General Discussion

So, yeah, in this topic you can talk about anything you want. Anything on your mind, come post here!


Things on my mind:

I've always loved playing some prank or another on my friends, playing along so that they don't realize that something weird, strange, and funky is going on. And of course, they never suspect the lil' low-level kid down here at the bottom of the line. They look for somebody obvious. Big. Specific. High in the line. RIGHT THERE! A SUSPECT! But no, they suspect the innocent. Then I come off the hook and say, "Oh, ha ha ha! I got you!" And everything's okay because they go, "Ah! It's only Balto! Balto, he's so funny."

Another thing going on in my mind:

I can't post my bio yet for some reason, actually that some reason is because I am not allowed to post links, as a newcomer, until after 7, actually 6, more days. Or less. So, cheers!Enjoy my lame jokes until I enter the rp.

Well then I hope your not too annoying. lol

You can always post a rough draft.

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Now down to the serious stuff.

My mom has offered to let me buy a hamster when we get home from vacation. I need help finding the right breed.

Syrian- Syrians are a natural first choice. They're common hamsters and are friendly and come in all sorts of colors. Being in the USA I can't find a quality Syrian cage for anything less than $120. Another reason is that I don't trust my local Petco. Their hamsters are kept in small cages and are left without chew toys to wear their teeth down. I always support my petsmart because they're kinder to their animals. Petsmart doesn't offer Syrians saddly. I'm more comfortable buying from them so I'd prefer to purchase one of the breeds they have in stock.



Winter whites- Winter Whites are the biggest breed of dwarf hamster and are naturally tame. They love attention but don't need it which is pretty convenient for vacations. Their size is pretty convenient s they can live in tight spaces and don't need an elaborate cage, (though with me, she will get one.) What's really cool about these guys is that in the winter they lose their grayish coats for pure white ones, hence the name. 97% of the searches I've made about finding th right hamster breed was answered with a winter white.



Chinese- They aren't dwarves and it would take a bit of shopping to find an appropriate cage size but I hear they bond pretty heavily to their owners. My mom isn't a fan of tails. Infact, she finds them disgusting. They do have a bit of a tail and though I can overlook it my mom may not be able to. Maybe I can convine her she's worth it.



Robo- Robos are the smallest of hamsters and by far the cutest. I adore their size and my mom does as well, but they're so fast and fragile they're near impossible to handle, though not impossible to tame. They could still be great companion animals I just wouldn't be able to handle him often except for just sitting in my lap wich is pretty much all I would be doing anyway.



Any suggestions? 0.o

I have always had Syrians, or Teddy Bear Hamster, and I think they are by far the best. But look up Russian Hamster, too, I just recently adopted one of those from Humane Society, and she was sooooooo tame. Like, tame as in, unbelievable tameness. Plus, adorable white fur, gray ears, and great personality. At the moment, I have an orange Syrian Hamster, and she's so tame as well. I recommend Syrian Hamster. I had a couple of Rodos once, but they were sooooo hard to deal with. They bit me all the time (seems like that was their favorite activity) and we couldn't even pick them up with our hands, they were so fast. Syrians are much MUCH easier to deal with. And, don't forget, no hamsters are tame to your hands until they get used to you. One you get your hamster, leave it in its cage for 4-5 days before handling it, for it to get used to its environment. Otherwise, it may get stressed, never be that tame hamster you want, and perhaps even die. I'll bet you don't want that. Also, provide sticks of wood for the hamster to wear down his teeth. His teeth grow forever, you know. If his teeth are overgrown, that can result in death. I fyou want to hear about it, I'll tell you. My hands ache from typing now. Here's another thing. Their poop may be dry, but you have to clean the cage EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Or else, you may just as well cage your pet in a compost bin. Plus the whole room would smell like hamster poo. Mice are no better, maybe even worse. Worse, I tell ya. They poop EVERYWHERE. Even in their beds. Oh, yes. If your mom looks at a mouse and says, "Oh, how cute!" Say, "They poop on themselves, Mom." It works all the time, and spares you the arduous work of cleaning the cage twice a week. Back to hamsters. Trust me, my hamster, Coffee, would eat anything that smells special to her. She loves strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, and any kind of fruit. She gets a treat like that once a week, and carrot peels and lettuce stalks all in between. Plus a bowl of hamster food every night. I suggest you work out a healthy hamster meal like this, to avoid malnutrition. Coffee burns a lot of calories each night on her wheel. Another thing: To keep your hamster excercised, get a hamster wheel. If you don't, your hamster's likely to get overweight. Also, hamsters like to climb, but are nearsighted. NEVER EVER leave a hamster on the table along, because it would likely break it's little bones falling off it. NEVER leave it on the floor alone, even in a box or something. If it doesn't find its way out, it'll suffocate. If it does, don't hope to find it again. Also, all hamsters love attention but don't need it, which is great for vacations.

