Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas!

Everyone at Lovepets-hamsters would like to share with you their Christmas wishes!



Sunday, September 11, 2016

Learning Journal - Orange Pudding Hamster Project

Hi Folks, this is a long overdue post. First of all I would like to thank Amy Wu for her patient and willingness to impact her knowledge on genetics studies and her personal experience! I will be summarizing the beginning of my "Orange Pudding Hamster Project", the learning I had and my thought-points from Summer X Autumn litter as an ethic breeder. This is my journal....

Getting the pair
Both Summer and Autumn were gotten at the same time on the 15th August 2015. They are from two different families and Summer a week old than Autumn. The first step is knowing the pairs' heritage line. Summer is Orange Pudding X Orange Pudding +Sapphire WW Sibling while Autumn is Yellow-Blue X Yellow-Blue. It is real important to assert the pair lineage before breeding as my goal "To achieve healthy, well temperament orange pudding with stable and even colouring."


Getting to know them
I'm very excited to welcome to them into the family, for it has been close to 2 months in finding the next perfect hamster since Dawn deceased and it is having two hamsters at once. Summer and Autumn are two poles apart in terms of characteristic; Summer is like the warm sun, friendly and layback while Autumn is full of energy, running like the wind. Even saying so, I still love both of them



Grooming them
As much as I like to breed them, there is responsibility and moral to be upheld. They are not just a hamsters but they are a pet that depends on you and it is a life in our hand. Just like any mothers; I wish to have them at their very best, ensuring that they are in healthy condition, giving them lots of love and attention, and providing them a quality living environment. All these is just the basic that we should have provide and treat all hamsters alike or more accurately must have. The hard parts are the internal factors to consider such as chronic illness and gene defect (diabetes, tumor, stargazing, etc). It is even more difficult to identify as both Summer and Autumn are very young and are less likely to display the symptoms. All I can depend on are the information given by their previous owners which they could also might not be aware since their hamsters' could be a carrier that do not display the symptoms and be vigilant in observing their behavior and any suspicion is far too risky to continue with the project. Fortunately, both of them are in tip top condition.
Temperament place a huge emphasis for me. No one flavor an aggressive or skittish personality even though they are beautiful. Imagine a dazzling peacock that come dashing and pecking at you when you are in its sight range, it won't be a pleasant encounter.... or a rainbow coloured fish that always evade that you can't even have a proper look at it. Well you may argue that fish are for viewing, you can't handle them. My reply will be "Hamsters are not ornamental pets, they benefit more with interaction." I am more than willing to delay the project if their temperament are not suitable, it will also ensure that poor temperament are eliminated in the natural process. It is very pleased to have both Summer and Autumn to be perfect in their own way.





Preparation Studies
I did not take biology as my core subject and have only basic knowledge about genetic which is children inherit traits from parents such as colour and characteristic. To have a better understand, I seek help with some renown oversea hamster's breeders and Amy has offer assistance more ways than I expected. Backtrack a little, some may question if I have researched and handle hamster so much, why would I still sought the helps of other and even more an oversea expert? It is true that I have handle hamsters for 7 years but this is the first time I am doing a breeding and the hamster is a Mandarin (Orange Pudding) which is still uncommon studied. You may have 101 theory knowledge but 0 practical experience which could lead to many scenario. Why oversea? Not trying to blame or accuse anyone but most stereotype breeders as unethical owners, instead of offering relevant information, they will pressure you to stop all activities and offer typical advise that breeding is bad so and so forth. Personally, I neither advocate nor condemn breeding, but feel that if the owners is well prepare in terms of knowledge and preparation, the consequences and holds full responsible and welfare to its pets, they should not deemed as sinner. Beside learning from someone who have lots of personal experience and been through many different situations will be beneficiary since there is limited to what a book can point out which usually are the common one. Through the conversion with Amy, I come to realize I have much to learn. Brushing up basic bio on principle of inheritance, Punnett Square, Genotyping (kills my brain) and homozygous/ heterozygous. She also quick to point out that the fact that I'm dealing with hybrid line, I should be even more caution since the lineage is unclear and more hidden danger and it's very vital that I have a vet that can perform emergency c-section. Omg! It was the first time hearing the hamster are able to perform c-section and is there even one in Singapore! Love you Amy! You offered me so much information that I could not access to!


