Turning Japanese? Nope, it's Chinese!

[Dezzi]

Well, I was buying Carefresh from my friend's store and she brought me into the back to show me the Chinese hamsters. I took a few of them out and was playing with them, and fell in LOVE with this gorgeous girl. Needless to say I brought her home. She's hiding away right now, but I will be taking pictures of her within the next few days as she gets settled in. I've only ever had Syrians, so I'm very excited about her. Once I get to know her personality a bit more I'll think of a name, but I just wanted to share my adventure from today.

[Die Fledermaus]

Excellent.

I ONCE saw what I was told were Chinese hamsters at a pet store; at the time I was not sure. That was some time ago. I wish I saw more, and this time I would get one. Will ask around. Most of these places rarely get animals; it depends on someone happening to drop and offering a bunch for sale that he happened to have somehow.

[Dezzi]

They're illegal in some states... that might be why they're hard to find.

[Hamsters82]

Wow that's cool Dez, what did you name her? You should tell Robin (aka Pinky) this as she loves Chinese hamsters and had a few herself.

[pinky]

Congrats!!

Yep, love them Chinese--although lately I'm smitten by dwarfies!!

Warning: they are fast, fast, fast! Fuzz was the youngest Chinese I brought home, and for a while the only safe place for handling him was the bathtub. . .

If this little girl is like mine were, if you provide 3 or so inches of bedding she'll submerge herself and only come up for food, water, and fun. (And often I had to go find them for the fun part!)

Around here Chinese used to be hard to find, but now Petsmart always has at least one.

DF, NYC seems to have lots of rules and regs about animal ownership. . . . Chinese are legal there?

In New Jersey one must have a permit (which I never had for Fuzz because Fish and Wildlife never returned my calls).

[Die Fledermaus]

>> DF, NYC seems to have lots of rules and regs about animal ownership. . . . Chinese are legal there? <<

I have posted and referenced the NYC code many times on this site. Here it is again. The availability of unusual animals in pet stores (where I'd rather not go) is dependent on breeders and demand, and pure chance. You remember Agar and his siblings (see memorial gallery) - it was rare indeed to see Natal rats. I only saw them one other time.

I have never seen a degu anywhere, or jirds, jerboas. or the one with the bare stubby tail. What do you call those? Oh, a duprassi, I think. I have never seen the best level of gorgeous fancy mice (see memorial gallery again), merely mixes of white, black, and grey, and such off colors. So it is not a matter of illegality. Hedgehogs ARE on this list but are supposedly illegal; ferrets are as Giuliani hated them - search for that hilarious post! The guy is whack on the topic.

I am leaving to feed and clean some neutered and spayed feral cats as they recover.

(Hope Linda is holding up right now).

>> (1) All dogs other than domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris), including, but not limited to, wolf, fox, coyote, hyaena, dingo, jackal, dhole, fennec, raccoon dog, zorro, bush dog, aardwolf, cape hunting dog and any hybrid offspring of a wild dog and domesticated dog.

(2) All cats other than domesticated cats (Felis catus), including, but not limited to, lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, puma, panther, mountain lion, cheetah, wild cat, cougar, bobcat, lynx, serval, caracal, jaguarundi, margay and any hybrid offspring of a wild cat and domesticated cat.

(3) All bears, including polar, grizzly, brown and black bear.

(4) All fur bearing mammals of the family Mustelidae, including, but not limited to, weasel, marten, mink, badger, ermine, skunk, otter, pole cat, zorille, wolverine, stoat and ferret.

(5) All Procyonidae: All raccoon (eastern, desert, ring-tailed cat), kinkajou, cacomistle, cat-bear, panda and coatimundi.

(6) All carnivorous mammals of the family Viverridae, including, but not limited to, civet, mongoose, genet, binturong, fossa, linsang and suri- cate.

(7) All bats (Chiroptera).

(8) All non-human primates, including, but not limited to, monkey, ape, chimpanzee, gorilla and lemur.

(9) All squirrels (Sciuridae).