Feel free to ask me any more questions. I've had more than ten Syrians in my life, and they are so the right breed.

I keep my Syrians in old fish tanks, with a wheel, igloo, water bottle, food bowl, cardboard on the bottom (keep pee and poo for the most part out), bedding, and a cardboard box (to chew and play with). The cage lid, of course had a ton of holes in it. That's all you need. I really really hate those "designer" cages with all those tubes and things. For me, I have a humongous box full of tubes that I can put together into different shapes and sizes for my hamster to run around in. They don't need a huge cage, just a, like, 20-gallon and a wheel to last them their whole lives. With a Syrian, you'll enjoy company longer. With a robo, you tame it, train it, then it dies. With a Syrian, you tame it, train it, and enjoy it's company for three years at the long end of hamster lives.

I don't know a whole lot about Russians, but my book says they're naturally tame UNLESS mistreated, handled without caution, or abused by small children that disturb them when they're eating, sleeping, ect. Never listen to rumours, 'cause they may not be true! NEVER disturb a hamster when it is eating, sleeping, ect., unless to clean its cage, and in that matter you get the igloo out, and wait until hamster is totally awake to pick him up. NEVER keep two hamsters in the same cage, or they WILL kill eachother over food and territory rights. They are all right when they are babies, but hamsters, as adults, are very solitary, and want their own space. Works with all hamsters. ALSO, hamsters that flip on their back when you're trying to pick them up? Leave them alone for a while, they're scared. If you keep doing that, they'd bite you out of fear. "Biters". There you go. Every living thing does that. If they're scared, they bite, like, horses, cows, birds, dogs, cats, ect. ect. ect.

I've had a couple robos who had been together since the pinkie stage. Oh, one more thing: Males can stay together, but not in mating season, which is never, if you never get a female robo. They lived for one year and died. I felt like my taming and training had been wasted. They never were tamer than my Syrians.

I once had a Syrian who knew her name, and would come at the sound of it. That's how we found her when she got lost in the house, once upon a time. Go for Syrians!

I do have a spare 20 gallon long but I hate cleaning aquariums. Plastic cages are so much easier. I wouldn't keep a Syrian hamster in a critter trail. I would keep it in this:



It costs over $100 but I guess that it would be used to house many generations so I would get my money's worth.

I know that some breeds of hamsters can live together. Robos do very well in pairs, especially pairs with opposite gender though that would result in babies. Winter Whites can be housed together as well. Syrians will kill each other and Chinee have been known to fight viciously, but as long as your cage is big enough you can house hamsters together. If you spread food around the cage rather than using a bowl, have two water bottles, two hidey houses, and two wheels, you can house any breed of dwarf hamster together given they were introduced at a young age.

Yes, and yes to all of that, but I thought you mentioned you were only getting one.... right?

Oh, yeah I'll only be getting one.  Haha, Balto I love your location.

My location. Hmmm, what do you suppose is that? 

It's good you're getting only one hamster, because that makes the problems very very few AND less complicated.

Woah bro.  I just might be able to get a sugar glider rather than a hamster.  My mom's pretty okay with it and I have been wanting one.  Check out this guy:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/for/3821002264.html

Sooooo cute<3  Think about how cool it would be if I could adopt him!

*Balto opens his arms in disbelief.*

Askem! For one moment ask yourself! Is it worth it?Both hamsters and sugar gliders are nocturnal, yes, but one only needs a tank, igloo, wheel, and seeds, and the other needs a CLOSET, a BIRD NESTBOX, and a FEW THOUSAND MOTHS!!! ARE YOU CRAZY???!!! Plus, I think you would have to buy a special permit to get one, since it is considered WILDIFE. They will ask you why you want it, and I don't think, "Oh, I want to keep it as a pet" is a very good reason. 

