We bought 2 cute hamsters (I'd prefer 2 big jumping dogs, but apartment limitations on pets) a couple of months ago and they've brought endless fascination (can't believe i'm saying that !). and surprisingly they do have individual characters. We do let them have their freedoms such as letting them have the run of the aprtment for a couple of hours a day!

anyone out their who has hamsters, fieldmice, guinea pigs etc? Would be good to know what tricks of the trade you have in little critter care reeading food, cleanliness, illnesses, etc

Takes me back to my childhood days of hamster-keeping

Two thoughts. If you have curtains (drapes for US readers), watch out - they love to climb up them and run along the top. And - when they're out - be careful where you walk; I still feel remember the horror when my elder brother ( ) walked into the lounge and stepped on mine. Oh, and before his untimely death, mine was enthusiastically expert at getting inside anything that had any kind of access hole however small - must be the burrowing instinct.

Being of the two big jumping dogs owner variety myself, I bought a Hamster-Pet toy for a friend's daughter some years ago. It was made from thin plastic rods that were crafted to look like dried bamboo shaped into a rough ball about 16cm in diameter with an opening to allow the hamster to be placed inside. The idea being it could explore the house without getting 'lost'. I suggested (to my friend) that he could use it to steam the hamster as a tasty meal - Oppps !

Being of the two big jumping dogs owner variety myself, I bought a Hamster-Pet toy for a friend's daughter some years ago. It was made from thin plastic rods that were crafted to look like dried bamboo shaped into a rough ball about 16cm in diameter with an opening to allow the hamster to be placed inside. The idea being it could explore the house without getting 'lost'. I suggested (to my friend) that he could use it to steam the hamster as a tasty meal - Oppps !

Yeah, yeah, thanks for the input, Cuban....