A while ago I did a reaction video to PetSmart's hamster care pamphlet that they have in stores
but since then they have put out an updated one and my PetSmart takes a really long time
to get anything new in for some reason but I was at PetSmart the other day and I finally
saw that they had an updated hamster care pamphlet and the one I reacted to last time
was not so good we have PetSmart's bare minimum here is my slipper
here is PetSmart's minimum hamsters are omnivores, not herbivores PetSmart
I don't know what to call this this is not this is not a care guide this is an
incorrect care guide that needs to be highly updated
so I wonder what they have updated since the last one so this is a
getting to know your Syrian and dwarf hamster PetSmart care guide and let's take a look at it
okay so this is
it's like this is how big it is
so compared to the last one that I looked at which had actual sections of each care requirement
this just looks like they've taken like a couple of points and put it onto a pamphlet
it's quite vague looking energetic and athletic hamsters they're fur-lined
pouches that extend from their head to their shoulders help them transport food
so that's a good a good fact about hamsters I guess
experience level beginner I would disagree
size dwarf hamsters grow up to three to four inches Syrian hamsters grow up
to five to seven inches are they also including Chinese hamsters in this or
or are they just lumping them in with dwarf hamsters i don't know
lifespan on average they live for two years that's good
behavior hamsters are nocturnal and love running on their hamster wheels at night
diet hamsters are omnivores
they changed it if you didn't know the last time i reacted to
their care pamphlet they proceeded to tell me that hamsters are herbivores
nutrition and maintenance hamsters are they're not and that was a very big deal
so i'm glad they switched it to hamsters are omnivores at least they can get one thing right
social while syrian hamsters are sociable with
humans they're solitary animals and should live alone
most dwarf hamsters however are social animals and can be housed with another of the same sex
so i honestly think they should just stick to saying that
all hamsters should be housed alone the dwarf hamsters at petsmart is going to be housing or
selling in their store are actually hybrids and the fallout rate with hybrids is really
really high and it's one of the reasons that i don't recommend housing dwarf hamsters together
because you're not gonna likely have purebred dwarf hamsters you're gonna end up with a hybrid
a hamster habitat
so they give you a little little image here of what a hamster habitat apparently should
look like it has less than the minimum needs first is a the habitat which is
just in general too small b water bottle we have a hide,
small pet bedding, food dish, transport tube and an exercise wheel no chews, no toys, no sand bath
how do i set up a hamster habitat place the habitat
in a low humidity area that's cool temperature should be around 65 to 75
and out of direct sunlight that's perfectly fine
line the habitat with an appropriate amount
of clean bedding okay but what's an appropriate amount
the bedding should be spot cleaned as needed and changed as directed by
product packaging this is really funny
because there's a reason this care guide is being so vague and i'll get to that in a minute
add in transport tubes and an exercise wheel for play and exercise
okay but how big of a exercise wheel Petsmart because a syrian and a dwarf
hamster aren't the same size and they certainly shouldn't be running in the same sized wheel
okay hide houses will provide your hamster with a private spot
edible nests will encourage your pet to chew and should be cleaned regularly
so there's a reason petsmart's being really really vague in their pamphlet and
they're not going into specific details and that's because they want to be able to sell
everything they sell in the store so i think remember correctly the pamphlet before they
had they actually specified that cedar bedding and i think they even mentioned pine i can't
remember they actually said that it should not be used for hamsters and it's not good for them
cedar bedding is not recommended for small pets well at least you know cedar isn't
but they actually sell cedar shavings in the pet store so if they're contradicting themselves by
putting it in their pamphlet and then selling it people are going to be like well what the heck and
they're also then if they're reading oh cedar's not good for hamsters they're not going to end
up buying it but if you're vague and you don't put what is safe and what's not safe in your pamphlet
people are going to buy whatever they're going to go okay go to the bedding buy the cheapest one
and that is dirty petsmart
they're also saying like just follow the product packaging they're not
saying like oh they should have this certain amount they also put say
an appropriate amount of clean bedding what is appropriate amount
for me an appropriate amount would be enough for a hamster
to burrow in which would be like at least six inches closer to 10 inches
what should i feed my hamster okay so we have a pie chart here and they say 80% pelleted food
that's it just pelleted food no seeds no grains that's
80% just solid pellets the rest of your life
why do they treat hamsters like they're actually prisoners
15% vegetables um i've never made a pie chart for a hamster's diet so i actually would not know
how much vegetables a hamster should have vegetables should be in a hamster's diet
they're healthy for them i just don't know what the percentage would be and then they
say five percent fruit and treats and that you can offer treats twice a week
and of course they include that water should be clean and fresh every day
they actually even go as far as to put when should i contact a veterinarian which kind of hints at
the fact that hamsters should go to the vet and will need to if they're sick so they basically say
like you need to make an appointment with your vet if you notice any cloudy sunken or swollen eyes
wheezing, sneezing, discharge from eyes, nose or mouth
overgrown front teeth, bare patches, sores on the feet
weight loss not eating or drinking diarrhea or discolored droppings
and then on the back they have a shopping checklist and
whyyy
They have dwarf hamster habitat sized 12 by 12 by 12 or larger and
so that's 144 square inches of floor space i don't even know if that can really essentially fit
all of the bare necessities a hamster needs syrian hamster habitat sized 20 by 10 by 12.
so that's 200 square inches of floor space
wow such a thrilling and large cage
pelleted hamster food, food dish, water bottle, bedding,
exercise wheel, hide, nesting material, treats, wood chew
so this is the most vague care guide i've ever seen the one that i previously reacted to
i'm honestly wanting to say that it had better information i mean both of them are still awful
but the previous one at least had more to it this is so vague and
doesn't go into detail about anything oh my gosh i i'm sorry but petsmart is
petsmart cares about your money they don't care about your pet should i make my own care guide
and just slip it into the petsmart one secretly i think that's illegal don't do that if you think
don't get in trouble but i'm just-
PetSmart why
so i hope you guys have enjoyed this video and i will see you in my next one bye