D'aawwwwwwww

Less than a week until our new arrival gets here, and excitement is running high in the Onion household! Although not a hamster related thing I was thinking of doing an article on introducing new cats into a family who already own cats, what do you think?

Sadly we only have Pea now :( and it isn't looking like we will be getting any more hamsters for quite some time, although I'm pretty sure Smudge thinks he is a hamster XD. But do not despair! I will still write about hamsters and I am still a secret hamsterholic (but don't tell my partner).

Time Away

I've just returned from some time away visiting my parent's and it was lovely. They have a cat called Molly who tends to have some rather epic temper tantrums and one night she sat facing away from us in a sulk. She's so funny, but made me miss my kitties :(

Market Research and Updated Pets

Let me start by saying I am back, properly this time. Life took a bit of an unexpected turn but now everything is sorted I can get back to what I love, making videos and writing blog posts!

Sadly, in the time I have been gone various pets have passed away. I now have Pea, Titan, Nika, the millipedes, Smudge and 2 cats, soon to be 3.

Smudge is my mouse, and he is the  nicest creature I have ever known. He loves to cuddle and run all over me at playtime, its great.

Anyway this is only a quick post to say hello again, and also to ask for help. I have recently branced out into owning an ebay shop, and I sell pet supplies. At the moment I only have a few dog toys and treats, and some cat things on the way, but what I would love to know is what pet owners like to buy. Obviously I know what I like, but what do YOU like, let me know and I will try to stock it. Thanks you lovely people!


My shop

Housing Disaster!

Oh no, the worst phonecall came yesterday. This post isn't hamster related but I need to get it off my chest!

We had secured the house to move into NEXT WEDNESDAY and everything was good until...I got a phonecall yesterday saying the landlord had been offered cash and someone had bought the property. That leaves me and Mr Onion in the metaphorical poop. We have no house and need to vacate our current one in less than a week. The amount of stress I feel right now is insane! We were all set to rent and he sells it! What a ****.

Sigh. So there we go, now I have 4 days to find a house. Because of all this my hamsters arn't getting enough attention, I go out, trail round the estate agents and then come home and fall into bed. Sunday will be their day I guess. Poor hammies :( poor Onion :(

Moving with Pets

Moving house is stressful enough without having to think of your pets whilst you do it, so if possible have someone look after your pets during the move. If this isn't possible, like with me at the moment, there are various things you can do to make it easier.

• Keep them in their cages where possible - it is easier for them to adjust if they are in their normal environment.
• Take them in the moving van first, or last, and try to prevent boxes being stacked on top of them.
• Clean them out just before the move so you can leave them alone for a little while after moving.
• Try not to be stressed when you hold them. This is important because I know I'm super stressed at the moment, as most people in the middle of a move will be, and your pets can pick up on that, so keep as calm as possible around them.

Those are the basic tips I am using during my move, if anyone has any to add please comment and I will add them to the list :D

Where was I? o.o

So sadly I've been off here for a while, making the odd video here and there but not writing any posts. Quite frankly, the past month? 2 months? I don't even know...they have been a bit full on. I'm please to say that its sorted now, apart from moving house in a few weeks.

Since I last wrote a post Little Man has passed. He had a tumor, and was clearly unwell. The vet sent him home for us to make comfortable and say our goodbyes, and he passed a couple of weeks later. He is now buried in my mum's garden, under a flower <3.

A while later we aquired 2 giant African Land Snails and an emporer scorpion! Not to replace, Little Man, we would never replace him, but the new pets had been planned for a while before he passed, so we just put them on hold til after. I'll put some pictures of them at the end.

I should be back to posting again, now life has calmed down, so I won't say to much here ;)

This is Nika, my partner's female emporer scorpion.

This is Hector and nameless (at the moment) my Giant African Land Snails.

Diabetes in Hamsters

Both chinese and hybrid hamsters are at serious risk of diabetes, so their diets need to be carefully controlled. I've done two videos on what their diet should be, and what treats you can give them safely, check them out if you have any concerns about your hamsters ^_^.

Syrians can get it too, but very VERY rarely, so their diets do not need to be as carefully controlled.

How to Keep Your Hamster Cool

First off, big apologies for my absence, I've been finishing my degree but its all done now (yay). Seen as summer is rapidly approaching I thought I would do a post on how to keep your hamsters cool in the hot weather!

Some of it is common sense, and some are cool little tricks I have picked up over my time as a hamster owner:

• Keep the window open in the room they are kept in
• Use a fan to circulate the air if it is getting stuffy
• Freeze baby food in ice cube trays and give them a cube of it every day
• Refill water every day no matter how much is gone
• Part freeze the water bottle (only part, keep an eye on them as they can burst if left too long)
• Place a cup or plate in the fridge and let it cool right down, then put it in the cage for them to lie on if they get too hot. I put the plate under the substrate to cool one area down

That is pretty much my tips and tricks for the coming summer, I also made a video on it here:

I should be back to posting more often now :D

Contest!

