The Essential Hamster (Essential (Howell))

Rating:
Summary: A good book that doesn't leave anything out!
Review: I absolutely love all animals with exceptions to sharks and snakes, and hamsters being my favorite, and this book is for all those who love these furry creatures. It features lots of colorful, high-resolution photos with loads of information, and lots of interesting facts on how to take care of your hamster and retain its healthy status or how to bring up its status to a more desirable level. I highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Hamster Book
Review: I have owned hamsters for over a year now and have read quite a few books and websites about the cute little pets. In the last few months I have become bored with the same old stuff in all the books - most, however, have adorable pictures that make up for it, but nevertheless I hoped to find one with new information. Then - behold! - I picked up this book. A very attractive, well-made and well-written book, it is filled with new, interesting and useful info. I actually learned something from "The Hamster: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet"! On almost every page there is a wonderful color photo of a hamster (or, in some cases, hamsterS). I would reccommend this book to first-time hamster owners as well as the more experienced kind who are looking for new, complete information.

Rating:
Summary: Far too simplistic
Review: I would not recommend this book to anyone who has any knowledge of hamsters. Although it touches on a lot of information that may be needed by someone who has never owned a hamster it is lacking in comprehensive information that I believe is necessary to have a happy, healthy pet. It seems to be aimed at either children or people who know nothing about hamsters. I would have prefered a book that included more information on health and diet. I found that those sections were not nearly detailed enough and it would be of greater benefit to have specific information about certain ailments, diseases and dangers. [...]

Rating:
Summary: A helpful book
Review: If you are interested in becoming familiar with and keeping hamsters as pets, then this is a good book. Released in 1997, it was written by Betsy Sikora Siino and is 126 pages. There are ten chapters along with informative sidebars throughout. Examples of information are physical characteristics, housing, feeding, and health. Besides a color drawing that outlines the external features of a hamster, the rest of the guide contains nice color photos. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: It was a great book but there should have been a section on breeding your hamster but it did give the info you need to keep you hamster healthy.

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Summary: Repetitive manual.
Review: The Essential Hamster is practically complete redundancy of Barron's Complete Manual on Hamsters. Though excellent in detail, helpful information, and photographs, this is a waste of money if you already own other manuals on this pet. Typical of this type of book, it covers: Feeding, keeping your pet healthy, behavior, medical issues, and the homecoming preparation tips after purchasing a new hamster. There is absolutely nothing new and interesting added to the "Essential" series. If you own it, fine. However, if you seek detailed, new, interesting, and superior all around material, purchase the Barron's Complete Manual on hamsters instead of this.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for beginners
Review: This Book is great for the beginner hamster owner.it has chapters on the origins of the hamster, buying your hamster and its home, feeding, handling, and playing with your hamster. It covers all the basics to owning a hamster.It has a very good section on illnesses and how to handle them a section most begginer books really lack in.overall it is the best basic hamster care book I have found on the market.

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners
Review: This book was of some help to me because I am a new owner of a hamster. I learned about some fresh ideas that are not covered in typical pet store hamster books. I found the reading though to be quite repititave, as if the writer was trying to fill a certain number word requirement. There were some great pictures of hamsters too, including some nice close up shots. Over all the book was helpful to me and I would suggest this book to any new owner who needs some intro knowledge on these loveable rodents.