Training Your Pet Hamster

Rating:
Summary: Excellent if you've never had a hamster and just bought one
Review: I got this book last night. We stopped at the pet store and got a hamster. I've never had one (only cats) so I needed a "manual" to take care of our little critter. This book is great for that. Very much to the point, every time I had a question, I stumbled onto the answer right there. Lots and lots of pictures. Not very detailed, I figure that if I need more information I will need a more comprehensive book, but right now, this one works. It would have been useful to have it before we went to the store, because it "preps" you on what you need to know on choosing your pet and all the stuff.

Rating:
Summary: I don't reccomend this book.
Review: I would have given the book a lower rating but it was only bad because it was so bland. The author assumes that the reader is a seven-year-old and about 20% of the book is baby-talk. It doesn't go into much detail about training. In fact, "The Hamster Handbook" by Patricia Bartlett (also sold at amazon) goes into as much detail about training a hamster. This book doesn't include much other information about hamsters other than obvious things and is mostly vague. I don't recommend this book, but highly recommend "the Hamster Handbook."

Rating:
Summary: Great book for young hamster owners - buy it before the pet!
Review: This book is written mostly for young teenagers and will be great at interesting them in something not electronic!

No offense to Nintendo or Microsoft, but there really is life beyond the cursor!

I am one of very few in Egypt who bothers owning pets - I have a hamster, an African Grey Parrot (see my reviews on Keeping African Grey Parrots, and of The African Grey Parrot Handbook), plus two lovebirds, two cockatiels, two dogs, one cat and four tortoises. I thus have found Amazon a great source for pet keeping books.

Another good book for hamster enthusiasts is HAMSTERS, A COMPLETE PET OWNER'S MANUAL. I have, though, chosen TRAINING YOUR PET HAMSTER as the must-have. Buy it before you get or give the pet hamster!

Rating:
Summary: Great for pet owners. Pass if you're a breeder.
Review: This is a good comprehensive guide for the beginning hamster owner. It has no information on breeding and its writing will be beyond the abilities of small children (the ASPCA guides published in conjuction with DK books are better for children). The book focuses on your interaction with your hamster albeit it does also provide all the usual information in selecting and housing the little fellows. I gave it four stars since it's not an all-encompassing tome on hamsters and it's a little weak in the area of dwarf hamsters. As a pet-owners guidebook for Syrian hamsters, it's pretty much all that you'll need. The chapters are: 1.Pre-Pet Preparations, 2. Hamster-Hunting Homework, 3. Teach you hamster to welcome your touch, 4. Knock, knock, who's there? 5. Can hamsters be trained not to gnaw? 6. Potty training, 7. Make the cage a hamster heaven, 8. Out to the playground for recess? 9. Practice sessions in the play place, 10. Leash walking, 11. Roll-around balls, 12. Fun time, 13. The traveling hamster, 14. Handy hints, 15. Making the grade.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Standard
Review: This is a pretty standard hamster care book. The writing style often gets a bit insipid, but the information is gotten out.

For beginners, they'll get basic information.

The title is misleading as hamster training isn't the focus of the book. There is a little on the idea of clicker training and conditioned response, but this part is very thin.

In fact the book goes more in depth on the author's personal preferences for cages. They laud Crittertrail and SAM set-ups glossing over the cons of using these types (like these are easy for a Hamster to escape from), while presenting very minor disadvantages as major ones in other set-ups like 10 gallon aquariums (like cleaning it)or wire cages (can't use tubes). I'm afraid that having to take a bit of effort to hose a cage down, or providing alternative tunnelling toys are nothing compared to ESCAPING!

They do not mention how much cage room a hamster actually needs. If they had this would discount their favorite cages.

Still, that would only make this a 4-star book and I gave it 3.

This is because when going over the information for choosing a hamster, they don't have their priorities straight. When talking about going to a breeder they list that breeders have breeds and coat colors not available at pet shops as the first reason. Then almost as an afterthought tag on a sentence that the hamsters would be hand tamed and used to humans.

As someone who appreciates an animal for themselves this kind of attitude is extremely elitist and snobby. As if an animal's worth is only in its looks and the joy in having it is to show off that rare color or breed.

In addition, much of what is said is taken off verbatim from various Internet sites. Based on the copyright dates of the book and update information on the websites I know it's not the other way around.

Despite this, this would be a pretty basic book to get if you are thinking of owning a hamster. However, I would recommend the Hamtaro Hamster Care Guide instead.