Dwarf Hamsters: Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, and Behavior (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

I just finished reading this book from cover to cover. Loved it. I got it because of the great reviews, and because I got a dwarf hamster for the first time, and had only had the classic Syrian hamsters as a child. The author did a great job about giving details for each species of dwarf, as opposed to talking about them as one homogeneous group, like other books. They really do have their differences. I'll let you read the other reviews to see more about all that the book covers. It seems geared towards the adult or older teenage pet owner, though you can probably tell that from reading some of the pages in the "Click to Look Inside" Amazon feature. I think one important thing the reviewers haven't covered yet is the author's credentials. You can read them all on page 111 when you do the "Look Inside". Go to the back cover first, and then flip back a few pages. In short, the author has a D.V.M (Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine), and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Univ of California at Davis. Dr. Vanderlip has "provided veterinary care to exotic and domestic animal species for more than thirty years...authored twenty books on pet care....served as Clinical Veterinarian for the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine...." [on and on], has served as Chief of Veterinary Services for NASA, and even does seminars. Not only that, but apparently her husband, who is "an expert in laboratory and exotic animal medicine" has also helped her obtain recent scientific info. The book is copyrighted 2009 and 1999. So, yeah, it seems pretty darn up-to-date.

What makes a good book about hamsters? Lots of PICTURES. And this book has plenty! Cute little dwarfies smiling, dancing doing back flips, playing basketball and being cuuuute! Photographs, not just drawings. I think the best part of it is that the only hamsters that are drawn are the sick or injured ones. That way you never get to see an actual hamster in bad condition. Photos of animals that have been injured can be disturbing, especially for dwarf hamster-obsessed people like me. There are like 4 or 5 drawings only, and LOTS of photos. Tons! I love this book! Even though it's pretty thin, this manual is close to complete. It focuses on the everyday pet owner, not just on breeders. There are not too many home remedies, it mostly recommends taking your pet to the vet. The section on recuperating a lost hamster is smart. Valuable information. It doesn't go too technical but it tells it just like it is. No kiddie speak. Also, most of the hamsters pictured are gray, just like my own Campbell's dwarf. That has made the book so much more enjoyable. There's a section on how to distinguish between 4 types of dwarf hamsters. Get this book! You will want to eat it!

This book is helpful as a general guide and contains color photos of the cute animals, so it served well to build the anticipation and sense of responsibility for our children before going to get their dwarf hamsters. We found when trying to use it practically, however, it lacks some specifics. Unbeknownst to us, one of our new pets came home pregnant and within five days we had seven little pink dwarf hamster pups, along with the two we meant to bring home! The book says be sure to have water for the pups when they start moving, but doesn't mention the equipment necessary for these tiny creatures. It says when the pups can be separated from their mother into gender-specific groups, but not when it is safe for the animal to go to a new home and what precautions to take to make sure it thrives. So, we must rely on the computer and experts to help us. The book alone is not enough.

My 9 year old daughter is obsessed with her winter white hamster. She was spending a lot of time on the internet looking at hamster pics, so I, wishing to limit her time online, bought this book. It has great pictures and a lot of information. She loves learning more about how to care for her hamster!

I'm thinking about getting a little pet, possibly a dwarf hamster, so I got this book. It has sections on "Introduction to Dwarf Hamsters," "Before You Buy," "Understanding Your Dwarf Hamster," "Accommodations," "Feeding Your Dwarf Hamster," "Health," "Raising Dwarf Hamsters," "Species-Specific Breeding Facts," Breeding for Coat Colors and Textures," and "Information." Having read this 110 page book with loads of cute pictures of hamsters, I'm now certain that a Dwarf Hamster would be a good pet for me, and I know what species I want, what gender, how many, what sort of a hamster-house I need, what to feed them, how to handle them, what sort of care and cage-cleaning I'm in for, and what not to do with them. In other words, I'm all set. I would recommend you buy this book BEFORE you adopt a dwarf hamster, because you will be all set up for the little fella BEFORE you bring him home. Works better for you and the hamster.

I love this book. Before we got a dwarf hamster, we did lots of research and this book was a great addition to usual internet searches. Great information on the different varieties of dwarf hamsters readily available. We were able to go to the pet store armed with knowledge (you never know if your pet store's staff are truly knowledgeable or not). We decided on a Winter-White dwarf hamster and just love him. I'm sure we'll continue to reference this book as questions come up.

I had hamsters for many years, and i am not saying this to brag. i know a lot about hamsters and some small details there are not entirly true. for example, it says that you should never put a hamster in a ball to run. i disagre but part of what they are saying is the reason is true. read the book to know the reason. overall, the book is ensecure, but nice. but if you buy it dont follow everything they say or just buy some other bookl. again this is only my opinion.

Best book I've seen on dwarf hamsters. I bought this before getting my first dwarf hamster and found it invaliable. There is an excellent section covering the history and characteristics of each breed, information on caring for them, and a detailed section on potential health problems. It's certainly been very helpful to me, and it's the guide I refer to if I want to check something out. I have learnt a lot from it - subsequently my hamsters have never suffered being put into a ball (something many people mistakenly believe their hamster finds 'fun' but actually doesn't). Yes, it's American and does include information on breeding, but don't let that put you off. There is so much other information, not to mention gorgeous colour photos. Highly recommended to anyone starting out with dwarf hamsters, and an excellent resource to keep and refer to.

Instructivo

I have a roborovski in a large cage, although research is very important and to get as close as there habitat is in the wild. This book is very good . Value for money and would recommend.

Written by a veterinarian (Hooray!), this book has lots of very good information and photos of these adorable tiny creatures! It is about time that we have authoritative information about them. So much of what is online is written by dwarf hamster enthusiasts with no scientific expertise. Having recently had to euthanize a much-loved Roborovski, I have had the sad experience of multiple visits to several veterinary clinics where the doctors and staff were fascinated by our beautiful Robo, but they knew very little - if anything - about this species. I would LOVE for this author to update this 2009 book to include a definitive statement on exactly what kinds of sand are safe for these critters' sand bath. To call it a "dust bath" is a disservice to the animal; their respiratory systems are more fragile than larger hamsters.

It is nice to find a book which is written solely about the dwarf hamsters, because even within the dwarf hamsters there are different species and variations. Usually most hamster books tend to concentrate on the more common syrian hamster, with perhaps only a passing reference to the dwarf hamsters. The book is well written and informative. It has some good charts to help you compare the different dwarf species so you can decide which would be right for you. It also has a good chart with the pros and cons of different types of housing so you can choose the best one for you. Another good thing, is that it isn't just full of pictures and then not much writing with a really large font to fill the space. There is lots of information, and I would say that the book is written with older children / adults in mind rather than the very basic RSPCA books. For people who are interested in breeding dwarf hamsters, it has a really detailed guide with different information for each of the different dwarf species, which would not normally be found in other hamster books, which tend to lump all the dwarfs together. I bought this book before I got my first dwarf hamsters. I wondered for ages whether to buy it as I was already familiar with looking after Syrian hamsters, and wondered if there would be any new information or just repeat syrian hamster care info. I'm glad to say it is a great book with lots of detailed information which is specific to dwarf hamsters.