And the problems do not stop there. He may be 9 weeks right now, but he won't forever. You would need to take him out, explore the house. Who knows what he would get into. Plus, you can't switch his schedule into daytime. Some of my Syrians did manage to, but those are called DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. This is a WILD ANIMAL. You don't know its past. I do know that it was probably taken from its mother early on, then handfed to "tame" it. 

Once upon a time, there was an author and biologist named Bernd Heinrich. Maybe you should look it up. He had the permission to have a pet sugar glider. It had its own closet, and Bernd had a chicken cage out back where it could hunt. Then, one day, it died, having had drunk the water from a geranium.

"Soooo cute, think how cool it would be if I could adopt him..." I bet you would regret it if you got him, then he died a few days later. Your mother would REALLY regret it, having to look for sugar glider poo all over the floor. I'd advice you not to get it.


Hey! Check out this cutie:

http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/photography/bigs/17231-Long-haired-Syrian-Hamster-white-background.jpg

He is ADORBS. I really wish I could get him!  I love long-haired Syrians! Makes me melt...

Woah.  Was not expecting that one. 0.0

Okayokayokay, let us start at the beginning.

-Askem asks herself if it is worth it-  HELL YES.  I'm aware of the amount of supplies he'll need but I think you're overreacting juuuuuust a little.  As far as the moth thing goes, they are insectivores and it's nothing I haven't seen before.  I breed crickets to feed my turtle and also buy meal worms, wax worms, super worms, I've seen it all.  Doesn't bother me a bit.  When I see a spider, I cup it in my hands and set it free.  Bugs are bugs and nothing more.

While sugar gliders are illegal in certain states, they are just fine here.  You do need a little certificate saying that (s)he was bred somewhere approved by some company, but that's simple enough.  They are actually pretty common pets anymore so "Oh I want to keep it as a pet" is actually an acceptable reason.

I think, my dear Balto, you're imagining me going to a zoo and requesting they let me adopt one of their little monkeys.  In reality, there are multiple breeders and tons of craigslist ads in my area.  It's not a big deal.

Here's the fun part.  Sugar gliders are nocturnal and they cannot be trained to stay awake during the day.  You got me there.  But this is where things get exciting.  In the day time (Before and after school, not during) I can carry him around in a 'bonding pouch' which is basically a little purse with a mesh screen.  They'll just sleep in there and being marsupials, they'll feel safe and guess who the mommy is in this scenario? Moi:D

I wouldn't let him 'explore the house' as you're right, they can't be potty trained.  I will let him explore my room where I  -being the responsible adolescent I am- will clean up after him.  He'll only need a half an hour out of the cage at night when he's ready to play.

You're right, depending on where I get him, I won't know how he was raised.  This is pretty similar to ferrets, rabbits, African grey parrots, and other exotics.  This is America and we'll just have to deal with that.

Your last two chapters, been there done that.  I got a rabbit last Christmas and my dog killed him four days later.  Trust me, it won't happen again.  It's not quite like a ladybug that you picked up off the street.  It won't die in a couple days because it misses the wild.  Sugar gliders aren't wildly caught anymore and are a common exotic pet.  Almost like a chinchilla.  Thousands of people keep sugar gliders all around the globe and there are entire forums dedicated to their care. 

You should check out the thread on Wolfquest under domestic pets or whatever.  Soren has some pretty cute gliders that play tag with him:>

PS that is a really cute hammie<3

Okay, okay, maybe I was pushing it a bit. We most likely live in two very different states with very different laws. I was going by Maine regulations, and you were going by whatever-your-state-is regulations. That's fine. Good luck!

My mom's getting tired of hamsters, and now wants me to have a pet fish, after Coffee dies. Hopefully she'll change her mind, because Coffee's life is going to be really long.

Problem with fish is I can't have much of anything. I'd love a betta, but it will never live through the winter. There's a few others I like, but they all need warm water. I guess I'll have to settle with goldfish, then.

I want a betta, but I know I can't get one. I know about goldfish because my mom had many over her lifetime. However, one she heard that bettas need a heater, she totally disallowed getting any fish that need heat. She allows goldfish, though, because she knows how to deal with them.

My brother and I are also raising dragonfly larvae, minnows (minnows are AWESOME), and zooplankton. The dragonfly larvae are for my Independent Studies/Collaborative Research at my school, and the zooplankton are for my science fair project. The minnows are for the dragonfly larvae to eat later. Fun!