Zhu Zhu Pets Giveaway!

I remember having hamsters as a kid. I really enjoyed them but I hated the mess. Wait a minute. Scratch that. My parents hated the mess. Maybe that's why my hamsters didn't stay very long. Right now we are between pets since our mini schnauzer headed off to greener pastures (I am hoping he didn't go off and make greener pastures if you catch my drift) and Logan has been asking about getting something new. Zhu Zhu Pets arrived at the perfect time. Since our lives are a little hectic right now, the last thing I need is a hamster cage to clean. Zhu Zhu Pets are neat, and you don't need to worry about pet stains and unexplainable odors.

I don't have to leave food out or fill a water bottle, or make a mess changing the shavings in the cage. I can sit back and watch my boys play, and I never have to worry if Sam is going to pull off an ear or a tail and get slapped with a sharp claw or bitten. When we received our box of accessories, I opened the first and immediately thought I was going to end up sitting on the floor for hours trying to assemble everything. There were pieces here and there, thanks to Logan and his grand decision to open several boxes, putting the pieces into one giant pile. Grabbing the instructions, I carefully made sense of everything and proceeded to sift through the stack. It didn't take long. The directions are simple and everything is clearly explained. After getting everything assembled, I began building a "home" for our new pet. This was easy until I put on the last "wing" of the house. The Hamster Garage gave me a bit of a problem, and towards the end, my patience was beginning to wear thin. Trying to keep my kids away while I put everything together was quite a challenge!

After the construction was complete, I took our hamster out of it's package. I let that little guy go and watched in amazement as he travelled the maze I had created, discovering his new "digs." Relief set in as I thought happily to myself, there would be no marking of the territory. This could work! Logan began to play with our new little pet and Sam curiously peered over his shoulder. He squealed with delight and then decided he was bold enough to make a grab and run! Each Hamster is unique, with it's own personality. Our pet hamster makes all kinds of adorable sounds and my children loved it! My favorite accessory is the Hamster Wheel! As great as it is, there are a few little issues. This can take up a lot of space, especially if you pick up all the accessories. I suggest clearing the train table if you have one. You'll need it! The second issue was putting everything together and keeping it together. It is well made, but if your children cannot decide where they want a room and it is moved several times, you may need to help out younger children when it comes to snapping everything back together. Older children will have no problem!

Zhu Zhu Pets is offering one lucky reader a Zhu Zhu Hamster of their own along with a Slide and Ramp! To enter, visit their site and tell me which Hamster or accessory you think you would like the most! Follow me for an additional entry! If you follow me with Networked Blogs, leave two additional comments. Add me to your Technorati Faves or Stumble this post for two additional entries! Blog about this giveaway and link to this post and the Zhu Zhu Pets for five extra entries! Be sure top leave the link in each additional comment! Giveaway ends midnight September 20, 2009! Good Luck!

To disclose, Zhu Zhu Pets were given to me in exchange for this review!!! Zhu Zhu Pets have taken some heat at several sites because they are not real. These are probably some of the same people that created virtual worlds with virtual homes and farms on facebook. I think that the attraction is they are not real and they are not messy. These plush, adorable little hamsters are interactive, and more like the real thing, compared to all the tickle me elmos and barney (is he still around?) toys! I think it is a wonderful way to begin teaching responsibility to a child and a great beginner pet.

Note to parents: (taken from site)
CAUTION: Motorized wheel toys have the potential for hair entanglement To prevent entanglement, keep hair away from wheels.
If hair gets caught by winding around a wheel, simply stop the wheel by firmly grabbing it. Next, press the back or head button once to stop motor from running. Next, slowly unwind hair from axle by turning the wheel by hand.
Zhu Zhu Hamsters™ are not designed to be a sleep toy, remove the batteries if your child wishes to take it to bed.