Are Zhu Zhu Hamster Toys Built To Last?

By Laura Robbinson

It makes me wonder sometimes, with the hundreds of different toys that I have bought for my girls over the years, whether the toy companies test the quality and durability under actual 'normal kid abuse' conditions. So many of the kid's toys are fine if you treat them delicately, but try explaining that to a toddler, whose less than delicate playful instincts often result in another broken toy. So the question that I asked myself when my children started nagging me for the new Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters (aka Zoo Zoo Pets hamsters or Zu Zu Pets hamsters) toys which are priced at a retail price of a mere $7, is whether they really can stand up to the inevitable abuse, particularly of some more 'testing' toddlers.

To test the quality of the Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters themselves, you really need to wait till enough of them have been sold and long enough for the lucky kid's to subject them to the ultimate test conditions that only kids can. Having now shipped huge hamster volumes, it is a fair time to see what customers are saying about the quality and durability of them. Very little. It is really hard to find many parents that have specifically found that these hamsters are simple of sub-standard quality and it was only a matter of days before they broke. So it seems that the hamster toys themselves emerge with flying quality standard marks.

Two concerns seem to be a common customer issue when it comes to the hamster accessories in general. The add-ons are mostly compatible with each other and can be joined together to form a continually increasing hamster habitat. Poor quality plastic is often mentioned by parents. It is interesting, though, that these parents don't go onto say that they have actually experienced any associated problems. Is the plastic of a cheap quality? I would have to say yes. Have I experienced any problems because of the perceived quality of these, I would have to say no.

Some parents make comments that the plastic clips to integrate the various accessories together are a bit flimsy and I would tend to agree, but they do the job and I have not experienced any consequential issues or read about any from other parents that have bought hamster accessories.

The hamster mobile set, which includes the car and garage, is probably the exception to the quality rule and numerous parents have voiced their concerns about the doors not fitting correctly or not staying on. With so many customers saying the same thing, it is worth bearing this in mind if you are thinking about buying this particular hamster accessory for your child. Nevertheless, if you do and you experience the same problems, you can always do what other parents have creatively done and use a bit of glue or tape to have functional hamster garage doors.

So it would seem that parents have very few complaints and problems when it comes to the Zhu Zhu hamster toys, whether it be the hamsters themselves or the myriad of add-ons that you can buy. With so many sales, any toy manufacturer would be satisfied at the lack of negative quality feedback.

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