ok i love this site! but ive never actually had a hamster of any kind before so i have plenty of questions if any experts want to answer for me so i don't kill my hammys. im planning on getting two robos and naming them waffles and giggles (hence my screenname) i got two very big plastic bins and made a home made cage for them. it has lots of ventilation and the two bins are connected by a tube. both cages will have a little igloo for them so they can each have their own privacy. they also both have a plastic wheel with no opennings so they dont break their feetsies! i have bedding and empty paer toilet roles for them to chu on and some food. im still debating as to wether they each need their own bowl and water bottle or i only need one each for both. am i missing anything? i haven't bought the robos yet i wanted to make sure i had everything answer back plz! 

I think you've pretty much got it sussed! I dont really think two water bottles and two food bowls is necessary as they like to share anyway and they also dont each much! One water bottle is fine again as they don't drink much either! Good on you for getting your cage prepared before your little babys. I've only just got mine they are easy to look after and they are cute! 

it sounds good to me, and well done for getting sorted first !

if you want to you can hide some food else where, so they have to look for it, it does not have to be put in a bowl,  a 6 egg cardboard box is great for this, just make a robo size hole in top put some food in and close lid, they will love that as they have to figure out how to get it, or you can use any other little box that fits in the cage.

Hi, before getting any, I would advise reading all of the info on this site-On the information sections down the left hand side.....On the floor of the bins......Put sawdust etc. on the floor of the cage...Put a nice thick layer so they can, burrow a bit........In their nests, put the shredded paper/J-cloth style bedding-Not the fluffy bedding as they can get their legs stuck and it could cause a breakage, I would advise using 2 foodbowls incase 1 gets possesive and wont let the other eat....It's very good having 2 of everything-They shouldn't fight like that as there's not really any reason to. I would advise....giving them chinchilla sand-The chinchilla dust from Pets At Home is the same as Sand-Though most 'chinchilla dusts' are bad as they are far too dust-the chinchilla dust is very good for their fur and it makes it very soft. Bin cages are concidered best as they're flat and have lots of space to run. Also, nice names  I hope I helped, Speak soon, James.

and will look forward to seeing some photos posted in the gallery, ( check the rules in the forums for doing this !)

It sounds good. Make sure the bedding is ok for them ( not softwoods or too much dust) and read the checklist section of this website. I also recommend reading this entire website, its really imformative.

thank u so much guys that egg carton thing is a great idea and i have actualy read most of this site. i was so excited to get the hammys!  again thank u!!!!

the only thing that i can think of is after a few days you should start giving them chincilla sand for 10 to 15 minutes and then take it out over time they will take sand baths

But other wise your set hop you have a hammie filled time with them!!

yeah, I think since you have read most of this site you and your hammies will do fine

question about the chinchilla dst tho do i just put it in a dish in their cage and keep it in there regularly or will i have to force them to take a dust bath????

I don't think you should really force them to do anything.

no,no,no,no i didnt mean like animal abuse force i meant do i have to sit down and make sure they took a dust bath or if i put it in thier cage will they take one on their own?

usually but you might want to watch to see if they did or not

for the bedding you should get corn cob

What's so good about corn cob?

at 08:02PM on Nov 04, 2009

question about the chinchilla dst tho do i just put it in a dish in their cage and keep it in there regularly or will i have to force them to take a dust bath????

just put some in a dish , about 2 inches high, and fill half way, a ceramic dish is best then they won't tip it over, ( i use a rabbits food dish !) and if space permits leave it in one corner of the cage, they will use it when they want to. They may poop in it, if so seive the poop out, and give totally clean sand once a week when you clean out cage.

Personally i dont agree with putting in for a couple of hours, then taking out, they have access to sands to clean them in the wild all the time, so i don't think it should be any different when they are with us, they may have been born in captivity, but they are still wild at heart !

thanks i will take pictures and let u guys no when i get my hammys it might be a while cuz im 13 and i dont make $ very fast

Hi, oh thats fine....I can't wait until the cute pics....I'm glad you know pretty much everything you  needed to know-A lot of people gave their advice on this topic. If you have any other questions, don't hesistate to ask. Speak soon, James.

Hopefully you will ctach the hamsters on sale! Anyways good luck, if you want to show how much you want a robo just d extra chores or something that your parents apprecite and they will know how much you want 1( or 2)