This book about hamsters is very cute and informative. It has a lot more information in it than the last one we read, but my four year old was so intrigued by the pictures and charm of hamsters she wanted to read it all in one sitting. So we did. Like the other books on pet care we've been recently perusing, Hamsters discusses the pets' origins, needs and care. It also tells about the differences between syrian (or golden) hamsters and dwarf hamsters, how to understand your hamster's natural behavior, and how to tame it. I learned some interesting things about these small creatures- like they will eat their own droppings (yuck!) and like treats of yogurt (yum!) My daughter and I were both intrigued by the idea of building hamster runs or mazes out of empty tissue boxes, cardboard toilet paper rolls and paper towel tubes. It looks like fun, and a two-page spread explains how. It appears that a hamster would be a better choice of pet for us than mice, as they can adjust to waking up in the early evening for play, and you can let them roam the house in an exercise ball. One of the great things about this book is the illustrations- a mixture of photos and cute cartoon-like drawings- very engaging. A negative aspect was the inclusion of "internet links" as stated on the cover. This proved to consist of nothing more than a certain website mentioned repeatedly at the top of numerous pages. It was always the same link, and not to a site about hamsters, but a search engine where you'd have to do more navigating to find what you want. I found that quite irritating and pointless.Rating: 3/5 32 pages, 2004
My sister and I have a theory (a sad one) that hamsters very rarely die a natural death. Most of my childhood friends who had hamsters all had sad stories about how they died--the cat got them, they accidentally found their way into the dryer, their owners forgot to feed them, etc. If you get a pet hamster, I hope you have much better luck! :)
ReplyDeleteSadly, it appears a sound theory to me. My younger sister had a hamster once. We came home one day to find the cage tipped over and hamster gone- think the cat got him. My husband had one when he was young too, and it was always trying to escape. They nicknamed it Houdini. I don't remember how it died.
ReplyDeleteJeane - thanks for flagging the problems you had with amazon prime- I edited my post to warn them that they need to check the product is eligible as not all are - thought there must be a catch!
ReplyDeleteCute cover! This review brings back fond memories of my own hamster days. I did have one that died a natural death -- and never once ate his own droppings.
ReplyDeleteHe did escape several times, but was found in all kinds of places, sometimes days later -- on top of the drapes, under the oven, I can't remember all his hiding places. I used to walk to the candy store with him in my overalls pocket, peering out curiously as we walked along.