Cats, dogs and fish - these are the typical, commonly found household pets seen wherever you go. But, did you know that hamsters make good, interesting pets too? Well, that's aside from using them as laboratory subjects alongside mice.
Video Courtesy: Youtube user John Mark Cruz
This is probably the reason why a lot of Filipinos have joined the trend in adopting or petting hamsters. Compared to the centuries-long domesticated pets, caring for hamsters takes less maintenance; still, you really need to take good care of them and consider some usual and basic factors.
These factors include space and ventilation, financial capacity to buy basic hamster supplies (cage or bin, drinking bottle, kusot or bedding, hamster sand bath and bath house, pellets and other food, among others), and time which you can provide for them once you take them in.
There are different types of hamsters available in the Philippines, and it would be much better that I describe them based on the ease of taking good care of them. The three hamsters popular in the PH are campbell hamsters, roborovski hamsters, and syrian hamsters - all of which are shown in the video provided above.
Campbell hamsters come in the most variety of colors (depending on your specified want, if you have). They're relatively smaller than syrian hamsters, which are solitary animals (which means they must leave in a cage alone), but larger than roborovski hamsters (the smallest among the three). Campbell hamsters are easy to handle, though some are bitty. Still, they make good pets to both young and old. Most importantly, they're cheaper than the other hamster types.
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| Here is a normal or Agouti campbell hamster - the wild color of the CHs. More colors are found in the link provided below. |
Photo Courtesy: Hamsters Inc. Philippines
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| These are roborovski hamsters, amazingly cute creatures. |
Photo Courtesy: Animal A Day
Roborovski hamsters are the smallest and the cutest hamsters found in the Philippines. However, due to their size, it's hard to handle them (especially for young ones) so they're usually taken care of for visual sight (due to their cuddliness) or as attraction. Very fun to watch, they are fast, always curious, and definitely entertaining.
The cost of campbell and roborovski hamsters usually depend on the age; the more mature the hamster is, the higher is its price. Campbell hamsters could cost an average of 60 Php (for young or 1-2 months old ones), 100 Php (for 3 months up or breeding age, non-proven which means "had not successfully bred yet" ), and 150 Php (for breeding age, proven), each.
Roborovski hamsters' young (1-3 months old) cost within 300-350 Php. Non-proven breeding age roborovskis' costs lie within the 350-400 Php range, while proven breeding age roborovskis' prices lie within the 450-500 Php, each.
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| This, I believe, is a banded golden hamster. :) |
Photo Courtesy: AllPosters.com
Syrian hamsters may have long or short hairs. Long-haired syrians are called teddy bear hamsters, while short-haired syrians are called golden hamsters. They're the largest of the three. One difference between the two is the cost. Teddy bears are cheaper, while golden hamsters are expensive (more pricey than roborovski hamsters).
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| Another charming type of hamster is what people call the teddy bear or long-haired syrian hamster. |
Photo Courtesy: WallpaperWeb.org
Hamsters, like most animals, are territorial; it's an instinct, so sometimes fights could break out especially if there's no proper introduction (by scent). That's why it is essential that you ask yourself first if your room or area has enough space for them (and possible for each one of them), and if you have easy financial access to spend more than your normal day-to-day living expenses.
This post is just a short guide to taking good care of hamsters. To become fully aware and to learn more about hamster,s you may join hamster enthusiast organizations (in their facebook groups) such as the Hamster Lovers Organization (HLO), the Circle of Hamster Owners in the Philippines (CHOP), and the Philippine Hamster Owners' Society (PHOS). Members of these organizations can provide insights and knowledge about how to take good care of hamsters.
/As to these organizations, you owe me this write-up, ha ha. Kidding./
