Zika Hamstery is operated by Sam and Aly Kauffman. Sam is a software developer and composer, and Aly is an art curator, photographer, and custom framer. The name "Zika" came from combining our last names, Zimmerman and Kauffman. We started our hamstery in early 2014 for a few reasons:
There may have been some words in there that you didn't understand. The "hamster fancy" refers to the people all over the world who are really into hamsters, especially breeding. They are organized into many national and regional hamster associations, which hold hamster shows. Yes, there are in fact hamster shows, just as there are dog shows. We were surprised to find out about the existence of such things, too. The hamster fancy hasn't caught on very strongly in North America, especially not in the east. There are only a handful of breeders, and the only shows are on the West Coast.
The Internet is the main connecting place for North American breeders. It required a lot of research for us to start a breeding program and understand what we were doing. We were able to get in touch with other fanciers who gave us a lot of help getting started, like these folks:
We choose our hamsters based on health, temperament, and exhibition standards codified by the National Hamster Council (UK). First and foremost, Zika Hamstery wishes to ensure the health of each hamster bred and all pups produced. Hamsters with health concerns will not be chosen to breed or adopted out of the hamstery without the adopter's prior knowledge. Second, we select for temperament in all hamsters. Only the most docile and sociable hamsters will be chosen to continue our line. Third, though we do not show due to lack of hamster shows in the eastern US, we use the NHC standards as a guide for choosing hamsters with the best physical traits.
We develop relationships with people who take hamsters from us, offering support for the duration of the hamster's life. We encourage hamster owners to use us as a resource for all their hamster-related questions.
If you have any questions or comments, contact us here.
- We love hamsters.
- We love baby hamsters. They are the most adorable things in the world!
- We are fascinated by the study of genetics.
- We want to give pet owners in our area access to healthy, well-bred, tame hamsters as an alternative to ones from the rodent mills that supply most pet stores.
- We want to establish relationships with other hamster lovers in our area.
- We want to help educate pet owners about hamsters.
- We want to further the development of the hamster fancy in the eastern United States, where it isn't very well established.
- Through selective breeding, we want to improve the overall quality of hamsters in our area.
- We want to work alongside hamster fanciers all over the world to improve the quality of hamsters in general.
There may have been some words in there that you didn't understand. The "hamster fancy" refers to the people all over the world who are really into hamsters, especially breeding. They are organized into many national and regional hamster associations, which hold hamster shows. Yes, there are in fact hamster shows, just as there are dog shows. We were surprised to find out about the existence of such things, too. The hamster fancy hasn't caught on very strongly in North America, especially not in the east. There are only a handful of breeders, and the only shows are on the West Coast.
The Internet is the main connecting place for North American breeders. It required a lot of research for us to start a breeding program and understand what we were doing. We were able to get in touch with other fanciers who gave us a lot of help getting started, like these folks:
- Amy from Moxie Hamstery (retired)
- Stephanie and Sandra from Pearl Hamletry (retired)
- Quintin from Snow Creek Pocket Pals
- Janice from Holmden Hill Haven
- Julianna from Strong Brew Hamstery
- Bill from Brookside Hamstery
We choose our hamsters based on health, temperament, and exhibition standards codified by the National Hamster Council (UK). First and foremost, Zika Hamstery wishes to ensure the health of each hamster bred and all pups produced. Hamsters with health concerns will not be chosen to breed or adopted out of the hamstery without the adopter's prior knowledge. Second, we select for temperament in all hamsters. Only the most docile and sociable hamsters will be chosen to continue our line. Third, though we do not show due to lack of hamster shows in the eastern US, we use the NHC standards as a guide for choosing hamsters with the best physical traits.
We develop relationships with people who take hamsters from us, offering support for the duration of the hamster's life. We encourage hamster owners to use us as a resource for all their hamster-related questions.
If you have any questions or comments, contact us here.