Customer Reviews

Zhu Zhu Pets Jilly Pink and White Hamster

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I heard of these toys from a friend but didn't really think much about it. A little mechanical hamster that runs around and makes some noise, nah.... that's what I thought and I said to myself that I would never buy such a toy for my kids. Then I intended to buy some play doh or coloring books for my nieces who will visit us, and I saw these little guys on the shelf. I asked a sale's person, and he explained to me why this is popular and fun with kids, and somehow he convinced me that this would make a fun toy for 4 and 9 years old girls. So I decided to go for it.

Well, my nieces were very happy to hold them in their hands, find a small box to put them in with dish towel over them as a blanket, and then carry the box all around the house. And they even built a little house and entry way with magna tiles (which is my favorite toy anyway) to sleep in or hide in. I could see them nurturing and caring of a pet.

I realized that when you're a little kid, it is just great to have a toy that makes a little sound and scoot around in the living room, and just right size to hold it in your small hands... They might get bored of it having them for 6 months. But for the moment, this hamster is the best thing ever for my nieces. Great invention that has brought lots of smiles to my nieces. And also pure luck being at a store when they have them.

Personally, I'm not reviewing this for the price. I'm simply reviewing a toy based on what reaction I've received after giving them to 2 preteen girls.

They are silly, yes. But they are so fun and not to mention adorable. We have had ours for about 3 months and we have had no problems with the durability. I wish people would stop giving the toys bad reviews because they are mad about the mark-up (which does suck) because these toys are fun! I have just as much fun with them as my three year old son,and 10 year old niece! We barely use the accessories though, they were sort of a waste of money. My kiddo just lets his run all around the floor, and sometimes the hamster ball. The other stuff just collects dust.

I purchased, "Jilly" for my daughter for Christmas. I was so excited to see they had a pink one! She received it on Christmas Eve and it worked great. It was so cute! She didn't play with it much yesterday since we were out and about. However, today she pulled it out and it worked for about five minutes. Then she brought it to me...no sound and it would not move. I naturally replaced the batteries...nothing. I then took the whole thing apart. I was able to get the sound to work when the nose (which fell out incidentally)is pushed. However, the buttons on the top no longer work at all and the wheels no longer turn. I have read multiple reviews on Toys R Us.com that complain about this very same problem! This is such a shame. I know these things are cheap, but do they really have to stop working after only a full day of play? My daughter is so disappointed and so am I. I will be calling the company on Monday...keeping my fingers crossed that they will send me a replacement as these are impossible to find now.

This toy was a lot of fun for my 3 year old for a few days, but it soon turned into the most frustrating toy ever! I have been vacuuming almost non-stop but somehow hair/lint keeps jamming the wheels, my husband and I have spent hours trying to remove the jammed hair and when it's not the hair, it's the batteries that need changing, so instead of playing, my child is half the time begging for us to fix her hamsters! If they change the design and those wheels stop being a hair magnet, then it would be a very fun toy.

I purchased two of these while on vacation in Laguna beach. I gave them both to my 2 and 3 year old. They immediately loved them and now three months later are still playing with them. The only thing you should know is that eventually hair and dust gets wrapped around the wheels not allowing for them to run. Don't throw them away unless you want to purchase them every other week or so. The way to resolve this issue is to simply take the Zhu Zhu a part. It is a fairly simple task. Just clean the wheels with tweezers and a needle. Once completed your Zhu Zhu runs like new. We currently have four Zhu Zhu's without any of the extras. My children love them.

We got Jilly for $10 at Walgreens, and the Funhouse is $20 at Walmart. I guess it's easier for some people to buy online, but wow, what a markup. My daughter loves them, and so far so good, the funhouse stays together quite well, and Jilly has been running for days.

Within a few hours of getting it my daughter ran it on the carpet. Yes - it says not to do that, but she is a five year old kid. The toy picked up fiber from the carpet and the wheel jammed. I've removed the fiber I could see with a needle - but there is probably more stuck on the inside of the sealed unit which houses the motor. Anyways, it stopped running. Now it lives in a box that my daughter had decorated as its home, largely ignored by her.

Complete waste of money. But - it is cute.

cheers
--jsd

I avoided getting sucked into the Zhu Zhu Pet hoopla over the Christmas season but eventually caved. My children's cousins owned a couple of them and they were all having a blast watching this little hamster make squeaky noises and run around. A week or two later, we were at the mall and picked up the pink, "Jilly" hamster.

The way that the hamster senses that it's run into a wall and needs to back up reminds me of a Roomba. Smart little hamster! I've observed an almost 2 year old, 3, 4, and 5 year olds all having a great time. However, be aware that Cepia, the company that makes the Zhu Zhu Pet, recommends the toy for 4+ year olds. While researching for this review, I found out that the Zhu Zhu Pets were almost recalled for a high level of antimony, which is a dangerous metal. Though the Consumer Product Safety Commission deemed the toy safe, I would probably still keep the toy away from younger children who may put the toy in their mouths, just to be safe.

We had to return our Zhu Zhu Pet after just 2 weeks because it worked only intermittently. It would make a high pitched noise and would not move forward unless we gave it a little push. We just ordered a replacement online and hope that this one is a bit more durable.

Zhu Zhu Pets are definitely fun little toys. Though some kids may not be that entertained by it, I think a vast majority will. And as with all toys, make sure that it is age appropriate and that play is supervised. We are responsible for our own kids' safety.

It's fun to play with, but it gets pretty annoying if you don't want to hear it. If it gets accidentally pressed in the night... well, then. It wakes you up right away. Who wants that to happen? And I don't recommend running it on carpet. It gets carpet hair in the wheels... so... yeah. It stops. Otherwise, it is a fun, collectible toy that's pretty durable.Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Pipsqueek - Yellow here is another zhu zhu pet.

Zhu Zhu Pets has kept me from having to buy a real hamster! I highly recommend if you are in that situation! Just be sure to keep them away from your childs hair, they will get caught!! They do work with all the acessories, and you don't have to clean a cage!