Willow now has instagram!

When I looked through instagram, I saw that lots of pets had their own accounts, and there were accounts for almost anything. So I thought I would make Willow one, where I could share even more pictures of Willow than I do on my blog.

The account name is: Willow_the_Hamster (not sure if capitals matter or not) so please follow if you want to and if you have instagram!

I only created the account today, so it is really new and doesn't have many followers or photos yet, though I will be adding lots of photos and possibly updates on Willow from here, and hopefully I will get more followers eventually.

What do you think? Please comment and let me know wheter you like the idea, or if you don't, or any suggestions etc. Also, if anyone has instagram already for their pet or pet blog, if possible please give me a shoutout, and I will give you one back.

Sneak peak at a photo from instagram:

Review - Large Supreme Hamster Play Fort

As some of you may know, for Christmas I got given a present for Willow, which is this lovely play fort, with lots of different rooms with tunnels leading into each of them, for Willow to explore in.

Today I am going to write my opinions of it, with both the positive and negative sides of it, before finally reaching my conclusion. I hope you like this review!

Name: Supreme Hamster Fort Large Play Maze Small Pets Hamster Dwarf (Rabbit?) Gerbil Mice

Brand: Supreme

Price: From £6 to £11, depending on where you buy it

Shop I bought it from: It was a present so I don't know where my parents bought it from.

First Impression:

I thought this looked really fun and perfect for Willow, though I was slightly worried that she would escape! It compacted easily which is great for storing, and was easy to put together.

I liked how simple yet fun it looked, and it was big enough to keep a Syrian hamster entertained and let her wonder around and explore.

Pros:

• It kept Willow entertained and she enjoyed exploring the different rooms
• It was easy to keep an eye on Willow while she ran around in it, and she didn't get bored easily
• It is made completely of cardboard, so if your hamster tries to eat it it won't harm your hamster (and knowing Willow, it's always important - seeing as she always tries to escape)
• You can use it for many different small pets: hamsters, mice, gerbils, rats etc.

Cons:

• It states that you can use it for a rabbit. Really? That is just ridiculous! A rabbit would definately never fit inside that. It is ridiculous. 
• After a few times of using it, Willow finally managed to work out how to escape... out of the sides of the fort. And once she learns something, she won't forget it and stop doing it... Never mind!
• She chewed some of the corner off, though it didn't go completely through to the other side so it doesn't really matter (pic above)
• £10 is quite expensive for some cardboard, though I have to admit it is quite cool..

I think this is a great toy, which is perfect for hamsters. I think this would be better/ more suited to smaller animals than Syrian hamsters, like dwarf hamsters or mice, as they wouldn't be able to climb up over the sides of the fort.
Still, I love the whole thing. It is such a cute idea, and you can put treats and toys in different rooms to keep your hamster or small pet entertained.

Overall, I give this hamster play fort 4 stars out of 5. :D

Wordless Wednesday #10

I can't believe I have already done 10 Wordless Wednesdays! That's 10 weeks! Wow.. time just flies by doesn't it? And it's the beginning of the new year too... Anyway - on with this week's Wordless Wednesday (with a few words beforehand ;) )

These photos are of Willow in her new play fort I was given for Christmas. She loves it! I will be doing a full post about the play fort soon, so watch this space!

Willow trying to escape, as usual! (but not succeeding in the end!)

View of the whole play fort with Willow exploring inside.

'Hello'

Hamster Christmas Present Ideas (I)

Christmas is fast-approaching, and I'm sure most of you have got your presents sorted, (or almost sorted anyway!), but have you remembered your pet/s?

I know for many people money's tight at the moment, but isn't it worth it to spend a few pounds on something small for your pet to spread the festive feeling?

I decided to put a few low-budget Christmas presents below, so that all pets can have a great Christmas without you having to pay an arm and a leg.

All the presents in this post are under £4, so enjoy!

1. Pudding hamster bed
    from £3.43

It's simple and fun. A sweet little bed which looks like a Christmas pudding, that your hamster can sit or sleep in!
Who cares how much your hammy uses it long-term, you can plonk it in their cage once a year (be sure to clean it!) and it makes a great little gift for the next few years to come! Hamsters may like to wash, sleep or play in it - and it is also great for some Christmasy photos!

2. Naturals - Christmas Cookies (for small animals)

    from £2.99

If your pets are anything like mine (i.e. Willow), I know that they love to eat food (or at least store their food, in Willow's case).

I was looking around my local pet shop, and found these great 'Christmas Cookies' for hamsters and small animals! One of the treats is even in the shape of a Christmas tree! What could be better?

It is also by 'Naturals', and can you guess what? They use 100% natural ingredients AND it's good for the environment!

So you get a happy and healthy hammy! :D

3. Small Animal Climb and Shred Christmas Tree

    from £3.49

I have been keeping hamsters for years, and if I know one thing about them, it's that they love to climb and eat things. And this fun little boredom breaker combines climbing and eating! Perfect!

