>Newsgroups: alt.pets.hamsters >From: ax611@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Glen Gower) >Subject: The alt.pets.hamsters FAQ! Here's the alt.pets.hamsters FAQ. Version 1-1 Last Modified 11/20/94 Suggestions/comments/additions/corrections should be posted to alt.pets.hamsters or e-mailed to ax611@freenet.carleton.ca ---------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is a continually evolving project. Because of my lack of time (*not lack of interest*) I'm unable to make one definitive FAQ. I'm constantly updating it and adding things. If you find a question that isn't fleshed out yet to your satisfaction, or you have a question you think I should add, just tell me. Unless otherwise stated, everything here has been taken from messages on the alt.pets.hamsters newsgroup. This edition of the FAQ comes after about 325 postings. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS: (** indicates changes, !! indicates new question) **1.1: What's with the FAQ/newsgroup? !!2.1: Do you know anything about the history of hamsters? **2.2: Where do hamsters get their names from? **2.3: Why shouldn't I use the microwave to dry off my hamster? **2.4: What should I use for bedding? !!2.5: What should I do if my hamster exhibits strange symptoms? !!2.6: What's the life span of a hamster? !!2.7: What do hamsters like to eat? !!2.8: What do hamsters like to drink? !!2.9: Why does my hamster sleep all day? **3.1: Are there any hamster songs out there? **3.2: Are there any hamster limericks? !!3.3: What tv shows/movies have hamsters appeared in? ----------------------------------------------------------------- #1.1: What's with the FAQ/newsgroup? Well, the FAQ is basically a nice source guide for information on hamsters. It answers most of the questions brought up by the users, and is a sort of compendium of the information that passes through the group. Hope you have a sense of humour. The newsgroup, alt.pets.hamsters, is devoted to discussion on hamsters. It was kindly created by Ottawa-Carleton Free-Net administrators after I requested it, in mid October 1994. (That's why I'm writing the FAQ.) My philosophy and ambition for this newsgroup is that it become a fun one, with the basis being on hamsters. I try to post with a "fun" tone... lots of humour and sarcasm. You've been warned, so don't be annoyed if you get some strange responses, I don't always add smileys. One immediate request I have of you: where else should I be posting this FAQ? I know I should put it on alt.answers. Should I bother with news.answers? What about some of the other miscellaneous pets newsgroups? Could someone send me a list? #2.1: Do you anything about the history of hamsters? (Taken from a posting by Frank Tick, who quoted from the book "Enjoy your hamster".) Although Golden Hamsters were introduced into the USA in 1938 as laboratory animals they did not take the pet world by storm until 1947. Today there are untold millions of them in the United States alone. It all began in 1930 with one mother and twelve young hamsters which a zoologist found in the Syrian desert (situated in the Middle East to the north of Israel). Deep in a burrow eight feet underground he came upon a hamster mother and her litter. By the time he got his tiny family back to his laboratory in Jerusalem. all but three of them had died or escaped. These three, however, continued in excellent health and within four months the first litter of Golden Hamsters ever to be born in captivity was delivered. As they matured, these babies were interbred, and as the tame hamsters multiplied they were used in research experiments. Soon they began to attract widespread attention in the scientific world. Because hamsters were so disease-free and bred so rapidly (they can have a new litter every month!) and because they were so friendly and easy to handle, they came to be highly regarded as laboratory animals and their fame spread throughout the world accordingly. They're often used for cardio-vascular research, as their cardio-vascular system is remarkably similar to that of the human. From Jerusalem, scientists took them to laboratories in France, England and, in 1938, to the United States. All present-day Golden Hamsters in captivity with the exception of a few brought back by travellers and military men are the descendants of that first tiny family found in Syria. In Syria and other Middle Eastern countries where hamsters are common, the farmers do not only harvest their own fields, they dig into the hamsters' granaries as well. In each burrow they find a storage bin which may hold anywhere between 30 and 60 pounds of grain which the hamsters have stored away for the winter. #2.2: Where do hamsters get their names from? Hamsters got their name from an old German word associated with storing food. (The word "hamper" comes from the same root.) One of the characteristics of the hamster, like many rodents, is to stuff their cheeks full of food which is a hamper-like activity. The Golden Hamster's scientific name is MESOCRICETUS AURATUS AURATUS, usually shortened to CRICETUS AURATUS. It is also referred to as the Syrian Bolden Hamster. #2.3: Why shouldn't I use the microwave to dry off my hamster? Timothy Ross put it quite nicely: Microwaves found in your oven are electromagnetic waves like radio waves except with a much higher frequency and density. They heat things up by exciting particles that are electromagnetically sensitive (such as electrons) and thus produce kinetic energy. Matter that is in a liquid state is more susceptible to this excitation because the chemical bonds between individual molecules are weaker and offer less impedance to excitation (conductors are an exception to this rule but that's another ball of wax). As the kinetic energy increases the bonds become even weaker and a pocket of increased heat will heat up even faster. This is why microwaved foods cook "from the inside out" - the initial heat trapped in the interior acts like a focus for additional microwave energy. Animals are mostly liquid, and if put in a microwave they will begin to heat up internally resulting in organ damage without any visible injury. Even brief exposure to dense microwaves may damage the nervous system. All in all, not a good idea. #2.4: What should I use for bedding? Newspaper makes them inky, don't use it. Cedar chips are great, although some hamsters are allergic to them. There are alternatives. One of the best way to set up their bedding is to set up an aquarium-and-cage with sand in the aquarium part so they