of your hamster cage is just as important as the type of cage you choose. Hamsters are nocturnal creatures and so they sleep during the day. They’ll need some peace and quiet during daylight hours, so don’t put their cage next to a blaring TV set! Hamsters are also very susceptible to temperature changes, so keep them away from direct sunlight or drafts. And even though they’re in a cage, having a cat or dog tormenting them all day long will lead to a very stressed-out hamster. If you already have other pets please keep this in mind when deciding on a location for your hamster cage.

Hamsters are naturally quite clean creatures, but even so you’ll need to clean the cage about once a week. The hamster will need to be removed from the cage while you do this, so it’s a great opportunity for him to get some playtime in a hamster ball. Throw away all the old bedding material and replace it with fresh material. Use a light disinfectant as any strong smells left behind by your cleaning will upset your hamster, and make sure that the cage is completely dry before you put the new bedding material back in the cage.

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Choosing a Bird Cage – Size Does Matter

Having a pet bird certainly provides a great deal of enjoyment in our daily lives. Listening to them chirp and sing is a lot of fun for those who love birds. Along with having a pet bird comes the need in having a good quality bird cage.

While you will find all types of bird cages made from everything from plastic to bamboo, the most important aspect will always be having the right size of cage for your pet bird. Here are some tips to help in selecting the best bird cage.

1. Where will you keep the bird cage?

Knowing where you will be keeping the cage in your home will help in knowing how big it should be. You shouldn’t keep it in direct sunlight throughout the day or right next to an ac/heating vent.

2. What size is your bird?

Knowing where your bird cage will be in your home will let you know how big it can be. Now you can select a pet bird. Parakeets, finches and canary’s can all be housed in smaller bird cages without concern over space.

Larger birds such as parrots will require much larger cages to have the extra room they need to move around.

Why is size so important? Birds do not like to be in small, restricted spaces. They become unhappy when they can not at least be able to spread their wings out and walk around. No different than how you would feel being cooped up.

3. Buy a good quality bird cage

Instead of cheap plastic, buy a good steel or wooden bird cage. Keep in mind that steel is much easier to maintain than wood, but both can provide durability and life.

Add some toys in the cage to let your bird play and have fun. Don’t forget perches and food trays.

Keep these tips in mind when purchasing your bird cage and you both will be very happy with the results.

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Choosing an online pet care provider for your beloved pet

Choosing a pet care provider for your beloved pet can be a hard decision for an animal lover to make. Many animals require special handling and care for various reasons including health issues, environmental concerns, temperatures and even house keeping. Who do you leave your treasured pet with when you can’t be home with it? Do you trust a neighbor with your pet or do you seek a professional sitter? Where do you find a professional sitter if you don’t want to kennel your pet? Online services are available such as care.com that can answer many questions you may have about quality care for your pet while you are away.

When choosing an online pet care service, make sure that they offer references for any pet care providers. Prescreening of any online pet care providers should be offered for individuals who are listed on any online pet care service. Free back ground checks are another perk of using an online pet care service. Prescreened references and back ground checks take a lot of stress out of finding the right sitter for your pet. If your pet has special needs such as medications, a strict diet or other issues you want to make sure that you have the right individual for the task.

Pet care in a recession has its own difficulties and you don’t want to trust the care of your pet to just anyone. An online pet care service can offer a pet owner many options including peace of mind with free back ground checks, prescreening and references. Online pet care services such as care.com can even offer social networking for animal lovers. Why not try a social networking site that is geared toward attracting animal lovers who have something in common such as their pets. An online pet care service can offer a pet owner more than just a sitter for their pet but an entire collection of services to give the owner an outstanding and rewarding experience.

At care.com, an online pet care service also offers many other services besides pet care. They also offer online care services such as child care, house keeping, tutoring and lessons, special needs and senior care. Articles can be found under different topics that can offer assistance for many questions that you may have concerning your needs for the kind of care you need provided. On online care service offers many options that make it worth the time to check out a website.

How to Care for a Turtle : Choosing a Pet Turtle

Look for an undamaged shell and clear eyes when choosing your turtle. Learn how to choose a turtle from anindustry professional in this free pet care video. Expert: Cordell Jacques Bio: Cordell Jacques has worked in the pet industry for more than 10 years. Filmmaker: Travis Waack … turtles pet care turtle habitats aquariums filtrations systems free how to Expert Village heat lamps filtration salmonella … expertvillage … Today we’re going to be working with a Red Eared Slider and of …