Dwarf Hamsters: Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, and Behavior (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) Paperback – March 1, 2009

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.

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.

After getting a robo dwarf hamster I bought this book as a guide. It includes a lot of helpful information but wasn't quite what I was looking for. Most of the information within the book you can find on the internet. Also some sections went over information on all of the dwarf species except the roborovski which is what I bought the book for. If your looking for a book with a lot of helpful information on breeding about a quarter of this book goes over that (again not something I was interested in). Even with these flaws I still give it 4 stars because it does have all the basics and is a one stop for all the information that I found online (which would have saved me a lot of time if I would have bought this first).

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!

An Absolutely Good book to learn how to take care of my hamster well. The informations and knowledges are meaningful to me. Thanks.

It's been a helpful guide so far. I've found a lot of this information online too, but I like having something I can use offline. Plus, most of the advice has also been confirmed by my vet. Except for bedding - the vet tech warned me that all pine and aspen bedding should be avoided and to use wood pulp or newspaper shreds instead. Apparently it's less toxic and has less dust.

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.

Good book for novices like me. Have never had a dwarf hamster (or any other hamster for that matter) before. Wish I had purchased the book before getting the hamster as I might have chosen a different type of hamster. Still some useful information and tips for feeding and looking after them generally.

This booklet is very handy to own, especially if you are thinking of owning dwarf hamster, & have never owned them previously!It is also a handy booklet in reference to larger hamsters, so is an all round hamster booklet to own.Well written, in clear language which is easy to understand.

This book was a godsend to find out information on our new pets that allowed us to care for them properly when nobody knew the answers to our questions.

Useful guide for first time experience of dwarf hamsters.