Books
Before you buy a hamster (or any pet, for that matter) you should research them. One way is to read Hammie Land's In the Hammie Cage (hehe). But the best way is to look at Hamster books. However, it isn't just about reading a book once and thinking you're good to go. You should buy one that includes everything about hamsters (especially health information) so you can have some good information when you need it. If any questions come up while you have your hamster, you can get some tips you can trust. A big part of buying a good book is knowing which one to get. The books I have (and know forward and backward!) are Dwarf Hamsters: Everything About Purchase, Care, Feeding, and housing (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manual) (left picture). One of the many reasons this book is so great is that it has an illness reference chart, and is very helpful if you notice something wrong with your hamster. It shows the illness name, the symptoms, what it's caused from, what to do, and what not to do for all the common hamster diseases. It is not available in all pet stores though. It is available at the online store www.amazon.com. To find it and read further information about it, go to amazon.com and type Dwarf Hamsters into the search box, and it should be the first choice. My other favorite books (if you don't have Dwarf Hamsters) are Hamsters--Getting Started, written by Greg Ovechka (middle picture) and The Essential Hamster (right picture). These two books are for all types of hamsters and have tons of information in them. All the books I listed include full color photographs and helpful information on choosing a healthy hamster, how to prepare basic housing, what to feed a hamster, playground, healthful treats, handling, health care, and even breeding.