Anyone know of any Irish rodent forums?

Emsylee

Urgh..I'm dying to find one that isn't either British or American :rolleyes:
I've come across a few rat ones but I'm looking for an Irish forum based around all rodents in general. Rats, hamsters, mice, etc...
Please post any you know here! Thankies

Interceptor

Something like this? http://irishrat.proboards.com/index.cgi

'cptr

joyce2009

Interceptor wrote: »

Something like this? http://irishrat.proboards.com/index.cgi

'cptr

yep thats the irish rat club,,very helpfull but a bit quiet but you'll always get a reply:)

Emsylee

Interceptor wrote: »

Something like this? http://irishrat.proboards.com/index.cgi

'cptr

That's one of the ones I've already come across. I think I'm already a member on there. I'm just looking for an Irish one that covers all rodents in general, not just rats. There doesn't seem to be many around. Thanks for helping though!

Interceptor

Why don't you request a new rodent sub-forum for this forum? There are plenty of rodent keepers on here.

'c

Sigma Force

There's also this one although it's guineas other smallie owners are welcome http://www.irishguineapigs.proboards.com/index.cgi

joyce2009

Interceptor wrote: »

Why don't you request a new rodent sub-forum for this forum? There are plenty of rodent keepers on here.

'c

good idea,,i have 2 rats and a hamster and i doubt i'm the only one.....So moderators how about it......

ashlingm

I second that!

hammy 3

Hi I'm also looking for information on pet hamsters so a new sub forum on this would be gr8;).
New to this but would love to find out more.
Thanks
Alison:)

Chiaki

ide love a rodent sub forum! *might meet other natal rat owners and lovers of small fuzzies*

hammy 3

I am thinking of getting my daughters a hamster, but I have alot of Q's first:rolleyes::
I would love some ans' if there is any one out there that would'nt mind helping please:):
1/ I have 2 daughters 1 of which is only 4 & I am woundering is she too young for a hamster?
2/my eldest daughter{11} has asthma so could the hamsters fur bother her, also would it be a bad idea to have it in their room?
3/would it be a good idea to get 2 of the same sex hamsters so they are not lonely?
4/Can anyone give me a name of a good breed that is good with young children & dosen't bite please?
5/Are they a good, fun, easy to look after pet, easy to handle & play with?
6/are they smelly like people are saying to me? Is that just when their cage is not cleaned? How often should their cage be cleaned?
I would be very greatful for any information at all
Thank you in advance.;)
Alison
{hope this is ok, not to many Q's just want to make sure before I go & get 1 or 2:D. Had a rabbit before & we just could't play with it ,we couldn't catch it:D}

honerbright

hammy 3 wrote: »

I am thinking of getting my daughters a hamster, but I have alot of Q's first:rolleyes::
I would love some ans' if there is any one out there that would'nt mind helping please:):
1/ I have 2 daughters 1 of which is only 4 & I am woundering is she too young for a hamster?
2/my eldest daughter{11} has asthma so could the hamsters fur bother her, also would it be a bad idea to have it in their room?
3/would it be a good idea to get 2 of the same sex hamsters so they are not lonely?
4/Can anyone give me a name of a good breed that is good with young children & dosen't bite please?
5/Are they a good, fun, easy to look after pet, easy to handle & play with?
6/are they smelly like people are saying to me? Is that just when their cage is not cleaned? How often should their cage be cleaned?
I would be very greatful for any information at all
Thank you in advance.;)
Alison
{hope this is ok, not to many Q's just want to make sure before I go & get 1 or 2:D. Had a rabbit before & we just could't play with it ,we couldn't catch it:D}

Just a few answers for you..

1) I personally don't see any reason why 4 is too young, imo children having pets is a great way to teach them responsibility. Of course all the obvious things would apply like supervising her when the hamster is out etc etc.
2) I can't actually answer this one, I have mild asthma and my hamster doesn't bother me (she doesn't tend to shed much fur, only a bit now as she is almost 2 years old, but its thinning rather than shedding) but keeping it in their room might not be the best idea incase the 4 year old decides to get her out by herself.
3) It depends on the breed. I have a Syrian hamster and you aren't supposed to house more than one as they will fight horribly (to the death, if i'm not mistaken) although I think (someone correct me if i'm wrong) I think you can have 2 dwarf hamsters together. Although I'm not sure as I only know about the Syrian breed.
4 & 5) Again not sure, but I love my Syrian. She's super friendly and only gets grumpy if you wake her or when she's first woken up (she's like a person, in that sense! haha) or she'd be likely to bite if i've handled bread or something tasty before touching her. Saying this, she is almost 2 years old and I've only been bitten 3-4 times, and only once drew blood. She's very good to bring out and loves hugs and to be petted, but as with any breed this would take time for the hamster to get used to you and used to being handled.
6) I've found they're only smelly when their cage needs a clean, and it's not even that strong a smell. My hamsters very clean and keeps her house very tidy (will toilet in only one spot etc) so her whole house gets a clean once a week and whenever necessary I clean out and replace the chips where her bathroom area is.

hammy 3

Hi honerbright
Thanks a mill for getting back to me. That was some great information there. Thank you for ansering all the questions you are very good.
Thanks again
Alison;)

Sigma Force

1/ I have 2 daughters 1 of which is only 4 & I am woundering is she too young for a hamster?

