When I visit a friend I’m always pleased when greeted by a pet. Be it canine or feline, I’m not at all bothered by a sweet cat rubbing against my leg or an enthusiastic dog jumping up to try and lick my face.

I was raised in a family that loves animals. As a child, we had big dogs and lap dogs, horses and for a brief time I was even allowed to have a cat. But I never owned a hamster.

As an adult, married with no children, we never went through the hamster phase either. So a number of summers ago while visiting a friend in San Antonio, I fell in love with her children’s hamster, Peaches. He was the color of a peach and fat and furry like one too. I loved watching him run on his wheel and marveled at how cute he looked when stuffing his little cheeks full of seeds, but when I saw him rolling across the floor in his exercise ball, I was a goner. I had to have a hamster.

The next day we drove to a nearby PetSmart to get me set up. I picked out a cute little male hamster with amber fur and a white chest. Inspired by the name Peaches, I named him Mango. We bought a ten gallon aquarium with a screen lid for his home, wooden shavings, a pedometer exercise wheel, water bottle, food and food dish, and of course, a plastic ball for him to wander around the house in.

With trepidation I called my husband to let him know I’d be arriving home with a new addition to the family. He seemed a little puzzled at my decision to get a hamster as were most of my friends and family. But being an animal crazed goofball, I was determined to have the hamster experience.

I set up Mango’s home in our office so I could enjoy his hamster antics while I worked. I soon learned that there was a lot more to hamster care than I bargained for. Here’s the “skinny” on “hammys.”

Hamsters are arguably an affordable pet costing between $5 and $15 depending on the breed, but the set up can be costly if you buy with the elaborate hamster houses which provide endless entertainment for the hamster but are more difficult to clean. However, once you’re set up you can enjoy many years of owning the little guys, though they only live between two and three years. They are nocturnal creatures, so you don’t want to keep them in your bedroom unless you’re a heavy sleeper. As solitary animals, you can only house one in a cage but they each have their own unique personalities. Make sure their cage is very secure as they are known to be little escape artists.

Dogs and cats are natural predators and should be kept away from the hamster. Their home needs to be cleaned weekly to avoid smell and an unsanitary environment, but that’s where the exercise ball comes in handy. Just pop your hamster in one while you clean his cage and it will make his wait more bearable. The exercise ball will allow your hamster to run all over the room without you having to worry about it getting loose or attacked by your dog or cat. Never leave the hamster in the ball for more than 20 minutes and make sure he’s not close to any stairs the ball can roll down. You’ll need to handle your hamster to get him used to people and to make sure he’s staying healthy and of course, as with any pet, keep him watered and fed.

After a few months, a friend at work told me about a boy who really wanted a hamster, but whose family could not afford it. I decided to give him Mango, kit and caboodle. I had enjoyed the hamster experience and was grateful that Mango would be making a little boy’s dream come true.

Owning my first hamster as I entered middle age was a fun and whimsical thing to do. I admit to preferring dogs and cats to rodents, but occasionally I find myself lingering at the hamster section in pet stores just to watch the cute little fellows running on their wheel and getting nowhere fast.