You’ve finally made the plunge! You have got yourself your dream pet, the cute and furry little hamster.

You stood at that pet shop for ages convincing everyone around you, that the adorable creature staring at you from behind the cage was the perfect pet for you. That cage has finally made itself to your home. You wake up everyday with it next to you in the cage and bid it goodnight before you go to sleep, wishing it dreams of hamster heaven. In fact you have already named that furry creature and he is one of your best buds.

Once the excitement sets in, it is only natural to go overboard with feeding them titbits of everything you eat and cuddling them close. While the latter is not exactly harmful, the former is quite dangerous for your friend, as hamsters tend to have sensitive stomachs.

So, what should you feed your hamster? Definitely not that Mars bar that you love, or that delicious chocolate pudding that everyone must simply taste. Some might be even wondering if they are feeding their treasured pet the right thing. Not to worry, here are a few dietary specifications that could help your hamster lead a healthy life.

Water

Water is really important, so make sure your pet hamster always has a supply of clean water to drink. The best choice would be to get a water bottle attached to the cage for your hamster. The bottle should typically require very little suction so that your pet hamster can drink water with ease. If it isn’t possible, just place the water in a wide bowl which is easily accessible to it. Remember, they don’t possess the dexterous hands that we humans have. Make sure that you regularly replenish the bottle or bowl with clean water so that your hamster never goes thirsty. It would be advisable to wash the bottle at least once a week to ensure that dirt does not accumulate.

Food

When in the wild, hamsters are great burrowers and forage for seeds, fruits and nuts and store it underground to munch on. A very peculiar feature of hamsters is their cheek pouches. Hamsters have cheek pouches in which they store the food they forage for. In fact, when these cheeks are full, the size of its head can even become twice its original size. So don’t be surprised if you find your hamsters cheeks bulging or that the food that you placed has vanished into thin air!

So what exactly should you feed your pet hamster once you have brought it home?

There are many commercial feeds and pellets available a pet stores, produced having these dietary restrictions in mind. It is a safe option to grab these from a nearby pet store so that your pet gets the necessary nourishment it requires. Ensure that the commercial feed is suitable for your hamster breed. A tablespoon of commercial feed a day would be sufficient for your pet hamster.

Treats

It is just natural to want to treat your pet hamster and you will find a large variety of very attractive treats for your hamster in a local pet store. Anyone would like a little variety in their meals and so would your pet hamster. Treats would typically be fruits and nuts and even seed mixes. Moreover treats would be an excellent way to entice your pet hamster if it is a poor eater.

You don’t necessary have to buy the treats for your pet hamster. Apart from the commercial treats, you could feed your hamster a few fruits and vegetables. Some good fruits for the hamster would include apples, pears, bananas. Carrot, cauliflower, lettuce and broccoli would be vegetables that it would enjoy munching.

Feeding your hamster small quantity of your leftovers isn’t a bad idea too, but make sure it isn’t too spicy that it would cause digestive trouble to it. Some leftovers which your hamster would love are bread, eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled), boiled rice, tomatoes, yoghurt, peanuts and even cottage cheese! Just make sure that you don’t feed too much of these treats. It is entirely possible for your hamster to become obese if it overeats, and no one likes a hamster that finds it difficult to lift itself up.

There are a few treats that should be avoided at all costs when feeding your hamster! Sticky treats, junk food, chocolate, garlic and onion are unhealthy and not suitable for your furry pal. In fact sticky food could get caught in your hamster’s cheek pouch and could cause quite a lot of harm. Sugar based treats are a no-no as hamsters are susceptible to diabetes.

There will be an urge that most pet owners tend to have, to feed your pet just that little bit extra in your enthusiasm to make it happy. However much you want to do it, resist the temptation! Hamsters are prone to diarrhoea if fed too much and you definitely don’t want to see your pet suffer and cleaning the mess could be quite a smelly ordeal.

A good balanced vegetarian diet will ensure that your hamster stays fit as a fiddle.

Now that you know what to feed your pet and how to take care of it, you and your hamster are going to have a wonderful and healthy time together as best pals.

And remember; don’t feed your hamster any ham!

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In today’s world, everyone wants to be at the top. Everybody wants to be a winner. What comes with such a desire is the requirement of hard work. Work that lasts for unending hours. Work that doesn’t leave time for anything else, like spending quality time with friends. Work that takes you far from home, all alone and away from your family. Work that may make you skip meals and family gatherings. And at the end of the day, the only energy one has is for relaxing and sleeping. In such situations, one is often left craving for some companionship. Any kind of camaraderie is welcome. Someone who will calmly listen to you as you vent out your day’s frustrations. Someone you can unabashedly crib to, after a long bad day of work. Someone who will not judge you for not making it to that family event. Someone you can share your happiness and achievements with instantly. More often than not, one might find themselves lonely, with no one to talk to, at any given time of the day. They may be unavailable or unreachable due to their own engagements. Such situations only make the seclusion more evident.

This is where having a pet comes to the rescue. The pet could be any animal, from a dog to a hamster. One can choose the kind of pet based on their preferences and the capability to provide for it. Each of these animals too is available in a large variety of breeds; hence one can choose them based on their convenience. One might even say,” you can’t choose your family but you can choose your pets.” Jokes apart, there is no other source of comfort as that provided by a pet. What’s more, it comes with no strings attached. All that a pet asks for is a little love and care, and it will shower you with an unending supply of love, loyalty, faith and friendship.

A dog greets you at the door, the moment you walk in, like it’s been waiting for you forever and make you feel wanted. A cat will give you company as you contemplate life’s little mysteries. Fish will listen to you as you talk about your problems. Hamsters and bunnies will lift your spirits with their playful camaraderie. Birds will keep you entertained if there’s nothing interesting to watch on the television. Every pet has its own specialty, to suit everyone’s individual needs.