4 year olds can have small animals as pets but you must be ever so careful with handling, they can squeeze them too tight, hamsters can nip and hurt little fingers. Or if they pick the hammie up and walk around hammie could drop.

Don't forget hamsters are nocturnal it's cruel to disturb them if they are sleeping during the day so the kids might not get to see them much and unless in another room away from bedrooms they can be noisy at night.

2/my eldest daughter{11} has asthma so could the hamsters fur bother her, also would it be a bad idea to have it in their room?
Some people get used to the noise but they can be very noisy at night as said, with the asthma not a good idea to have the hamster in the same room as where she is sleeping. It can sometimes be the bedding rather than the hamster that causes an allergic reaction, avoid woodchips they are too strong for hammies noses anyway so stick to carefresh bedding or the like which is more allergy friendly.

3/would it be a good idea to get 2 of the same sex hamsters so they are not lonely?

Syrian hammies cannot be kept in pairs, dwarf hammies can be kept in same sex bonded pairs but sometimes shops get sexing wrong and you can end up with a load of them. I'd go for a Syrian though because they are bigger and so can be easier for kids to handle being a bit bigger.

4/Can anyone give me a name of a good breed that is good with young children & dosen't bite please?
Unless you adopt a hamster from someone and they know for sure the hammie isn't a biter, you can be sure of the odd nip. Hamsters can become nervous or tired or just want to be put down so can nip some are more nippy than others. Gentle regular handling and learning when not to disturb or frighten them helps with nippers.

5/Are they a good, fun, easy to look after pet, easy to handle & play with?
They are great fun to watch esp. if you have a proper set up but as said they are nocturnal, younger hammies tend to be more active and the more you handle them the more used to it they get.

6/are they smelly like people are saying to me? Is that just when their cage is not cleaned? How often should their cage be cleaned?
Never found them smelly at all, obviously if they aren't cleaned they will like any animal become smelly.
Carefresh bedding is great at absorbing odours. Hamsters will generally pick one spot to pee in so can be toilet trained, you can actually buy a hammie toilet with refill (or use chinchilla sand). Obviously they need cleaning about once a week depending on the size of the cage, amount of hamsters and type of bedding.
Once a week should be enough for a Syrian, using plain white vinegar is brilliant and safe, hamster pee can stain the cage so for stubborn stains just let vinegar soak in for a while before wiping.

Hamsters are great critters but to be honest I personally wouldn't recommend them as pets for children, being nocturnal, delicate etc.


A lot of hamster housing is too small or unsuitable people generlaly don't want huge cages taking up space in houses so they get unsuitable housing for them. I would stick to tanks like large aquarium tanks with a wire timber lid and plenty of hidey places etc. Hamsters get bored easily so need lots of thing to do.

hammy 3

Hi Guineapigrescue
Thanks a milll great info. I so want one myself:) as well, but I just don't want anything to happen to my daughters or the hamster for that matter:). I'll just have to think about it some more.
Do you have guineapigs? What are they like as pets? {sorry hate to ask same as the hamster } hope you don't mind:). I would love a pet we could play with & have fun.
Thanks again
Alison:)

Sigma Force

Guinea pigs are brilliant pets but again their bedding can pose a problem with allergies. My daughter has slight allergies, more hayfever like, so she can't spend long around the guinea pigs because the hay makes her sneeze and eye/nose run. I don't thing guinea pigs themselves cause many allergies but since they need access to hay 24/7 and like to bury themselves in it there's always hay dust around (even with the dust extracted type hay).
Have had people contact me before needing to rehome their pigs because of allergies. It's such a shame their bedding can cause allergies because they really are brilliant pets, they need more care than people realise esp. with their skin and diet etc. but they are great little critters they can be lazy though esp. once they grow out of the baby stage.

They pretty much are couch potatoes of the animal world.

hammy 3

Hi Guineapigrescue
Thanks for that:).
Don't really know what to do now:(:confused:.
Do you think would the hamster be better in the sence that you can mix paper with the hay{is that possible}.
Sorry for more questions:). Hope its ok.
Thanks again
Alison