which is good for syrian hamsters

Question
QUESTION: well i was wondering which is the better bedding i kept seeing on the internet WOODSHAVINGS but i keep hearing that its bad which ones better and should i get a really big cage for my syrian hamster?

ANSWER: Hi Keyla,

The bigger the cage you can get, the better for your hamster as they can get bored if they have a cage which is too small.

Wood shavings will be fine but make sure it is not cedar or pine, and do not use anything which has a lot of dust.  The bigger the shavings the better!

Regards,

Tammy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well i think im better off with dwarf hamsters since there much smaller and i can buy a non-  expensive cage what do you think (i like the robosoki hamster)

Answer
Hi Keyla,

i'm sorry but i thought you already had a hamster.

Even though dwarf hamsters are the smallest hamsters it does not mean they need a small cage - they need the biggest cage you can afford - especially if you have more than one!!

If you are thinking about getting a hamster then you really need to research everything you can, not just the type of bedding.

First you need to think about if you want a hamster which you can tame and one which will come when you call him and you can hold without him trying to run away.  If you do then it would be best to have a Syrian hamster - these are the biggest and probably one of the easiest to tame but they must be kept on their own as they will fight until one of them is dead.  Keeping a hamster on its own will mean it is easier for it to bond with you.

Most dwarf hamsters are social so are best kept with one, or more, others so even though they still can be easy to tame, it is sometimes a little more difficult.

Roborovskis are very, very fast and can be difficult to tame, so they are more of a 'look at' pet than a pick up pet.  They make wonderful pets to watch especially when they have plenty of toys and tunnels to explore.

Please make sure you choose the correct hamster for you and make sure you have enough time to spend with it.

Kind Regards,

Tammy