The best thing about pets is that they have a gift of knowing exactly what you need from them, without you even asking for it. If you are in the mood to play they will be the most playful creature. If you need some solitude, they can switch gears to be a silent onlooker. If you need comfort, they’ll comfort you with a nudge or a rub, anything they are capable of. When treated well, they are the happiest. And their joy radiates and seeps into you, without you even realizing it. Not many can boast of having someone who treats them like you are the center of their world. Owning a pet makes you feel that way and more.

Some pets can even be trained to do small chores for you. Opening the door, getting you the newspaper, operating switches, etc are just some examples. After a tiring day, doing these petty chores also seems like a task. But having your pet do them for you is not only a relief but also absolutely adorable to watch. Seeing a dog coming at you, with your keys dangling in its mouth is a sight that can make your day. A bird that can help you sort through your things can make this most mundane of tasks, enjoyable. The training process itself is a mood lifter.

On a given day, one may be feeling especially exhausted, and the conviction required to get up and get involved in some form of physical activity fades when there is no one to prod you. This could make you skip any form of physical exercise, in spite of knowing that you need it and that you are blowing the money you spent on your gym membership. This is another place where owning a pet proves to be useful. Taking your dog for a walk is an essential task, one that you cannot skip, for the dog’s sake as well as yours. This not only strengthens your bond but also your body. Playing with your pets is an enjoyable way of accommodating your required daily dose of physical exercise into your daily schedule.

When there is no one else available, you can rest assured, that there is someone at home, eagerly awaiting your arrival. You can talk to them with absolute ease. Discussing your problems is especially helpful when there is no interference from the other end. And you might just find a simple solution for the same. Not only that but pet owners tend to attract other people with common interests, which is just another way for you to make more friends oftentimes of the closer long-lasting kind.

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Human beings are an incredibly busy lot. The work and home life combine together to build stress and anxiety in a person. What one needs is a break from it every now and then. Though it may not always be possible for one to go on vacations or in extreme cases go out for a stroll. This may be due to financial, social or time constraints. In the current scenario, it may also happen that one is not able to spend time with family and friends. This creates a kind of a craving for companionship. In such a situation, pets come to the rescue. They are the most convenient alternative to vacations. And the options available cater to everybody’s varying needs and desires.
Dogs and cats are the most commonly kept pets across the world. Their popularity is owed not only to their own self but also to the various modes of media-written and visual. Every other book or movie or television show today has dogs or cats as an integral character. And of course, these four legged bundles of joy get most of the credit. The shear love that is exuded in their presence is a sufficiently good enough reason for one to desire to have them as pets. But sometimes, it may so happen that one is unable to handle a dog or a cat for reasons such as space, time or financial constraints. In such cases, someone who genuinely wants to keep a pet, they need to be aware of other convenient and suitable options.
Fish and tortoise are gaining popularity as preferred pets in households lately. The minimum efforts required, the comparatively low financial investment, and the ease of accommodation are some factors that contribute to their appeal. Kids and elderly feel especially comfortable with them as pets as there is no threat of injury, which may occur in case of dogs or cats. They require minimum space, that is, something as small as a bowl would suffice. There are myriad options available to us in terms of size, colors, breeds, decorative fish tanks, etc which interest owners to own them according to their wishes.

They are intuitive and friendly creatures. They are interactive as well, and are a great source of silent compassion. They are considered as a source of good luck. Especially if there are patients around, they provide visual and emotional relief. Also the fact that they are absolutely noiseless is another reason for having them as pets in homes with a requirement of a quite environment. They don’t need to be taken out on their daily walks, is why some people with busy schedules prefer them as pets. Tortoise especially require even lesser financial investment, as they don’t need to be kept in water at all times. It’s a delight to watch a turtle make its way from one end to another, without a care in the world, at its own sweet pace. Owners enjoy holding and caressing them in the palm of their hands.
Some people have birds as pets. Some of the reasons are relatively low financial investment and visual appeal. Parrots especially are well loved because people enjoy teaching them to talk and eventually to hold short conversations with them. The calm composure and beauty of birds appeals to owners. Having birds as pet is an effective way of having a pest free home. But at the same time one needs to be careful as they might fly away if set free too carelessly. One also needs to be careful of larger animals that could possibly inflict harm to the birds.

Hamsters and rabbits are also kept as pets. They are cute, cuddly, small and easy to manage. Their playful nature is especially appealing to kids. Owners agree that even stroking them for a few minutes calms them down so they can continue with their daily chores peacefully. One only needs to provide them with food and suitable accommodation. And in case of hamsters a wheel to run on is more than enough to keep them happy and occupied. But the most important care one needs to take is that of cleanliness. Owners of hamsters and rabbits often complain of odors, which becomes a deterrent in having them as pets. This becomes an issue especially when the owner needs to go on a vacation. In case of rabbits, they have a high rate of mating, so one needs to be wary. Hamsters can easily be kept in pairs as they are fairly cheap and simultaneously keep each other company.
There are some people who have reptiles as well as pets. Harmless snakes and iguanas are the most common choice. Before deciding on it, one needs to be absolute certain that it is not poisonous, else the decision could prove fatal. The same goes for having spiders as pets. The most common issue with owners is that convincing guests about their harmlessness as more often than not people tend to be afraid of snakes, etc. one needs to be extra careful of their food and enclosure requirements.
People with enough space also have horses as pets. It also requires a fairly large financial investment. But owners vouch for the peace and calm playing with a horse brings to them. And the ability to ride horses, gives a unique sense of freedom and pride. With the varying options available, interested people should find it easy to have a pet suited to their requirements.

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