New update: Tika is no longer in heat! Yay! Remy got neutered and is doing great! We got a dog trainer to come in assess the situation and she thinks it is starting to improve compared to how I described it when I booked her to come. Only Maia seems to need the muzzle, she seems to be very unsure of the puppy. We are working with her to build her confidence. The puppy doesn’t seem to have any stress with Maia around and won’t start anything. The muzzle is on just in case when I am home alone as I don’t want anything bad to happen when if I can’t separate them. The puppy is getting lots of training time to help her learn how to behave properly. With 2 people here we can have the girls on short leashes and they are fine together. They did have a small altercation of snarling but no biting and no one got hurt. The older female backed down and walked away. As much as I want her to be the top dog it seems that the puppy has a much more dominant personality. If they figure out the pack hierchy hopefully everything will settle down. The trainer says there are no pack instincts in domesticated dogs, but after having 6 basenjis I can’t agree with that in regards to basenjis. We can walk the girls together without muzzles now so I think things are more positive and they seem to be improving every day. When Remy is healed from his neuter I will get the puppy spayed and hope that calms things down even further. So far there is a lot more peace in the house. Please anyone let me know if there is anything else I should be doing to keep these girls on track. Thank you for all your advice and guidance! I am so grateful for this forum as what is normal for other dogs is not so much with these guys!
Are Basenji's okay with Hamsters?
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We have an adorable Basenji mix. Our son wants a hamster. We aren't sure this is a good idea to get a hamster or not. Has anyone had this experience and can offer any advise?
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I would say, be careful. I walk by two rabbits in a cage outside a neighbour's house every day, and our lovely sisters lunge and scream every time.
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I think you are just asking for trouble... however if you do, be sure that the room where the Hamster is kept has a door and is kept shut tight.
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A Basenji would love a hampster! Oh, you didn't mean for lunch?? Seriously, good advice from tanza. Care will be needed. My first Basenji (after she had moved on to a new home) dispatched the neighbour's Easter Bunny. Talk about trauma for the kids.....
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We don't keep anything that low on the food chain anymore.
-Joanne -
Short answer- NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Basenjis are hunters and most will do anything in their power to get to the critters in their environment. Mine spend most of their outdoor time looking for chipmunks that live under the shed. If you decided to get the hamster it will have to be kept in a room where the basenji can't go. I have and do keep basenjis and small animals in the same house but they aren't allowed near them. I don't think they even know I have the geckos and snake!
Some dogs are fine with small critters but I personally would not let them near each other. It's not worth the risk in my opinion. Accidents happen in the blink of an eye!
Also, rats make much better pets for kids than hamsters.
