When Hamsters attack

Captain Hill roars

When buying hamsters it should be known that there are some (Syrian, the orange and white hamsters like Captain Hill) that can be very territorial. So if you're buying more than one make sure you have plenty of space. They may attack each other. With no where to keep to themselves a hamster may not only get injured by the other but may actually die resulting in what may not be very pleasing to younger eyes.

A habitrail comes in handy here, for if you suspect one hamster is not getting along you can separate the hamsters by sticking them in different parts of the cage with no connecting tunnel.

How to keep your hamster from getting fat

Hamster fact

The average hamster will crawl two miles a day.

Pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts... Oh my.

Peppy gets into bag of pistachios

Hamsters like nuts. The shell provides a nice thing for the hamster to chew through.

Hamster Tip

It should be noted however that larger nuts (like walnuts) or nuts with an extremely hard shells (like pine nuts) should be partially cracked before giving them to the hamster. That is if you want the hamster to eat the inside. Otherwise it would be like you trying eat something the size of a soccer ball without a knife, fork, or pneumatic drill. The nut becomes more of an obstacle than food (which you may or may not want).


Captain Hill tries to bite into a chestnut


an uncracked walnut becomes an plaything to Peppy

The ideal nut then would be the peanut as it's shell is textured and can easily be broken by a hamster bite. It should also be noted that most hamsters like peanuts.


Captain Hill enjoys a peanut

Hamster Body Language

In this photo The Professor crawls around in 'normal' mode

It is an unfortunate truth that hamsters, while cute and fuzzy creatures, are also food for other animals. Because of this hamsters can be cautious animals, exploring carefully, attempting to not draw attention to themselves.

If a hamster had three modes (normal, caution, and high alert) these photos would represent the different hamster status.

condition: GREEN

In normal mode, a hamster will crawl around with it's ears perked up. It does feel threatened so it doesn't lower itself to the ground.

condition: YELLOW



Something is not quite right. The indicator is the hamster ears go back. This could be a sign of varying things from just waking up, to being petted, to irritability. If you're attempting to interact with a hamster with ears down be wary of getting bitten especially if the hamster doesn't know you.


Red Alert!

When it's in unfamiliar territory a hamster may squish down to be as low to the ground as possible. This could be considered the hamster stealth mode or red alert mode. The hamster is trying to be as low profile as possible so as not to be

Hamster Food

Hamster Fact:

Hamsters are omnivores

It came as a surprise to me to find that hamsters are omnivores. After all when going to the pet store usually the only food the hamster is seen eating are the pellets that come out of a bag (which the pet store conveniently sells).

Hamsters can be fed fruit, such as apples or pears. They can also be fed protein in the form of live crickets, small pieces of cooked chicken or beef, or even bits of dog food. Pork is considered too fatty for them.

In the wild some hamsters actually hunt in packs. Think of them as a group of furry, mini wolf pack or raptors and you might laugh.

Holding the Hamster

The right way to hold a hamster

When holding your hamster as with any living creature you should use extreme care. It's safety and comfort should be your number one concern. After all no one wants to be picked up squeezed around the gut (especially after eating).

To pick up, use both your hands as a scoop and lift the hamster from the bottom. With a bit of training you can get the hamster to walk onto your hand. If you have to grab them from above, gently pick up with one hand around the hamster's waist and have your other hand ready to put under the hamster for support.

With the hamster standing on one hand, use your other hand to cup over the hamster. Some hamsters are more fidgety than others and may try to jump or crawl off your hand only to fall and possibly injure itself.

Do not SQUISH

Hamsters can be squashed quite easily. Be gentle while holding them.

Lights, Camera, Action!

TIP: Photograph your pet

While you might be able to put a hamster in your pocket to show all your friends, they are referred to pocket pets after all, carrying a bunch of photos is easier. A live hamster might bite your friend with the new stink, and get hurt as your friend reacts by flinging the hamster in the air (purely unintentional). Also the hamster may try to escape by eating it's way out of your pocket.

Photos come in handy should your hamster escape from it's habitat and you need people to know what your hamster looks like. You can also use photos to show how your pet has the changed over time (eg. "Wow, I can't believe my hamster was sooo small. Look how freakishly fat it looks now!").

For added fun you can also take videos of your pet.  Just look at all the internet footage of cats and dogs.  Gads! (I encourage all you budding film makers out there to make your pet videos interesting, here's a small tip - good sound helps)

low res (mushy version) version

I took photos of Captain Hill during her lifetime and having photos is a way to remember her.  Hopefully she's somewhere still having adventures and snack foods.  Here's an Apple movie trailer I created using the iMovie app on the iPad using some of the photos.

high res (not as mushy?) version

Oddly enough this video does not show up in safari on my iPad.