# The state of hamster care in the US is appalling.



## Pandorascaisse

...People only believe hamsters need http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/cages/super-pet-crittertrail-two-zid36-14586/cat-36-catid-600022 this, which is a only 1.60 square inches of floor space is suitable for the everyday life of a hamster.

Yes, I seriously saw that today on a Facebook group where people were defending someone with a cage setup that was... eh. At least they had another cage connected to it. 

http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Rotastak_Pink_Palace_Hamster_Cage.htm

look at this. And they claim it's suitable for mice and gerbils, too!

I'm in the bin cage corner. http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/totesTrunks?productId=10010964&N=71235
Look at this - and it's only $23 and nearly three times as spacious as just ONE crittertrail two!

And don't even get me started on people who use cotton bedding and the like for their hams. 



The crittertrail two, at 1.60 sq inches
The $23 bin, at 3.66 sq inches.

However, let's look at COMPARABLY PRIED bin. The crittertrail two, according to Petsmart, would retail for $42. 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-50-Gallon-Stacker-Storage-Box-Mica/25291324

This is a pack of THREE BINS at almost 6 square inches each. You could definitely rig them up to be a complete cage set, and have nearly EIGHTEEN SQUARE INCHES for only $15 more than a one square inch crittertrail.

However, if you were only going to buy one... it would be even cheaper!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-54-gal-Roughneck-Hi-Top-Tote-FG3A05H2MICBL/100673965

This is only $25 and it's 6.35!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_368230-7805...duct_qty_sales_dollar|1&page=1&facetInfo=Tote

Even this, at $18 is twice as large as a $42 crittertrail.

And that's even one of the BIGGER crittertrails!


The sad thing is that good hamster care is even cheaper than bad hamster care. Pet stores need to get their heads out of their bums and people need to do their bleeping research before they go out and adopt a poor innocent creature just to shove it into a little cage and ignore it. And don't even get me started on cotton bedding, wrong sized bedding, what DISGUSTING food they push on owners.

Not to mention some pet stores even recommend hay and corn cob bedding for hamsters! 

And practically NO ONE in the general hamster owning population knows that teddy bear isn't a species. And that the different hamsters aren't "breeds". And that there is no such thing as a Chinese winter white mix. And that a panda bear and a teddy bear are both the same thing - Syrians. And that dwarf species NEED A SPECIAL DIET because they're prone to diabetes. 

We think people take crappy care of rats - at least rats can't DIE from stress like hamsters can. 

The US's care of its non-dog pets is bull-hockey. 

//end rant


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## Mrs.Brisby

I think a lot of people take crappy care of their pets in general, dogs included. If everyone was an awesome pet owner we wouldn't have so many shelters.


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## Pandorascaisse

It's true - but at least there is a huge portion of the dog population that wants the best for their dogs - this is why grain free and "holistic" dog foods have become such a big market, we have tons of dog parks, etc, etc.!

Hamsters, though, by far get the worst end of the stick. They are very, very small. And pet stores keep them together. So, consumers naturally think that hamsters should be kept together in teeny tiny cages. Most hamsters cannot be kept together, and even species that can can sometimes have to be separated rather quickly. 

Another thing is that hamsters are often considered children's pets. However, unlike a few small pet species, hamsters (especially dwarfs) are very prone to nipping, and may end up abused at the hands of angry, hurt children - not because the child is evil or sadistic, but because many parents just throw them together assuming the child is "responsible" enough to take care of them without any lessons at all. 

I wish I could just go around the world lecturing children in schools how to treat their small animals, and animals in general, and what kind of cages animals really needed. That would be my dream job.


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## Jaguar

I hate to say it, but hamsters are shitty pets, especially for kids. As soon as pet stores stop marketing them like good starter pets for kids, the level of care they get will improve significantly. They get neglected when parents realize hamsters sleep a lot, bite, and generally don't care for human interaction.


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## Mrs.Brisby

Lol that would be a great job! I agree with you though, small animals get the worst of it. I know nothing about hamsters (which is why I don't have any) but I always thought the tiny little crittertrails were disgusting. It's because people like cheap. Gerbils are often treated the same way. I had a "friend" who kept her gerbil in one of those tiny little crittertrail things. Her cat ended up killing it and she didn't even care because it was just a gerbil and she could just buy another one.