Reference Source:
http://www.dwerghamster.nl/russische/kleuren_en_mutaties/index.php 
https://web.archive.org/web/20131225102709/http://home.comcast.net/~cricetus/genetics.htm

Mating & Pregnancy
With all the information gather, I am ready to proceed. Summer and Autumn has long reached their maturity but I had waited till 6 months to ensure that they are suitable and mature enough to handle parenthood. Partially, I also wanted to see Summer in its "stable colour" (Puddings are brighter in colour when young and will fade to lighter shade or brown and finalize its colour only when they hit maturity). My goal: healthy, well temperament orange pudding with even coloring.
I chosen the day before Chinese New Year Eve as their wedding night. It seems appropriate as they have reach the right maturity and New Year represent a new beginning for all. I do not have the wait for long, as Summer also seems to have been awaiting this reunion. Coincidentally, Autumn is on heat too. I know it will a success as I spotted their lovey dovey action and the day after next Summer was chased away by his newly wedded wife. Opss! 

Having say it will be a success earlier, it can only be confirmed when the babies are born, time will tell which is 18 to 21days later. 10 days later, I begin to doubt myself.... Autumn is still as active as usual, no sign of hoarding. Another 2 days passed, hmmm is she getting fatter or my eyes has misjudged? At the 15 day mark, Autumn is giving very clear signal, she starts to build a nest, busily moving in and out and she turn agitated; stroking rule now become "time up when I bite". On the 17th day, I did a full clean up, knowing that I will have to bear with "no cleaning" for at least 2 weeks, hopefully there wouldn't be a water bottle flooding. This is also the last time I handle her out the tank and the final baby bump photo, beautiful pear shape! On the 18th day, I am filled with anticipation but nothing, well it is normal to be delay. Another day passed still no movement, now I'm getting worried and speculating all the worst case scenario; is the babies too big? did mother not have the strength? The comforting fact is that Autumn is giving me the same look, not in pain or anything.

Welcoming & Nurturing 
Finally on 25th February 2016, the rejoining moment! Autumn has safely give birth to 7 jelly beans! 7 babies is more than what I was expecting and I was a little worried that it will be much for a first mother to handle. All that worries are excess, Autumn is a natural mother, knowing exactly what to do make sure all those little one are well taken care of. I am overjoyed and proud of my little mamma! The first few days, I give Autumn and her children total privacy and retreat myself from them other a quick shot when Autumn is having her meal. In general, Autumn trust me enough to tolerate photographing. Although, I make sure the sound are off and take photo when she is totally knock off or having a break. It is also a pleasant surprise when she moved her children from under the platform to the open area, it could be due to more spacious and well ventilate as compared and she does not felt threatened to have her babies hidden away. By day 5, the babies start to develop their underlay coats and they can be differentiated by colour. It is very fortunate that we have 5 puddings out of 7 babies, that is more than half of the ratio! They grow up really fast, from wriggling jelly beans to mini hamster stumping around to the first moment they start holding solid food in their mini paws to the time when they fully open they eyes and begin their adventure and finally when start having siblings squabble. In the meantime, there is also some hilarious moment of Autumn; the headache of being mum would be there is no personal time and she is frequently spotted napping far away from her pups in the afternoon and babies digging food from her mouth.


Nonetheless, I love each of them to the max and can't bear to give them over, however, I will be compromising their future if I don't do so. The happy lovely family bond will soon come to the end once maturity hit and it will be a bloodshed. Now, I'm faced with internal conflict the million dollar question: "Who is my keeper?". From the start of the project, it was set to have one keeper for the next generation but when I am deciding, it is harder than exam questions. So male or female? colour or chemistry or talent? (I have 3 males and 2 females, successor of Dawn or Summer?) This part I will tell more in the end.

