Mouse, or hammy?

[catzeye21138]

I've been looking into getting a new furry friend and I've narrowed it down to mice and hamsters. This isn't for sure, but i do love the little things.

I didn't choose rats because frankly I don't have the space for one. Same with rabbits and chinchillas. I'd just like a small little furry that I can enjoy. I've had mice before but havn't had the best of luck. I had two mice at one point and I mis-sexed them. I only found the pinkies about a week i approximate after they might have have been born. They were all killed... I figured it might have been the dad. I ended up giving the male to a friend and then the female died about 2 weeks later.

I've never had a hamster before, but I think I prefer the larger ones. Syrian I believe? Another one of my friends had a pair of dwarf hamsters and they didn't appeal to me much. I know the syrians are suppost to be in singles as well.

Which would you recommend? Remember, this isn't a for sure thing. Just something I've been looking into. Some good sites are welcome. I have a very good mouse site already but I'd like some more information on syrian hamsters.

Thanks much!

[Lourdes]

I have a sweet male syrian hammie. He lives in a 90 quart sterlite bin modified with MANY holes for ventilation...Also it fits a habitrail OVO series witith for plenty of trails..by the way this has been the only one to fit a syrian hamster. Hamsters have personalites, make sure you get a young one so it can be tamed by you. My hamster has never bit me and hops into my hand. You need a ball, wheel, food,water bottle, things to chew on etc. Mice are fun to watch, but if they escape you will never see them again.

[crazywiggy]

I like both, but I have a particular love of mice - they are my absolute favourite of the small furries!

Hamsters look more cuddly, but in my experience are more likely to bite. I also find mice more interesting to watch. Obviously syrian hamsters are solitary and should always be housed alone, mice are social and should be housed in pairs or groups.

Please make sure you get a big enough cage either way - like piggies they do need more space than you might think. For example, the RSPCA in the UK recommends a cage 75 x 40 x 40cm for a hamster. I would aim for about the same size for two or three female mice. (Male mice are more likely to fight so need more room than females). However, unlike piggies both mice and hamsters are great at climbing, so you could get away with a smaller floor space, if the cage had multiple levels.

Some people keep them both in aquariums, but I personally prefer wire cages as they do love to climb. You do need to make sure the bars are close enough together for mice, but if you adopt some that are already fully grown this is less of a problem.

If you adopt mice from a decent rescue they should already be properly sexed, but it is quite easy when you know how. (Admittedly I'm biased, having sexed more mice than most people have ever seen!) I have found some websites with really good photos and descriptions to help you. I can't post them here (breeding related links obviously) but pm me if they would be useful.

Good websites to look at are:
Hamsterific! About hamsters for hamster lovers!
All About Mice
RSPCA || Pet care

[Astrantia]

I've had many different breeds of hamsters over many years. I've also had several mice. Mice do have a tendency to smell a bit more and poo and wee all over you!

Hamsters, if you'd like one that you can handle often then a Syrian is the way to go. They aren't as fast as dwarf hammies and because they are larger - are easier to handle. I've found they're more human friendly than dwarfs.

With Syrian hamsters if you handle them from the beginning they will tame quickly and will be less likely to bite in the future. Though saying this sometimes it does come down the individual personality of each hamster.

Dwarf hamsters are fascinating to watch, but not very easy to handle (especially Roborovski hamsters) and tend to be less friendly. Dwarfs can be kept in groups or pairs unlike Syrians (as you know). The most common breed you've probably heard of are Russians (grey with a black stripe down their back): http://www.hamsterific.com/images/ha...ianInWheel.jpg and Chinese hamsters. I've found Russians to be rather nippy and agressive, but it does depend on the individual.

Then there are Roborovski's! Arguably the cutest hammy. They are the smallest hamster of them all. http://www.dunedin-mousery.pwp.bluey...tures/Buzz.jpg

You can pretty much put out handling them often, as they extremely small and as fast as lightning. However they are very amusing to watch and are completely nuts!

I think for a starter beginner hammy owner a Syrian is definitely the way to go.

Having tried and experimented with many different cages my personal choice is a converted fish tank. My reasons for this are as follows.

A standard fish tank is cheaper to buy than a plastic (often over priced) hamster cage, you can get twice the size for your money. You can also see the hamster(s) clearly. Secure! Hamsters are escape artists, they will squeeze through impossibly small bars - it's quite unbelievable.

I bought a tank around 100cm long. I then removed the lid that came with it as it doesn't provide good enough ventilation. I then made a wooden frame with wire mesh over the top, creating a lid. The best thing about this is the hamster uses it like a jungle gym. Here's a photo of one of my ex hammies:



I hope this helps!

[HeraHero]

Oh dear I do believe I'll be going agaist the general flow, a hamster really needs a suprisingly large space. So do mice actually. Well for hamsters I would recommend the forum here hamsterhideout.com I like it even better than hamsterific, so does my hamster .
HeraHero