Hello,
i hope no one minds me posting this here, but i am very interested in finding out more about this hamster, and the possibility of obtaining them to keep as pets.
My name is Tammy Buckland and i am 24. I live in the Uk and breed Roborovskis Hamsters, Syrian Hamsters, Mouse - Like Hamsters, Harvest Mice and Mini Lop Rabbits.
For the past year i have been desparately searching for anyone who keeps or breeds the European Hamster. I have managed to contact a couple of people who have them but these people only have one or two of the same sex, so there is no possibility at the moment of any babies being available. I know that it is illegal to keep this hamster as a pet in most european countries, but in Hungary it is legal to trap and kill them and i know that hundreds are killed each year by farmers trying to protect their crops. I also know that the European Hamster is bred and killed at many fur farms across Europe for the fur trade.
I have nothing against fur animals being bred as long as they are treated kindly while alive, have access to plenty of fresh food and water, and are killed humanely etc. but i find it sad that these beautiful animals can be trapped and killed and bred to kill, but it is so difficult to get hold of them for the pet trade! I would love to obtsin one or two of these hamsters, but cannot find anyone who can help me, despite searching everywhere i know!
In the UK it is legall to keep them as pets as long as they were either caught in Hungary, or you have a certificate to say they have been bred by people licensed to do so.
Again, i am sorry to post here, but i really dont know where else to turn, i am desperatly seeking someone who might be able to help me or at least point me in the right direction. If anyone here knows of anyone who keeps these hamsters as pets, or knows anyone that traps them or breeds them, then please let me know - i would be eternally grateful!!
Kind Regards,
Tammy x
Horcsog / Hamster - Information on the European Hamster please!
Hi,
I don't mind you asking, I just see little chance of getting you help :-)
Let's see how far we get:
In agricultural areas in Hungary rodents are poisoned and trapped indiscriminately with little regard for the environmental laws.
When you say hörcsög, most people will think of the "aranyhörcsög" (golden hamster), Mesocricetus auratus from pet shops, but I guess you are looking for Cricetus cricetus, "mezei hörcsög" (field hamster) or "közönséges hörcsög" (common hamster). Pretty nasty beasts I must say :-)
Some googling turned up an guy who hunts them for the fur with traps, maybe you could try contacting him:
http://www.freeweb.hu/horcsogvadasz/
Lévai Miklós
Lévai Kft.
+36 30 911 9258
Tiszaföldvár, Bezerédi út 5.
[email protected]
GB/DEU Kontakt
Keresztes Gergely
+36 70 275 9933
I guess the last phone number belongs to someone who speaks English.
Good luck, PM me if you need more help!
Thank you so much for your reply, yes it is the field hamster i am looking for - you have given me some very useful information, especially the translation of the species - this is very helpful for searching 
Yes, i have cme across this website before and emailed the man, but i didnt receive a reply - the man probably thinks i am mad, lol!! He traps and kills them, and i am asking for them live!!
I will try again i think and see if i get any reply, but i will also try searching with the new names you have given me
Thank you very much for your help and information.
Kind Regards,
Tammy x
Tammy22 wrote:Yes, i have cme across this website before and emailed the man, but i didnt receive a reply - the man probably thinks i am mad, lol!!
More likely he does not understand English and thinks you are a nigerian scammer :-)
Try calling the "GB DEU Kontakt" person, I think it's supposed to be someone who speaks English and German.
Hello again
thank you for your advice - i have emailed again but an error message is returned saying that the email address does not exist 
I have also tried ringing, but not getting any answer, but i have also sent a text message, so maybe i will get a reply.
A person that i know in the uk has managed to find someone who have a pair available, so obviously there are people out there who have these hamsters as pets, but i just cannot find them, despite spending hours searching online! Obviously this person is keeping this new contact two himself!
Can anyone recommend anything else for me to try? Any other things to search for? Is there a list somewhere of pest control services? Is there a list of farms in hungary? I would be willing to contact farms to see if they have this hamster as a pest on their land, so any help in that direction would be great
I really am willing to try anything at the moment, so any more advice or info would be extremely welcome!!
Tammy x
Well, hamsters do hibernate, so perhaps businesses based on them operate at lower intensity over the winter too :-)
The right search term for "pest control" is most likely "rágcsálóírtás" (rodent extermination). "Pest" is the name of the eastern part of Budapest, not what you think :-)
List of farms? The whole countryside is farms :-)
Except farmers don't have much of a web presence, and don't speak English.
There's also this:
http://www.allatsziget.hu/
What about contacting Budapest Zoo?
They are almost certain to speak English or German.
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