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Hello, Guys! I have decided to start a new series, called the Cage Debates.
In this series, I will explain everything related to hamster housing. This means the hamster's needs, the minimum sizes, location, cage layout, and more.
I hope this series is especially helpful for those of you that are first-time owners, as you generally need the most help you can get. Those pet store employees aren't always knowledgeable enough around the small animal realm!
Okay, so yeah. Just a short little post about what this series will include.
I'll post the next part today!

If you would like to receive updates on this series, be sure to subscribe!

Queen Elsa!

Monday, June 15, 2015 • 8:21 PM • 0 comments

Elsa is an elegant four month old Silver Grey Umbrous Syrian hamster (Wow, now that's a regal coat color!).
A shy little ham, she insists to be cuddled by her loving owner (Forum Member MyFrozenFriends) daily, or she gets very bored and dissatisfied!
She currently occupies a 75-gallon castle, and noms away at her daily diet, avoiding her desserts as much as possible.
Desserts are just not.. ladylike! she insists.
Doesn't that face just say "Royal" to you?

Sugar and Sage!

• 8:12 PM • 0 comments

For the first of two hamster spotlights for this week, I'd like you to meet Sage!

Meet Sage, an absolutely ADORABLE Chinese Dwarf between the ages of 8-9 months.

Dwarfluver is in the process of taming her, and she is almost done.

Though she is obsessed with burrowing, she prefers to be very clean, as you can see in this picture. 

Her top favorite food? Sunflower seeds. Her top skill? Digging a nest.

Her most loved person in the universe? Dwarfluver!

What a cutie!

Thanks, Dwarfluver, for sending some pics and info about your ham!

The Hamster Days of Summer: How to Keep Your Hamster Nice and Cool When The Temperature Rises

Thursday, June 11, 2015 • 8:37 PM • 0 comments

Ah, summer. School has ended, the sun is out, and... your hamster is suffering?

That's right. During the summer, hamsters may find it difficult to maintain a healthy body temperature, exposing them to suffering and potential heat exhaustion (if the weather gets really hot).

Because the season has just begun, I will be explaining some helpful tips and techniques to keep your hamster cool during the summer months!

The Cool Off Zone

There are a number of things you can do to create a 'Cool Off Zone' for your hamster.

This allows you hamster to cool down on his own, when she feels too hot.

• For The Hideaway: Freeze a ceramic mug, bowl, or hideout in a plastic bag for 1 hour. Then place it in your hamsters cage, preferably a location close to her other hideaways and toys,
• For The Ground: Purchase a floor tile from your local home improvement store, and place it in a corner of your ham's cage. Alternatively, you can put a small, clean rock or stone (the smoother, the better!) in the freezer for 15 minutes, and place it down in the same place. 
• To Play With: Freeze a half-full plastic water bottle. Wrap it in a small washrag, and place it in the middle of your hamster cage. Do not add/ Remove promptly if you notice your hamster is chewing on it, or if you know your hamster is a destructive chewer.
• To Play In: Take the sand for your sand-bath (or buy some at your local pet store, in the 'small animal' section!), and freeze it in it's bag until it is cold, but not completely frozen. Pour it into a large, short bowl or Tupperware container, or whatever you use for your hamster's dust baths, and watch her have fun! 

Food And Drink

The temperature and freshness of you hamster's food and water supply is important to their health. Here are some tips for keeping The Stuffs fresh and cool for your hamster to enjoy!

• Cool Water: Float Ice cubes in your hamster's water bottle. This way, the water stays a little bit cooler while the ice cubes are still solid.
• Keep it Fresh: Change the water in your hamster's bottle once early in the morning, once mid-afternoon, and once before you go to bed. This will prevent the water from creeping down to room temperature or warmer, which will be unappealing and possibly harmful to your hamster (bacteria breeds faster in warmth).
• Frozen Yummies: Every once in a while, freeze a few apple slices, broccoli pieces, or celery chunks, and give them to your hamster.
• Moist Foods: Make sure you have a constant supplies of fruits and veggies with a higher water content. This includes apple chunks, cucumber slices, and even a very small amount of lettuce or cabbage (no iceberg lettuce, and not in excess as this can give your hamster diarrhea!). 

External Environment:

Keeping the area outside of your hamster's cage is essential to providing a safe environment inside of it! Also, be sure to place your cage is a safe spot!

• Fans (No, not that type!): Place a fan close to your hamster's cage, so that cold air will circulate around the space. Do not aim the fan at your hamster's cage. 
• I can see the light... and it's blinding me!: Keep your hamster cage out of direct sunlight, or even close to windows. The heat from direct sunlight (or absorbed and generated from window glass) can be very harmful to your hamster's health. Also, the brightness of the light can be so extreme as to cause eye damage, and even blindness in hamsters.
• How low can you go?: Place your hamster cage as close to the ground as possible, or even on the floor. Do not do this, however, if you have predator animals in the house, such as cats or dogs, that have/can have access to the cage!
• Ventilation-Station!: Try improving the ventilation of your hamster's cage, or even moving her to a better one. In aquarium tanks, you may want to remove the lid, or replace it with a DIY one (a wooden frame that fits the to rim, with chicken wire/mesh on the interior of the frame). If you have a plastic or plastic modular cage, I highly recommend moving your hamster to a wire one, as the ventilation capability in those cages is extremely poor.

I hope this information helps you keep your hamster cool during these hot summer months! Have fun!

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Meet Kiwi!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015 • 2:03 PM • 0 comments

Kiwi is a sweet, 1 year old Winter White dwarf with a great personality. Born in early 2014, she has a habit of chewing on ThugPug's fingers! While her pet-parent loves Doctor Who, Kiwi adores food, and loves to taste test new things.
ThugPug loves her so much, and who wouldn't?!
Just look at that little face!
Although she is a little hamster, she has a big personality!

Thanks, ThugPug, for sharing about your little hamster!

Hello, Einstein!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 • 7:00 PM • 1 comments

Hello, another Ham Spotlight! This is HammyMay's hamster!

Einstein:

This is Einstein, the smart, kind, silly little Syrian hamster. His birthday, April 6th, marks his first year. His favorite treats are Kaytee Fiesta Healthy Toppings, Papaya Flavor.

He also enjoys Whimzees Chews, which spontaneously disappear within a week... I wonder who took them? Haha!

He enjoys making a lot of noise on his wheel during the night,  as well as "shouting" and making noise so that May plays with him too. What a cute ham!

Jadewolf's Misha!

• 6:30 PM • 0 comments

Another Ham Spotlight, coming right up! This one is from HH Forum Member JadeWolf!

Misha:

Meet Misha! She is a maybe 3-4 month old dwarf hybrid, named after Rexxar's bear in Warcraft 3! This hamster, a foodie with a very fine palette, savors millet! In fact, her catchphrase is "Give me millet, or give me DEATH!!"

She currently works as a forager, and runs around at night attempting to catch and store delicious nibblings! Her current mission, according to JadeWolf, is to capture the walnut, something she has not yet learned to do! This soft-furred hamster is very adventurous and daring, however, still loves a nice cuddle! Awww!

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