can do their digging. It's been suggested that caution be used with Kleenex/facial tissue. Although hamsters love it for bedding, some can get overly ambitious and put a little too much into their mouths, then have problems getting it out. Moderation is the key. #2.5: What should I do if my hamster exhibits strange symptoms? If your hamster is doing anything out of the ordinary that worries you - coughing, wheezing, shaking, developing sores or callouses, walking weird, or any other abnormal behaviour - see a vet immediately. Yes, post it to the group just so that others can read about the symptoms and cures and whatnot, but don't use the list as a direct source for advice or help. Problem with the group is that responses will take at least a day to pour in, and that might be late for your furry pal. From the postings, I can deduce that the best way for your hamster to get better and overcome these symptoms of sickness is to get help from a vet immediately. Many hamsters have passed away because their owners didn't act soon enough. #2.6: What's the life span of a hamster? It varies from species to species. Approximate life span is 3 years. #2.7: What do hamsters like to eat? Pretty much anything. Their favourite foods are foods native to their dry habitat, like seeds. For protein and variety, they will eat some small insects. They like vegetables, but be moderate in how much you feed them. The key word for the hamster diet is *variety*. It keeps 'em healthy. #2.8: What do hamsters like to drink? Water, and, From an actual scientific journal found on the Internet: Hamsters have an extraordinarily high liking and tolerance for alcohol. According to the paper, the tolerance is equivalent to 40 times the human tolerance in proportion to body weight. As a result hamsters have been used successfully in trials of anti-alcoholism drugs by seeing if they were put off their preferred choice of a 15% alcohol solution when given the choice with plain water. #2.9: Why does my hamster sleep all day? Your hamster is nocturnal. Why is your hamster nocturnal? At night the planet Earth starts to slow down because the planet is solar-powered. After eight hours of nighttime, the Earth is in danger of stopping completely. Every night after the sun goes down, the hamster wakes up and starts to run around its wheel. The combined energy produced by hamster wheels all over the world i enough to keep the Earth spinning all night long. (see #3.3) #3.1: Are there any hamster songs out there? Weird Al wrote a song for the soundtrack of UHF called Attack of the Radioactive Hamster from a Planet Near Mars. In Simon & Garfunkel's _At The Zoo_, there's the line "And hamsters turn on frequently." I remember reading something about a Smashing Pumpkins reference to hamsters. Can anybody help? Several of the members of this groups have written others: Tofu H. Puppicus writes: Mahatma Mahatma shake your little tail Mahatma Mahatma shake your little tail Wrinkle up your little nose Stick it in between your toes Mahatma Mahatma shake your little tail But adds: It's not really MY hamster song, because i stole it from a song bout squirrels, but i like to sing it to my hamster when he's going to bed at night... I've written one about mine: She's my hamster, named Lister. If I'd brought her to the party she'd have kicked your ass at twister. She's Lister, the hamster. And if you ask me bud, she's a darn good dancer. I left her standing at my door, And then she systematically ripped up my floor!! She's my Lister, my hamster. Ask her any question, and she'll know the answer. She's my hamster, named Lister. Better watch what you're doin' or she'll get you, mister! Basically it works with anything that rhymes with hamster/Lister. It's a showtune, originally intended for my musical about hamsters, but I ran out of ideas. #3.2: Are there any hamster limericks? Edward Spurlock has one: Here's to Harry Hamster a perverted, kinky scamster he stuffed his arse with broken glass and killed his lover's hamster! So does Anthony R. Brown: There once was a hamster named Lister, That my Mom bought for me and my sister, We flew her in a kite, 'Til she went out of sight, And that was the end of poor Lister. #3.3: What tv shows/movies have hamsters appeared in? Unfortunately, many references to hamsters on tv and in movies are defamatory. The ones that aren't feature hamsters for a very small period of time. Hamsters have appeared in: The Simpsons: Something about a lab experiment done by Lisa, comparing the intelligence of Bart to the intelligence of a hamster. The hamster won. Kids in the Hall: Two pet hamsters of little kid Gavin. Late Night with Conan O'Brien: References made to hamsters quite often. The best that I can think of: Andy Richter, the sidekick, brought a hamster up in a blimp to see if it would survive the altitude. It did. The Wonder Years: A hamster was sucked up in a vacuum cleaner. The Ren & Stimpy Show: Dear Dr Stupid, I've got a pet hamster called Dennis. When I come home from school Dennis is always fast asleep in his little house. It's only at night after I've gone to bed that Dennis comes out, then he climbs into his wheel and starts to trundle around in it for hours. Why? Gracie Banks, London. What you have here, Gracie is a very rare hamster called the Austrian Rotation Hamster. It's a little known fact that at night the planet Earth starts to slow down. This is because the planet is solar-powered and after eight hours of nighttime the Earth is in danger of stopping completely. So every night after the sun goes down, the Austrian Rotation Hamster wakes up and starts to run around in its wheel. The combined energy produced by these hamster wheels all over the world is enough to keep the Earth spinning all night long! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to all the contributors in this group, especially Anthony R. Brown (ax234@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) Fluff Hamster (fluff@jagnet.demon.co.uk) Paul M. Hoffman (paul.hoffman@umich.edu) Adrian Langford (100423.2357@CompuServe.COM) Steve "Beast" Lebourveau (bd918@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) Tofu H. Puppicus (tofupup@eden.com) Chris Ritzi (cmr6209@zeus.tamu.edu) Timothy Ross (ao1336@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) Edward Spurlock (spurlock@bga.com) Frank Tick (ftick@is.dal.ca) Dawn Marie Williams (dwm134@duke.usask.ca) 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. Quite frankly, I don't see how you could sell this! (Or make it any better. 8-]) --