Zhu Zhu Pets is certainly the hottest toy for 2009. Finding them is absolutely a challenge especially if you have children asking about it everyday. Even retailers like Walmart had difficulty keeping these furry critters in stock. Well if you have not heard by now what is a zhu zhu pet …. here goes.

Zhu Zhu Pets are adorable little plush-like toy hamsters which are the latest craze among all kids. Zhu Zhu Pets are realistic, interactive battery-operated hamsters on wheels. They chatter, scatter, scoot, scurry, and will entertain children for hours on end. A perfect companion for kids that want a pet of their own without the mess of cleaning up after them. Yeah, I know everything is going mechanical and digital and there is a segment of the population that enjoy a REAL hamster as a pet … but for now this is about the hottest toy this season.

Zhu Zhu Pets zip up ramps and curves, spin down slides, run in their hamster wheels, and get into all sorts of crazy situations. Zhu Zhu Pets include two play modes, a nurturing mode where the hamsters coo and purr and an adventure mode where the hamsters explore their habitat with built-in artificial intelligence which allows them to know what room of their hamster habitat they are in and include intelligent audio and mechanical responses to various habitat stimuli. The hamsters will make toilet-flushing or teeth-brushing sounds when they enter the bathroom and sleeping noises and alarm-clock sounds when they go into their bedroom.

Zhu Zhu Pets are great toys to keep your kids playful and entertained. Also it’s a nice balanced between sitting and playing video games all day.

Zhu Zhu Pets also like to be picked up and snuggled too! Pet them gently on the nose, and they’ll squeak and chatter in response to petting just like real hamsters!

Zhu Zhu Pets are available in four different personalities with differing traits:

• Pipsqueak – A daredevil with the curiosity of a dozen cats, she loves to play, explore, run and slide.
• NumNums – A super fuzzy friend you can depend on for laughs and love.
• Chunk – A cute, loveable laid-back surfer hamster famous for chillin’ out, hangin back and layin low.
• Squiggles – He’s the fussy and finicky hamster who’s been there, done that, and lived to tell about it.

Zhu Zhu pets of course also have accessories, such as a fun house, a skateboard with a ramp, a wheel and tunnel, and a miniature car with a garage. In addition to the pet hamsters, there are Zhu Zhu pet accessories that allow you to create customized hamster habitats.

No doubt Zhu Zhu Pets are well worth searching for perhaps they can make enough of these so we can get them at an affordable price.