Rehoming
It is a blessing that Autumn and I have done all thing right, all 7 babies survived and are growing well. I know from the very beginning rehoming will be a great challenge and the Sapphire Sisters will have the least enthusiasm. As soon as I confirmed to go ahead with this project, I have given heads up to some of my potential past boarders asking if they will be interested to be part of my project. Also, when the babies reached 20 days and are safe to handle, I started to have them in photo shoot session and activated adoption notice on social medial. The post listed down their information and my requirements are a photo of cage, food and an adoption fee is stated. Omg, the response is far more instant than I thought but not all are sincere and some are even dubious. Sorry, please allow me to vent my frustration. It really do blow my mind on some people's understanding of hamster when they start asking me if it is a Syrian. Umm what...? I hope you do know Dwarf and Syrian are two different type of hamster and their requirements also varies, on top of that it also shows that you are not interested enough to spend time reading the post. There is a group of people that disappeared when I asked for photo of cage prepared before they are eligible for adopting. Another type of people that I encounter are those who are very eager to adopt my puddings but when I state the adoption fee, their responses are "oh I though they are free or I need to check with my wife/husband or it is really expensive. This really boils my blood, seriously?! Firstly, given the time and effort, I put into extensive research and caring for my hamsters and you expect me to give them out free and your attitude towards the hamsters like they are just sale item makes me shiver. Secondly, shouldn't your partner and family members be aware of it before you enquiring? At best, they mumble about the extra responsibility, at worse, you have to give up the pet due to certain reasons. Finally, I believe I did not set a high pricing, it is nothing compare to the pet shops which created fancy names and hang an exorbitant price tag. Setting a higher benchmark, not because I want to earn extra money from the sale and trust me an ethical breeder couldn't; given the time for hamsters to nature and the break inbetween pregnancy, the amount of quality food we are willing to spend and most importantly we do not abandon or flash sale to cut lost. Another factor was that Pudding hamsters are uncommon in the country and a handful of ill intention people could make use of free / cheap adoption to resell at a higher price or treat the female pudding as money milling tools. Hence, I do not compromise any of my requirement and I do not hesitant to turn down any adopters if deemed as insincere. Fortunately, there is always a silver lining in the cloud, 4 of my hamsters had found a good, loving and forever home. P.S it never dull me to receive their updates and continue to be connected with their owners :)




Lots of LOVE
As of today, my fur family have expanded from 2 to 4 + 1. My two keepers are male, Mizar and female; Alcor. As mention earlier, it was a tough choice and with a little temptation, I ended with 2 keepers instead of 1 ;P Well, I was attracted to Mizar with his bright coat and Alcor was sparkling with intelligence. Partially, I also won't be able predict if the matching spouse will be a female or male. Meanwhile, one sapphire baby is still waiting for a forever home, are you her Mr Right? Nonetheless, I still love them all the same and they are living like kings and queens.



Autumn

Alcor

Mizar

Summer

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Staycation for 2 Hamddo

Planning for your next vacation? Don't forget to plan one for your hamster while you are away too! As a way for us to say thank you for your continuous support, be creative and stand a chance to Win Staycation for 2 Hamddo for a Week!

Simply:
1) Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram @ Tara_hamsters
2) Post a photo of your hamster on our Facebook page
3) Include a Caption by completing the following sentence "I want a staycation because......"

Contest end on 31st July 2016. Put on your creative hat and start dreaming!

Term & Condition
Complimentary Stay is valid for up to 2 hamsters for 7 days redeemable from 1st August to 31st October 2016. All entries must be posted to Lovepets-hamsters Facebook Page to be eligible for the contest.


  

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Red Bean Crisp - Burp!


No time to sprout beans? Fret not, Burp! will provide you the convenience; Air Dried Red Bean Crisps. Air dried natural red bean not only retain its flavorful taste but also its nutrients.


Hamddo Parent's Say
It has a very simple package that basically showed red bean on it. Although it might just be a red bean treat, a nutrition fact table should be presented on it as not everyone are aware of the benefit it brings about. In general, red bean is found to be rich in protein, iron, fiber and antioxidant. So, if you are looking for an alternative protein food source for your picky hamster, try red bean.
Inside the package, you can find little pieces of dried red bean and natural sweet smell similar to red bean paste in our dessert. Do expect powder particles to be dispersed when pouring the treat out.