It is a fun Christmas tree that your hamsters can climb, but it is also made out of something similar to corrugated cardboard so that your hamster can happily (and safely) nibble away at it after it has finished its climb! What a great yet simple idea!

I found the 'Naturals Christmas Cookies' and the 'Climb and Shred Christmas Tree'

from Animed pet shop (UK), in the small animals christmas gifts section.

I also found the Christmas Pudding Bed off Petmeds.co.uk.

Christmas pudding hamster bed pic. via here.

Small animal climb and shred christmas tree pic. via here.

Naturals Christmas cookies for small animals pic. via here.

How do you like the first installment of the 'Hamster Christmas Present Ideas'? If you like it, I will be doing another post shortly in time for Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday #8

Haven't got round to taking any festive photos of Willow yet unfortunately - I've been too busy! :(

I will try my best to take some Christmas themed hamster photos before Christmas, but I am not sure wheter I will have time or not... We'll just have to wait and see...

On the plus side, I've found some adorable Christmas hamster photos I thought I'd share with you, even if I didn't take them and they aren't Willow.

Via here.

Via here.

Hope you have a great Christmasy Wednesday and are excited about Christmas!

Willow's Post - Sleeping...

I don't really have a lot to say today, except that it is nearly Christmas!

I have been happily munching away at food, running in my wheel, and sleeping my days away. And would you believe that it is now only 11 days till Christmas?

Hannah is popping to the pet shop this weekend to go and find me a present. I can't wait to see what it is! I hope it is something edible...

On another topic, I have been getting into some weird sleeping habits now.

I like to stuff my little house so full with sawdust and bedding so that the roof of my bed pops right off. Then I just carry on and go to sleep with the roof completely off - which Hannah says completely defeats the point of having a roof to the house...

I don't really get that cold, but I think Hannah worries that I will get cold if the roof comes off, so she is going to put slightly less bedding in so that when I add more sawdust my house doesn't explode...

Do your pets or hamsters have any weird sleeping or general habits?

Put them in the comments below!

- Willow x

Wordless Wednesday #7

Had a little fun messing about with editing stuff - and yes, I do realize that the pictures look pretty rubbish, but never mind. I had fun and I thought they were something different.

Have a great Wednesday!

(It is the 12/12/12 today, and we all celebrated at 12:12:12! This is the last time it will happen in 100 years though...)

Hamster Wheels

This is a brief but important post about hamster wheels. It does not take long to read through, but I think what this post says is important to any hamster or small pet owner, like mice, gerbils etc.

Intro

Most cages come with a 6 Inch wheel in them, but this is not big enough for an adult Syrian hamster. Syrian Hamsters require an 8 inch wheel (minimum)  to be able to run in comfort without arching their backs, and causing back problems or other problems for your hamster. A wheel should be available at all times to any small animal similar to hamsters.

Important

DO NOT  buy your hamster a metal running wheel. This can be really dangerous for hamsters, as they can get their feet caught between the bars and seriously injure themselves. They can also cause painful sores on hamster’s feet, called bumbles. Stick to smooth plastic wheels where their feet can’t get caught or damaged.

If you have a metal hamster wheel or a wheel smaller than 8", do not panic. Just replace the wheel as soon as possible so that your hamster does not get back or feet problems.

Hamster Cage Tour!

I have decided to do a cage tour, as Ann Paws said that she would like to see a full shot of Willow's cage in a comment under 'Wordless Wednesday #1', and I thought I probably should show my readers more about the essential items in a hamster cage.

Willow's cage is a multi-leveled glass tank-type thing. I think it was originally meant for mice, but it is suitable for hamsters too. Below are the photos of the whole cage, including all the different levels and descriptions of what is on each level. Enjoy!

Birdseye view of Willows cage (with the lid off)

Top level, with a hamster see-saw and food bowl. It is easy to put food in her bowl from here.

Second level of the cage. It has an 8" hamster wheel and a wooden chew toy.

 Third level of the cage. It has a house with bedding inside for Willow to sleep in,
and a wooden chew toy (I also put other toys in regularly).

Left side of the bottom level of the cage. I frequently change what is here,
but at this time there is a thick cardboard tube which used to be covered in hay for
hamsters to eat, but Willow ate all of it...

Right side of the bottom level of the cage. It has a vent so air can circulate around the cage.
I have a cardboard kitchen roll tube for her to climb in, and a Willow ball for her to chew.

This is the middle of the bottom level. It has a wooden hamster playhouse for
Willow to climb on, and it also has a little ladder leading up to the next floor.

Hope you liked having a look around Willow's cage, and feel free to comment as to whether you like it or not and what your hamster's cage is like!

New sponsor - The Dew Hop Inn!

Animal Tails has got an official sponsor! - The Dew Hop Inn! (On Etsy)

The Dew Hop Inn statement: "We offer natural dried fruits, chew "toys", and other treats for your pet bunnies or other small animals. All of our products come from our 60 acres or other local farmers in Downeast Maine. We take great care in hand picking it all and sun drying most of it. While we cater to pet bunnies and small animals you need not worry as the fruit is safe for humans too!" 

