Product Review & GIVEAWAY: Zhu Zhu Pets

Our kids have gotten to the stage where they ask why they don't have a pet of their own. They enjoy helping take care of our family pets (a dog and two cats), but at the ages of three and five, they are nowhere near ready for taking on the responsibility of another little life. It's compounded by the fact that some of their friends have their own kittens, puppies, fish, turtles, lizards, hamsters, etc. The truth is, Mama & Daddy just don't want another mouth to feed, bed to clean, or poop to scoop.

That's why I was excited when MomSelect asked our family to try out the new Zhu Zhu Pets toy, a.k.a. The No-Mess Hamster. I figured maybe a Zhu Zhu Pet would placate them for a while - all the fun without the responsibility.
The kids were excited the minute we opened the box. They couldn't wait for us to assemble the hamster's habitat of brightly colored living areas, pathways, and toys - just like the real thing. Their hamster, Nugget, was an instant hit. He scampered through his playhouse, riding his exercise wheel, occasionally breaking free for a ride around the house in his cool turquoise car, cooing and chattering the whole time. The kids followed his every move, intrigued while they chased him.

My kids had fun designing their hamster's playhouse. There are lots of interconnecting accessories to complete the habitat: exercise wheel, sleep dome, spiral slide, garage with car (my kid's favorite), skateboard, and surfboard to name a few. There are several hamsters to choose from, each with its own interactive personality. The hamsters will explore on their own, but they certainly don't mind when little hands help them along.

Check out my kids playing with their new Zhu Zhu Pet:

Although a Zhu Zhu Pet is no replacement for a real hamster, when the novelty wears off, Mama & Daddy are not left with a new responsibility. Half the fun for my kids, anyway, is setting up the hamster's playhouse; this way, we don't have to inhabit it with a real hamster. Also, we're spared the mess, the escapes, the potentially bad cat/hamster/dog interactions, and the eventual death that comes with the real thing. My husband still recounts the tale when he awoke to find his own pet hamster dead ... on his bedroom floor ... on his birthday. Maybe we can stave off these rites of childhood for a few more years, anyway. At least when Nugget dies, all we have to do is pop in a new set of batteries.

Giveaway: Would you like a Zhu Zhu Pet to placate your children's hamster wishes? I'm giving away a Zhu Zhu Pet hamster along with a Spiral Slide & Ramp to start your very own collection.

All entries must be received by Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at 12 midnight. I will use the random number generator at Random.org to select a winner from among the eligible entries I receive. The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond. If I do not receive your response within 72 hours, I will draw a new winner. This giveaway is open only to residents of the United States who are at least 18 years old. One entry per household, please.

If you'd like an extra entry, be sure to tweet @SavvyMomFinds Zhu Zhu Pets #giveaway #contest before you complete the entry form below, and check the appropriate radio button so I can know to look for your tweet.

I always respect your privacy; any names or email addresses collected will be used solely for the purpose of this giveaway. I won't sell your information.

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Thanks for entering. Remember to come back after September 1 to see who won. Good luck!

Savvy Mom Finds Product Review/Giveaway Disclosure: MomSelect sponsored this review/giveaway for my readers, and I have received no compensation other than the free product to use for the purposes of the review. Any opinions expressed on Savvy Mom Finds are my own and are not reviewed or edited by sponsors.

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