Ok, sorry I haven't been around, I've been finishing uni and taking a bit of a break after the A-Z challenge. I have a contest currently on my Youtube, so I will put the link here for anyone who would like to enter:

Enter here :)

New Youtube Intro

I'm so proud of my new intro! I finally managed to get round to making a proper one, and just wanted to share it with you all! I will be back to posting normally soon, after this degree is finished, so see you on the other side <3

Quick post!

Sorry for the radio silence, I've been doing uni work :(. Almost done now though. This is just a quick post to say Inky is doing another one of her amazing giveaways over at her blog.

Check it out and enter for the chance to win a great small animal bed!

Captain Teemo

I don't have time for a proper post at the moment (stupid uni work) but check out this video to see my new "well done for finishing uni" present. I got it early because it was the first time my local pets at home had a long haired hamster in!

The video is here, go look :D

Captain Teemo the hamster

Youtube

I have probably mentioned this before but I have a Youtube which is all about hamster care :D. Please check it out here and subscribe if you have time <3

I bought this on eBay a while ago, isn't it cute?

Well...

I've been putting this post off, but anyone who watches my Youtube will already know. The other morning I found both my mice had passed away. There was no reason for it, and it still upsets me. They were both curled up in their bed together, and they had passed away. I still don't understand why, nothing was different the night before, but I've decided there is no point dwelling on it any more. There was obviously a plan for them at the rainbow bridge.

R.I.P Girls, gone but never forgotten

Zucchini

Let me start off this post by saying well done to everyone who completed the A-Z challenge, and a big thanks to everyone who followed me along!

Zucchini, or in other words courgette is a summer squash (fitting as we are hurtling towards summer) which your hamster can have as a tasty treat. Munchkin loves his, as do Pea and the chinese boys, so why not give it a go? Only in small amounts though, larger amounts can cause upset tummies :(.

They look quite a bit like cucumbers on the outside!

Youth

Young hamsters are by far the cutest (in my opinion). Nothing beats their cute little faces staring at you with wonder. Here are some facts on young hamsters:

• Baby hamsters leave thier mothers at 3-4 weeks
• They sleep a lot more than adult hamsters
• Hamsters can remember their relatives, so babies will remember their mum
• Once baby hamsters are a week old, the parents will most likely not eat them

Now of course come the cute pictures!

X is for X-ray

If a hamster is ill, or has had a fall and a vet feels it is necessary, the hamster will undergo an x-ray just like any other animal or human. I think these look fascinating.

Here is the only picture I could find on the internet *shocked* of a hamster x-ray:

Last but not least, apologies for the late post computer had issues :(.

Water

Although in the wild hamsters are desert animals in most cases, and do not need to drink a lot of water you need to make sure it is readily available at all times. Change it every 1-2 days and make sure the bottle is working properly, easy enough.

The only time you need to worry about how much/little your hamster is consuming is if you have a dwarf species and they start drinking A LOT of water. This is one of the signs of diabetes in our little friends, and one of the things I noticed about Little Man that suggested he had it :(.

Another use for water is obviously baths, so I will take a moment to mention that you should NEVER EVER bath your hamster in water. It doesn't need it, doesn't like it and can be dangerous for them. Give them dishes with chinchilla sand instead and they will bathe them selves :).

Vegetables

There are loads of vegetables that are safe to feed your hamster, and provide them with a variety of food so they don't get bored. Here is a list of safe and unsafe veggies your hamster will love:

Safe

• Asparagus
• Bean Sprouts
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Cabbage (Limited amounts)
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard
• Chestnuts
• Chickweed
• Chicory
• Clover
• Corn on the Cob
• Cucumbers
• Dandelion Leaves
• Endive
• Green Beans
• Kale
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Radicchio
• Romaine Lettuce
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet bell Peppers
• Swiss Chard
• Turnip
• Water Chestnuts
• Water Cress
• Zucchini

Unsafe

• Potatoes (Raw)
• Raw Kidney Beans
• Eggplant
• Fool's Parsley
• Avocado (Contains Cardiac Glycosides)
• Tomato leaves
• Spices
• Garlic
• Onions
• Leeks
• Scallions
• Chives
• Pickles

Unexpected

When owning a hamster you have to expect the unexpected. Whether it be a tame hamster from a pet shop, a sudden escape or a surprise litter, these little guys certainly keep you on your toes.

When I got Little Man he took 3 months to tame. I did not expect it to take this long at all! It was kind of the same with Munchkin, but when Pea came to me she was tame, even though she hadn't been handled in weeks! Then there is Winter, always finding new and unexpected ways to try and escape.

I wasn't going to do this for U but something unexpected happened today and I thought I could tie it in. My partner rescued a gerbil...

He has been christened Dante (previously Jackson) and is a year old, and rather chubby. I will do a proper post on him after the A-Z challenge :)