The Dew Hop Inn have kindly sent me a packet of small animal treats for Willow, and Willow loved them! The packet included lots of yummy treats including some chew sticks and various dried veggies. (and fruits?)

There are many treats, which will make the perfect gift for your pets Christmas presents!

This is what was in the bag. ^

Willow absolutely loved her tasty treats. I haven't given them all to her yet, as too much fruit/vegetables at the same time can be bad for your hamster.

So far I have given her a chew stick, some dried banana, and some other dried things. She was curious about the banana at first, but she soon realized it was edible and gobbled it up!

She instantly loved the stick and was kept entertained by chewing it for ages!

I really recommend that you go and check out The Dew Hop Inn, because your pets will truly love the treats sold there - and there are treats available for pretty much all small animals: rabbits, hamsters, mice, gerbils - you get the picture.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE DEW HOP INN ON ETSY

Willow's Post - It's nearly Christmas!

I am so excited for Christmas! This will be my first ever Christmas, and I am really happy cause I might get presents! Yay! -and those presents may even be edible if I'm lucky!... yumm...

Last year Hannah bought Lolly (R.I.P) a special hamster stocking with loads of treats in in from Pets at Home, and I hope she buys me one too! It looks like the perfect Christmas treat, and Hannah says it's only £3.50!! What a bargain! :D

The stocking is by Rotastak, and contains fruity shapes, choc drops, chews and toys. It is suitable for all small pets, including mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters - you get the gist.


Hope you like this post, and are excited for Christmas too! :D

If you want to look at the stocking online at Pets at Home, click here.

Hamster stocking picture from here.

- Willow x

Willow's Post - Hamster tubes!

Hi everyone!

Today I am going to talk about tubes - cause all hamsters love them! (Well, I assume most hamsters love them - I don't see how they can't!)

There are lots of different types of tubes you can get for your hamsters cage. Hannah often put's toilet roll tubes inside my cage, cause it's completely safe and really cheap, seeing as she needs the loo paper anyway!

Some people worry that nibbling the cardboard is bad for hamsters, but it actually isn't. We rarely eat the cardboard, we are likely to store it in our cheeks and take it back to our house for storing or bedding.

It is also good for our teeth to chew the cardboard, as it wears down our teeth so that they don't get too long.

You can also get plastic tubes which you buy from the shops, but in my opinion these aren't as good as cardboard ones you can buy as plastic isn't very good for us if we chew it.

The best tubes I think are the natural hay tubes you can but in most pet shops.You can eat these and play in these and it's really healthy! 

They are called 'Natural Meadow HAY n HIDE Edible Play Tube' by Rosewood. (pic below) They are about £3.99, which I don't think is that bad considering how healthy and fun they are!

Hamster Tube

Set of 3 tubes picture from here.

Hope you like this post! - Willow x

'Silent Spinner' review

Name: Silent Spinner

Brand: Superpet

Price: £12.99

Shop I bought it from: Pet's Corner

First impression: 

When I first saw it I thought it looked smaller than Willow's old wheel, but seeing as I didn't have them to compare I didn't really know if I was right or not. I needed the silent wheel anyway so I didn't have much choice- I had to buy it.

Reasons I chose to buy it:

- I didn't have much choice, Willow needed a silent wheel so my family could sleep
- It looked well designed and sturdy

Story behind getting the new wheel:

My hamster had been keeping my whole family awake at night, and I had to face it: they were getting pretty cranky. I knew I had to buy another quieter wheel, so that my family could get a decent night's sleep.

When I got it home I realized I was right, it was smaller. It was still an acceptable size for a hamster wheel, but I wasn't happy about it anyway. Willow loved her bigger pink wheel, and I didn't want to replace it with a smaller wheel- even if it was only slightly smaller.

I looked online to see if I could get the next size up. Turns out they only have the size I got and the next size up is HUGE. I mean, big enough for a large chinchilla. It's something like 12", and that definitely wouldn't fit in my cage... Why don't they make a size between them>?? It's so stupid.

Willow seems to like the wheel, and it definitely is a lot quieter, but I still feel really mean because of the size... What do you think- is it too small?

Pros:

- Nice colours

- Completely silent, as promised

- Good for your hamster's feet- the plastic is smooth.

- Your hamster can't nibble and break the centre of the wheel like they can with most wheels.

- Is very sturdy and well designed

Cons:

- Quite expensive

- Doesn't come in sensible sizes. This is a little too small for my likings.

- Had to swap the stand, as the stand it came with was too tall to fit in my cage.

- When the hamster stops running the wheel rocks around quite a lot, and Willow has to wait a while
   before stepping out. I think this must be quite dizzying for her!

Overall, I would give this wheel about 4 stars. It is 5 stars for quietness, but the size of it really does annoy me!