(10) Reptiles (Reptilia). All Helodermatidae (gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard); all front-fanged venomous snakes, even if devenomized, including, but not limited to, all Viperidae (viper, pit viper), all Elapidae (cobra, mamba, krait, coral snake), all Atractaspididae (African burrowing asp), all Hydrophiidae (sea snake), all Laticaudidae (sea krait); all venomous, mid-or rear-fanged, Duvernoy-glanded members of the family Colubridae, even if devenomized; any member, or hybrid offspring of the family Boidae, including, but not limited to, the common or green anaconda and yellow anaconda; any member of the family Pythonidae, including but not limited to the African rock python, Indian or Burmese python, Amethystine or scrub python; any member of the family Varanidae, including the white throated monitor, Bosc's or African savannah monitor, Komodo monitor or dragon, Nile monitor, crocodile monitor, water monitor, Bornean earless monitor; any member of the family Iguanidae, including the green or common iguana; any member of the family teiidae, including, but not limited to the golden, common, or black and white tegu; all members of the family Chelydridae, including snapping turtle and alligator snapping turtle; and all members of the order Crocodylia, including, but not limited to alligator, caiman and crocodile.

(11) Birds and Fowl (Aves): All predatory or large birds, including, but not limited to, eagle, hawk, falcon, owl, vulture, condor, emu, rhea and ostrich; roosters, geese, ducks and turkeys prohibited or otherwise regulated pursuant to § 161.19 of this Code, the Agriculture and Markets Law or applicable federal law.

(12) All venomous insects, including, but not limited to, bee, hornet and wasp.

(13) Arachnida and Chilopoda: All venomous spiders, including, but not limited to, tarantula, black widow and solifugid; scorpion; all venomous arthropods including, but not limited to, centipede.

(14) All large rodents (Rodentia), including, but not limited to, gopher, muskrat, paca, woodchuck, marmot, beaver, prairie dog, capybara, sewellel, viscacha, porcupine and hutia.

(15) All even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla) including, but not limited to, deer, antelope, sheep, giraffe and hippopotamus.

(16) All odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) other than domesticated horses (Equus caballus), including, but not limited to, zebra, rhinoceros and tapir.

(17) All marsupials, including, but not limited to, Tasmanian devil, dasyure, bandicoot, kangaroo, wallaby, opossum, wombat, koala bear, cuscus, numbat and pigmy, sugar and greater glider.

(18) Sea mammals (Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia), including, but not limited to, dolphin, whale, seal, sea lion and walrus.

(19) All elephants (Proboscides).

(20) All hyrax (Hyracoidea).

(21) All pangolin (Pholidota).

(22) All sloth and armadillo (Edentala).

(23) Insectivorous mammals (Insectivora): All aardvark (Tubulidentata), anteater, shrew, otter shrew, gymnure, desman, tenrec, mole and hedge hog.

(24) Gliding lemur (Dermoptera).

(c) In addition to domesticated dogs and cats, an animal may be kept, possessed, harbored or sold in the City of New York provided that possession of the animal is not otherwise prohibited by law, including federal, state and local laws regulating domestic animals and livestock or protecting wildlife and endangered species. Such animals include, but are not limited to, gerbil, hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), guinea pig, domesticated rabbit and fowl or small birds such as parakeet, parrot, canary and finch. <<

[pinky]

>>Mesocricetus aureus<<

So Syrians only, I guess.

[Die Fledermaus]

Remember this part. . .

>> Such animals include, but are not limited to <<

I do not know if they ever differentiate between selling and merely possessing as a pet.

[Die Fledermaus]

BTW, I saw on that list a Pangolin. Those things are weird!



And this is only a baby!

[Dezzi]

I haven't named her yet. She's insanely friendly already! I was shocked... I was sitting with my hand in her cage when she was running in her wheel, and she came over and sniffed me, then scooted away. Then a few minutes later she climbed up my finger and then jumped down and ran off. She's really good about being picked up, and yes I've definitely noticed she is FAST! I have only been handling her in her cage with the wire part of the lid off (she's in the cage Megs gave me, I believe she used it for the dwarf hams), so her escaping from my hands isn't something I'm worried about. She's come to find that my hands are great fun to play with and if I move slowly she doesn't shoot off like a rocked back under her hidey. I am going to take a little Kleenex box and make her a digging box. (have a ladder so she can climb in, as well as a few escape holes in the sides for her) I'll take pictures of the set up and post it when I finish everything.

[pinky]

Chinese are great--you're already seeing that.

Sounds like she's already friendly indeed. But even if she weren't, it wouldn't take a lot of work to tame her.

Yes, show us what you come up with!