Homemade for Hamsters: Over 20 Fun Projects Anyone Can Make, Including Tunnels, Towers, Dens, Swings, Ladders and More

by Carin Oliver

Overview

Homemade for Hamsters features 20 easy projects for creating toys and exercise equipment for a hamster (and guinea pigs, small rabbits, gerbils, and pet rats and mice, too). The projects use materials and tools commonly found around the home. Treats may also be used and the book includes a list of those that are safe and not safe for a hamster.

The 20 projects are grouped according to the type of activities that hamsters enjoy and that enrich their life. Simple text explains how the projects meet these needs and how some just provide fun. The Nibble Necklace, for example, gives a hamster a chewing workout, and it is great for climbing and swinging, too. The Maze simulates a wild hamster's search for food. Making the projects and understanding their benefits will help a child to bond with their pet and commit to its care.

The projects are:

• Running Projects — Wheel, Tunnels, Amazing Mazes, Obstacle Course
• Climbing Projects — See Saw Tube, Climbing Wall with Ladder, Treehouse, Platform and Ramp, Swing, Bendy Bridge
• Digging Projects — The Sand Bath, Miniature Landscape with Digging Pit, Digging Tower
• Chewing Toys — Walnut Shell Toy, Treat Tubes, Treat Ball, Nibble Necklace
• Resting Toys — Hideaway Caves, Hammie Hill Hideout, Castle, Round House.

Any and all hamster owners, regardless of age, will enjoy making these great projects as much as they will enjoy watching their pet having fun and staying fit and healthy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770857810
Publisher:	Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date:	09/01/2016
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	166,567
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Carin Oliver is an artist with a love of nature and animals, based in Pittsburgh. This is her first book.

Table of Contents

1 Getting Started 6

Planning Your Projects and Exercise Time 8

Basic Techniques and Recipes 10

Making Hammie Feel at Home 12

Building Materials 14

Tools and Additional Materials 16

2 The Projects 18

Running Projects 20

The Tunnel 22

Amazing Maze 24

The Wheel 28

The Obstacle Course 32

Climbing Projects 36

The Seesaw Tube 38

The Climbing Wall with Ladder 40

The Treehouse 42

Platform and Ramp 46

The Swing 50

The Bendy Bridge 52

Digging Projects 54

The Sand Bath 56

Miniature Landscape with Digging Pit 60

The Digging Tower 64

Chewing Projects 68

Walnut Shell Chewing Toy 70

Treat Tubes 73

Treat Ball 74

Nibble Necklace 76

Resting Toys 78

The Hideaway Cave 80

Hammie Hill 82

The Castle 86

The Round House 92

Index 94

Credits 96

Editorial Reviews

This is a must have for young hamster owners.

Youth Services Book Review - Catherine Coyne

The book is wonderfully illustrated and is printed on very durable paper for small hands. It really is a must-have book for hamster and small rodent owners. The ideas are fun, clever and simple. Overall a very inviting book for kids and adults.

Pet Blog Lady - Lisa Taron

This is a great book for hamster owners (or friends of hamster owners) who also love to make things... Will inspire crafters and animal lovers to make projects that a hamster will enjoy and that have a purpose.

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult Literature - Teresa Whittmann

11/01/2016
Gr 4–8—Anyone who has spent time watching hamsters knows that they are very busy animals. Oliver presents 20 different projects that readers can easily make to keep their furry friends content, healthy, and active. The first section provides lists of tools and materials required for construction, with most of the items readily available for free or cheaply at a craft or hardware store. The projects are then divided into five sections based on hamster-related activities: running, climbing, digging, chewing, and resting. Step-by-step directions for each project are accompanied by a mix of detailed drawings and photographs. Most of the tasks can be completed without adult supervision. Kids will need just glue, paper, cardboard, and Popsicle sticks, though a few projects require a drill and utility knife. While this work targets hamsters specifically, many of its suggestions could be adapted for other pets, such as gerbils or mice. VERDICT After following the clear and well-illustrated instructions in this guide, the avid pet owner will be rewarded with a happy hamster.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Avondale, LA

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