Newsgroups: alt.pets.hamsters Subject: alt.pets.hamsters FAQ 1 of 3 Followup-To: alt.pets.hamsters Summary: Part 1 (of 3) of FAQ for alt.pets.hamsters newsgroup. Archive-name: pets/hamsters-faq/part1 Last-Modified: June 11, 1997 Version: 4-3 Here's Part One of the alt.pets.hamsters FAQ, posted on an irregular basis along with Part Two and Part Three. The latest version of the FAQ (non-HTML) is available at: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ax611/ Suggestions/comments/additions/corrections should be posted to alt.pets.hamsters or e-mailed to glengower@ottawa.com **If your hamster is sick and you need help, I cannot help you. Talk to a vet or to your local pet store.** ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Unless otherwise stated, everything in this FAQ has been taken from messages in the alt.pets.hamsters newsgroup, or from my own mailbox. Whenever possible, information from publications has been acknowledged, with original authors credited. Standard disclaimers apply. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TABLE OF CONTENTS: (!! indicates new question, ** indicates updated question) PART ONE: a1: What is alt.pets.hamsters? Why is there a FAQ? a2: Has alt.pets.hamsters been mentioned in the media? a3: Are there any hamster web sites? **a4: Are there any hamster mailing lists? a5: Where else can I find hamster information? **a6: Do you have any info about hamster associations? a7: Thanks and acknowledgements. PART TWO: **b01: Do you know anything about the history of hamsters? b02: Where do hamsters get their names from? **b03: What is the life span of a hamster? b04: Should I buy a hamster or a gerbil? **b05: What are the different breeds of hamsters that exist? b06: Are there any places that don't allow hamsters? b07: What should I use for bedding? b08: What do hamsters like (and not like) to eat? b09: What do hamsters like to drink? b10: Should I be cleaning my hamster? **b11: Do hamsters get lonely? b12: Can I brush/comb my hamster's hair? b13: Is it safe to cut my hamster's claws? b14: How can I keep my hamster healthy? **b15: My hamster looks like he's sick - what should I do? b16: The vet has prescribed medicine... how do I administer it? b17: Why does my hamster sleep all day? **b18: Do hamsters hibernate? b19: What if my hamster gets fleas? b20: What should I do if I find bugs in the hamster food? b21: Yuck. Should my hamster be eating his poop? b22: Jeepers! My hamster has escaped! Help me! **b23: My hamster is having babies! What should I do? b24: My hamster's dead. What can I do? b25: How can I tame my hamster? b26: What are the two symmetrical spots on the hamster's sides? b27: Do hamsters really like those balls? b28: How can I interpret the hamster's body language? b29: Why shouldn't I use the microwave to dry off my hamster? * b30: Do hamsters make noise? b31: Do hamsters have souls? **b32: Can I travel with my hamster? b33: How can I stop the wheel from squeaking!!?? b34: Can I let my hamster swim? b35: Is it safe for my hamster to jump off the table like that? b36: What's the best type of cage for a hamster? b37: Will small-rodent repellants harm hamsters? !!b38: Can I put Lego in my hamster's cage? PART THREE **c01: Are there any good hamster books? c02: What hamsters play in professional sports? **c03: What movies have hamsters appeared in? **c04: What tv shows have hamsters appeared in? **c05: What Simpsons episodes have hamsters appeared in? **c06: What computer games have hamsters appeared in? !!c07: Have hamsters appeared in any comics? !!c08: Have hamsters been in the news at all? **c09: Are there any other strange places where hamsters have popped up? **c10: Are there any songs about hamsters? **c11: Are there any poems about hamsters? **c12: Do you know anything about the hamster greeting cards? c13: Is there any ASCII hamster art? c14: I heard a rumour that hamsters might be bears... **c15: What is the hamster code? ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #a1: What is alt.pets.hamsters? Why is there a FAQ? The newsgroup, alt.pets.hamsters, is devoted to discussion about hamsters. It has been up and running since mid-October 1994. In late 1995, a vote to rename the newsgroup under the rec.pets.* heirarchy failed, although there are rumblings that the name change will be tried again in the future. This newsgroup is **ONLY** for the discussion of things that are hamster-related, no matter how vaguely. Post your hamster problems, solutions, questions, stories, ideas, hamster names... whatever. There are other newsgroups for gerbils, rats, mice, ferrets, budgies, etc... This FAQ is an electronic source guide for information on hamsters. It's not really a list of answers to "frequently asked questions" it's more of a compendium of the information that passes through the group. I hope you have a sense of humour. The FAQ comes in three parts. The first deals with the administrative side of things - a table of contents, info about the newsgroup and FAQ, pointers to other sources of information, and other boring stuff. Part two deals with care for your hamster. The third part is my favorite, and is full of hamster trivia and interesting information. The three parts of the FAQ are always posted together every three weeks or so to alt.pets.hamsters. The most up-to-date version of the FAQ is always available from my web site. See the top of the FAQ for more info. Several hamster home pages feature the FAQ as well - check out question #a3. Updates of the FAQ are posted to the hamster mailing list - see question #a4. If you have the FAQ on your webpage and you'd like to recieve updates of the FAQ, drop me a note an I'll put you on my mailing list. #a2: Has alt.pets.hamsters been mentioned in the media? Issue 13 of .net