Bubble Aquatics & Exotics

05/14/2026

🐹 “Teddy Bear,” “Fancy,” or Syrian Hamster — What’s the Difference?

We get this question all the time, so let’s clear it up 👇

“Teddy Bear” hamsters are simply long-haired Syrian hamsters.
“Fancy hamster” is often a general label used when the exact type or color variation isn’t specified.

Same species — same care — just different appearances 💛

Now for the REALLY important part:

🚫 Hamsters do NOT belong in tiny cages.

Unfortunately, a lot of hamster care information sold in stores or shown online is outdated. Hamsters may be small animals, but they require much more space and enrichment than many people realize.

For Syrian hamsters, we recommend:
✔️ A minimum 40-gallon (36"x18"x16") enclosure or larger
✔️ Deep bedding (6–10+ inches) for burrowing
✔️ A properly sized solid-surface exercise wheel
✔️ Multiple hides, tunnels, and enrichment opportunities
✔️ Plenty of clutter and space to explore

✨ Why does this matter?

In the wild, hamsters travel long distances every night and spend much of their time digging complex burrow systems. Their enclosure should allow them to express those natural behaviors safely.

Small, bare cages can lead to:

Stress behaviors
Excessive bar chewing
Pacing
Boredom and frustration

🌱 We LOVE helping customers create:
• Naturalistic setups
• Enclosures that encourage digging and foraging
• Larger, enriched habitats that go beyond the bare minimum

💡 Important note:
Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and should not be housed together long-term in a home environment.

While temporary cohabitation may sometimes occur in controlled retail or breeder settings with constant monitoring, extra resources, and space management, this is not recommended for pet homes.

Our goal is always to help set both the animal and the owner up for long-term success 🐾

If you have questions about enclosure sizing, enrichment, bedding depth, nutrition, or setting up a hamster habitat, we’re always happy to help guide you in the right direction 💙

05/14/2026

Current inventory update!

05/14/2026

Hello Everyone!! 🐠

We’re excited to finally start a highly requested educational series to help both new and experienced hobbyists learn more about animal care, common misconceptions, and how to help your pets truly thrive 💙

We wanted to kick things off with one of the MOST important topics in fishkeeping:

💧 The Nitrogen Cycle — Why Your Tank Isn’t “Ready” Yet

One of the most common misconceptions we hear is:

“My tank has been running, so it’s cycled.”

Unfortunately, running water does not equal a cycled tank.

A properly cycled aquarium means you’ve established beneficial bacteria that safely process waste and help create a stable environment for your fish.

Here’s the basic process:

🐟 Fish waste → Ammonia (toxic)
🦠 Ammonia gets broken down into Nitrite (also toxic)
🌱 Nitrite gets broken down into Nitrate (manageable in low amounts)

This entire process takes time.

⏳ A proper cycle can take anywhere from 6–12+ weeks when starting a brand-new system.

Using pre-seeded media can absolutely help speed things up, but beneficial bacteria colonies still need time to establish, grow, and stabilize.

🚫 Common mistakes we see:
• Adding fish too soon
• Not testing water parameters
• Assuming “clear water = safe water”

💡 Important things to know:
✔️ Test your water — don’t guess
✔️ Beneficial bacteria primarily live in your filter media and on surfaces throughout the tank
✔️ Replacing all filter media at once can crash your cycle
✔️ Live plants can help support stability and manage nitrates
✔️ Small amounts of nitrates are normal in a healthy aquarium

A healthy nitrogen cycle is the foundation of every successful aquarium.

Healthy tank = healthy fish 🐠

If you have questions about setting up, cycling, stocking, or maintaining your aquarium, we’re always happy to help guide you in the right direction and help set both you and your fish up for success 💙

Here is a wonderful video from Aquarium Co-Op to help!

🌱 Visit https://aquariumcoop.com/ to buy aquarium plants, lights, fish food, and more from Aquarium Co-Op🐟 Buy fish at https://geni.us/LiveFish from our pr...

05/14/2026

📢 Store Update 📢

Bubble Aquatics & Exotics will be CLOSED on Sunday, May 24th, for an inventory pick-up and store operations day.

We will have a sign posted on the door as a reminder, and our hours will be updated to reflect the change in hours for this date.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we work behind the scenes to continue bringing in new and exciting inventory for the shop! 🐍🐠🦎🐇

We will reopen during our next regular business hours. Thank you all for your continued support! 💜

04/03/2026