Appealing: 


Nutrient Balance: 
 





Hamster Judges Tasting
Unfortunately no decent pictures is available to share. The treats is far too small to see them eating in action. However, they did not show much enthusiasm to it too... They are picky to the point that they nibbled on the "flesh" only and left the skin behind.



Enticing:






Appetizing:
 




Portion Size: (Human judgement)
The treats are bite-mouth pieces, Hamddo kid can easily stuff a pouch-full if they like it.






Product Name: Red Bean Crisp
Weight: 15g
Retail Price: $4.50
Location: Pet Lovers Centre

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Unavailable from 12th April to 19th April 2016

~ANNOUNCEMENT~
We will be away from 12th April to 19th April 2016 and boarding service will be unavailable during this period. We apologize for any inconvenient caused.


Saturday, March 12, 2016

Rehoming Waiting List


~ANNOUNCEMENT~
Hi Folks! If you have been following closely on our page this past days, I'm sure you will know that we have been blessed with 7 new lifes!
We will be keeping 1 Orange Pudding and Rehoming 6 of these pups into good new families.

D.O.B: 24Feb
Sire: Summer (Orange Pudding)
Dam: Autumn (Yellow Blue Pudding)
Babies: (5 Orange Pudding, 2 WW, gender TBC)

All the babies are health and well cared with good temperament; fed with balance food and organic grain mix, both parents are mellow and all are hand friendly. They will be ready for new home from 24 March and you may choose to be on the waiting-list. In order to ensure that they will be well taken of, there will an adoption fee and the following criteria.

1. Minimum cage base size is 40cm X 25cm (the bigger, the better)
2. Cage, wheel and accessories must be prepared ready
3. Only same gender may be adopted together.

Please PM me a photo of the cage with its accessories. Include the brand of the cage, food that will be used and the number of pet currently owned.

{When adopted, a pack of their current food mix will be given and we are happy to keep in contact for any advice.}

Friday, March 4, 2016

Transportation Service temporary eased from operation

~ANNOUNCEMENT~
We regret to inform you that our Transportation Service will be temporary eased from operation till further notice.

*Our Hamster Boarding Service remains in operation*

Friday, January 29, 2016

Fully Booked for CNY 2016

~ANNOUNCEMENT~

Hi Folk!
We are fully booked for Lunar New Year from 6th February till 12th February and will no longer be accepting any bookings for this period.

We thank you for all the support and regret to disappoint all the Hamddo parents we had to turned down.

Nevertheless, we wish everyone a prosperous new year!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Price Listing 2016

~ANNOUNCEMENT~


Price Listing for 2016
*Immediate Effective from 2016*

Hamster Boarding Charges

1st Pet & 2nd Pet :                      $3 per day
3rd and Subsequent Pets :         $2 per day

[We do board Pregnant and Medical Conditioning Hamster(s) on case-by-case basis]
 
Pregnant Pet :                            $5
{In the event your hamster do give during the stay, it will be re-charged as a pregnant pet rate and no charges for the babies. She will be well-taken care, provided with high potential and nutrition diet.}

Medical Conditioning Pet :         $3
Complimentary of 1 medicine type syringe feeding up to twice feeding daily and 1 type of ointment/cream/spray apply.

Medical Charges
Subsequent syringe Feeding up to twice daily :   +$1 per medicine type

Subsequent ointment/cream/spray apply :            +$0.50 per medicine type

Other treatment :                                                    Varies

Additional Charges
Providing of Food twice feeding :            +$1 per day

Providing of Bedding :                             +$1 per change of 1 feet area   

Extra Service
Washing of cage :                                                   +$5 per wash of 1 feet area

Trimming of nails (Depends on pet's temperament) :   +$3 per pet

Transportation :     Please ask, pricing depends on location. 
*There is no fixed timing for pick up, please be willing to coordinate with us if wish to engage in transportation service.