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## PawsandClaws

There should be a license for owning pets which you need to obtain by passing a test on that specific animal's care. This way if you are approved, you can get your hamster and if you are found to be neglecting it, it is an easy criminal offence since you knew what was clause for neglect beforehand. I know it is not really something that would be successfully implemented but sometimes I wish you had to pass inspections/tests to keep pets and kids.


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## Pandorascaisse

I totally agree with you Jaguar. To me, hamsters aren't look and touch pets. They are the kind of pet I would want to set up as natural a habitat for as possible and let them live out their life being happy and fat with tons of hoards of sunflower seeds 

Also, Mrs. Brisby... that's absolutely disgusting :/ 

I think society needs to change the way it looks at "children's pets" as being a teaching tool for parents rather than a learning tool for children.


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## CleverRat

I did my research before I got my Syrian hamster and I have to admit, I was shocked that hamsters need that much space. The reason I was shocked was because NO ONE I had seen gave their hamster that much space. It's terrible the food they have for Syrian hamsters. Almost all the foods in generic pet stores is only 12-15% protein when Syrian hamsters need at LEAST 17% protein. I think hamsters make great pets if you take good care of them and don't want a high maintenance pet like a dog or rat.


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## Pandorascaisse

Also, Pawsandclaws, sadly that wouldn't even work because, legally in the US, crittertrails are considered to be a good size even for syrians. The reason pet shops can sell them is because they meet the legal minimum to be marketed for whatever they're marketed for.


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## Pandorascaisse

Another thing that ticks me off is that people promote bathing hamsters in water. This is really, really dangerous for them but I have heard countless pet shops tell people to bathe the hamsters with dawn and they'll be good to go.

Hamsters are desert animals.

Can swim /=/ should be bathed.


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## Penelepe

Here in South Africa it's just as bad, at least in the US there are better options? (I don't know really), the largest I could find in 2 hours drive is a 3 level hamster cage. There are so many dwarf hamsters sold with the tiniest cage I've ever seen. It's around 23cmx14cmx14cm and the hamsters are kept in that their whole lives. What also irks me is the fact that petshops keep males and females together and "forget" to inform the buyer about potential pregnancy. 

I just found this on Ebay. I... I don't even have the words "Specially designed cage with widened 12 cm mute excise wheel. Both the room for living and exercise pet's body." "Size: 22.5 x 20 x 18 cm
Fits for guinea pig, ferrel, chinchilla etc." what.... 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-House-Cage-with-Mute-Exercise-Wheel-Toy-for-Rat-Hamster-Mouse-/351153499686?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item51c2612e26


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## RavenclawRiddle

Wow, those are TINY.


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## Adeliek

I had hamsters as a child and I LOVED them, but I didn't understand how to look after them. I just wanted to cuddle them and play with them all day, luckily my first hamster Snowy (it was white, I was a creative child haha) was really really friendly he never bit me, he played in my Barbie house. However he chewed through his - rather small - cage. I understand now that means he was bored. My second hamster Lucy was a whole other story she bit me and she didn't like humans. Although we have kept pets for years and years only now are we beginning to truly understand the psychological side of dogs -"mans best friend". So goodness knows how long it's going to take for people to start paying attention to all these small animals and their needs. I think there's a real lack of education on the animal front.


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## Pandorascaisse

That is probably the most disgusting cage I've ever seen. I hope someday someone sues all of these companies for animal cruelty.


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## JulianBashir

Jaguar said:


> I hate to say it, but hamsters are shitty pets, especially for kids. As soon as pet stores stop marketing them like good starter pets for kids, the level of care they get will improve significantly. They get neglected when parents realize hamsters sleep a lot, bite, and generally don't care for human interaction.


I've kept many hamsters and found that they are terrific pets! But not for everyone, and never for children. The thing is they're much less trusting and far less tame than other rodents. But you're right people treat them terribly when they find out hamsters are not going to keep their kids occupied all the time. The cages available in the US for hamsters are awful. Truly. Bin cages are the best way to go for sure.


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## Vegn

Idk, I think mice might be worse off. I don't know much about hamsters, but I think when someone gets a crittertrail over a 10 gal tank, they might honestly think that because it has tunnels and what not, it's better than a larger thing that doesn't have as much climbing space. Mice are even cheaper and are just really disposable.


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