magazine (December 1995) gave a sample of the newsgroup on page 66: "My hamster is 14 months old and has just started losing his hair above one of his eyes. Is he getting old or should I be worried?" #a3: Are there any hamster web sites? There are dozens and dozens of hamster websites. They come and go at such a rapid pace that I can hardly keep up with them any more. Instead of listing them all, here are the addresses of the two best hamster pages I have ever seen. Both of them contain copies of this FAQ. The Hamster Page contains links to every hamster page known to exist - everything from pages with hamster pictures to pages with medical experiments involving hamsters, You can find it at: http://www.tela.bc.ca/hamster/ Although Fluff Hamster has passed away, owner Jonathan A. Gwyer still maintains Fluff's comprehensive hamster HomeCage (yes, homeCAGE) at: http://www.jagnet.demon.co.uk/fluff/ If anyone finds more sites that are more comprehensive than these ones, please let me know. 8-) **a4: Are there any hamster mailing lists? Brian Henderson (bhenderson@linkline.com) maintains a close-knit, technically-minded list used mostly by people who have no access to Usenet. To get on the list, send e-mail to bhenderson@linkline.com with the message "SUBSCRIBE HAMSTERS in the body of the message. It's low-volume, and I think Brian wants it to stay that way, so only serious hamster owners should subscribe. Tatsuya Gamo of the Japan Hamster's Friends Association runs an english-language hamster list. More info can be found at http://www.bekkoame.or.jp/~gamo/JHFA/_ml/JHFA_ML.html #a5: Where else can I find hamster information? If you are a CompuServe user, check out the small mammals section of the Animals Forum. I'm told the FAQ is there, and there's always a good discussion going about our furry little friends. At one point this FAQ was going to be translated into Japanese for hamster owners in Japan. I'm not sure if this ever happened, or even if the FAQ is still being posted somewhere if it did. Various other FAQs are referenced throughout this FAQ as sources for more information where I don't want to get too specific (The Breeder's FAQ and the Safe Bedding FAQ, for example). You'll have to read through this FAQ and find them for yourself. Part three of the FAQ lists some books, magazines, and hamster associations that might contain more information about hamsters. I think you'll find that this FAQ is pretty darn comprehensive in tackling the fascinating topic of hamsters. **a6: Do you have any info about hamster associations? Svenska Hamsterforeningen (The Swedish Hamster Foundation) is a national club with about 100 members. Their magazine, "Gnagarbladet" is published on a bi-monthly basis. Their address is: Svenska Hamsterforeningen c/o Agneta Lonnquist Vitmarav.9 S-194 60 Upplands Vasby, Sweden WWW: http://www.stud.mdh.se/~ltd92fsk/clubs/shf.html *** The British Hamster Association is one of the main hamster organizations in Britain, and prints up a quarterly journal. British Hamster Association P.O. Box 825 Sheffield S17 3RU United Kingdom. *** The Heart of England Hamster Club is affiliated to the British Hamster Association serves hamster enthusiasts in the UK counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshrie, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Staffordshire, Hereford & Worcester, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. The club has a monthly newsletter, and holds regular shows. They can be reached by e-mail at lorraine.t@ukonline.co.uk, on the web at http://www.acmepet.com/non-profit/hoehc.html or by mail at: Heart of England Club Secretary 4 Salcey Edge Hartwell Northampton UK (include an SAE for reply) *** The National Hamster Council (formed in 1949) prints up a monthly journal with information from its affiliated clubs, The Northern Hamster Club, The MIdland Hamster Club, and The South of England Hamster Club. Contact Peter Logsdailat at: tvhams@globalnet.co.uk or write to: National Hamster Council P.O. Box 154 Rotherham South Yorkshire S66 OFL United Kingdom *** The South of England Hamster Club (affiliated with the National Hamster Council) serves hamster lovers in southern England. They host hamster shows every couple of months, and membership in the club gets you several hamster periodicals. The club also offers a breeders register, detaling all club breeders of pedigree hamsters. On request, they can provide you with comprehensive breeding/genetics information. Contact the club secretaries, Adrian Dornford-Smith & Rachel Cooper at: The South of England Hamster Club 25 Bulls Copse Lane Horndean, Waterlooville, Hants England, PO8 9QX Phone: (+44)1705 594589 or (+44)171 737 4066. E-mail: soehc@ri.ac.uk *** The Hamster Society runs out of Edinburgh, Scotland, and has about 80 members who meet about six times a year for shows and displays. They publish a journal eight times a year, and they are affiliated with the British Hamster Association. The membership secretary is Grant Forrest (106231.200@compuserve.com). You can find more information at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/gforrest *** The Japan Hamster's Friends Association. No info available. **a6: Thanks and acknowledgements. Thanks to all the contributors of the newsgroup, especially: Bently Durant Jonathan A. Gwyer Fluff Hamster Julian Hayward Brian Henderson Lorraine Hill Steve Hyman Haynes Lee Eric Prouty Dawn Williams ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Please read Part Two and Part Three of this FAQ! Maintained by Glen Gower (ax611@freenet.carleton.ca) This FAQ may be copied freely, as long as you don't modify it or charge money for it. Let me know if you keep it on a web site or are posting it to other newsgroups. [End of Hamster FAQ Part 1]