When you finally give into the demands of the kids who have been harping on about getting a pet for the past who knows how many months, you’re probably thinking to yourself that a dog or a cat is just far too much responsibility when little Jake or Jennifer can’t remember to put their laundry in the basket yet. The best pet you can possibly buy them as a starter is a cute, fluffy hamster! Inexpensive, easily tamed and mostly kept alone, hamsters are  low maintenance animals that make ideal first time pets for young or older children.

To begin: housing

Hamsters aren’t very sociable animals. Most breeds like to be kept alone, otherwise they will fight. There are, however, one or two breeds that enjoy eachothers company, usually the smaller breeds like roborovski hamsters and dwarf hamsters. Check with the breeder first! Regardless of number, hamsters need an ideally sized cage to sleep and play in, one large enough for a bed, a wheel, a toy or two and a food bowl. There are plenty of hamster cages out there to choose from!

Feeding

Unlike cats, dogs, rabbit or other larger pets, hamsters don’t require any jabs, rarely require vet treatment and only require feeding once a day – sometimes not even that! Hamsters are very good at regulating the amount the eat and will only ever nom on some nibbles when they feel hungry. That’s not to say you can’t give them a treat or two here and there, because some fresh carrot, brocolli or a couple of nuts offers an additional element of nutrition to their diet as well as providing ideal, healthy treats along with store sold hamster food. Be careful not to give your ham too much wet food though (cucumber, for instance), as this can lead to a nasty stomach ache!

Playtime!

If you have a safe environment for your little hamster to run around in, let him or her explore! Though they will likely have a hamster wheel in their cage, they like to get out and about and enjoy an adventure from time to time. If you can’t let them run around on the floor, there’s no harm in letting them crawl and climb all over you – it still counts as exercise! You can also find a selection of hamster toys to keep them occupied in their cage.

Maintenance

Some longer haired hamsters will need a minimal but additional level of maintenance. From time-to-time they do need a little haircut, but this is easily performed with a pair of curved nail scissors. Of course, you must clean out any hamster cage once a week, especially during the warmer months. Your hamster wants to live in a clean, sweet smelling home just as much as you do! Don’t use fine sawdust though, as it can effect their breathing. Hamsters will rarely need to go to the vet for any reason, perhaps never in the course of its whole life, but you should still be aware of any health conditions or problems a hamster can develop.

Take a look at some hamster care guide books for more information!

Pet ferrets are becoming more and more popular pets, so if you’ve been thinking about getting one of these strange little slinky critters then you should probably get to know everything about them first. Bear in mind that in some countries outside of the United Kingdom, ferrets are ilegal to own, so do your research!

The word ‘ferret’ actually means ‘little thief’ in Latin. This might give you an indication of the personality of a ferret. They like to steal little bits and bobs, a bit like a magpie, so understand that ferrets are very curious creatures and like to get into anything and everything they can. They love to explore! As very active creatures, ferrets need a lot of time free of the confines of a cage as well as some time socialising either with you or with another ferret. They are a lot like dogs, cats and rats – they love attention from their owners.

There are plenty of ferret accessories to keep your bendy pet entertained. Ferret toys are an excellent way to keep them active and their mind stimulated – these can also be tossed into the ferret cage afterwards! Of course, you’re going to need plenty of ferret food and other ferret bits and pieces.

If you’re going to have a ferret running around, you have to make sure your home is ferret-proofed. They can get into almost any little niche and hole. Think about all of the places you would want to get into if you were that size! Even if you have a ferret-safe home though, you must keep an eye out to make sure they don’t find anything new!

If you have other animals running around, make sure you introduce them slowly and carefully. You don’t want any fights to go on between your pets. Ferrets won’t get along with smaller animals like birds, rodents or rabbits though, so either ensure they’re kept separate or don’t get a ferret! They have a nasty nip.

For more information on ferrets, check out some ferret care and ferret guide books!

Most pet owners will probably have a tail (ha ha!) or two to tell about their animal’s crazy antics, so we’ve compiled a list of a few of the silliest mishaps and happenings we can find! If you know of any more ridiculous animal tales than these, why not let us know all about it and you might find your story featured right here!

Though this first tale isn’t entirely of the pet variety depending on how you choose to look at it, we thought it would make a nice little introduction. Meet Zorro, a six year old zebra shark desperate for a new love. He was shipped off to the Seal Life London Aquarium on Valentine’s Day with hopes he would get together with their resident female sharj Mazawabee. In order to encourage some lovin’, marine experts have been attempting to encourage some underwater activity by playing seductive tunes like Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. Sadly, as of yet there have been no signs of any action, but research does suggest that fish can both hear and appreciate different tunes and melodies! Sh(ark!)ocking!

This next one is particularly mad! At the Bremerhaven Zoo, Germany, the introduction of a group of female penguins to a flock of male penguins was dropped after gay rights groups protested splitting up ‘homosexual’ penguin couples. Zoo director Heike Kueck insits there was never any intention to forcibly separate the penguins and even if they wanted to, they couldn’t force them to be interested in females!

Now we’ve mentioned heroic pets before, but this particular pooch really deserves an extra special mention. A pet dog rooting around in the forest in search of food for her puppies apparently stumbled upon an abandoned newborn, picked it up, carried it across a busy road, through a barbed-wire fence and laid it beside her own puppies. According to the dog’s owner, the dog lay beside the baby and took care of it until it was spotted by someone. The baby was later taken to hospital.

So there you have some fascinating pet stories to remind you why we love our crazy animals so much!