Zhu Zhu Pets are all the rage as THE TOY to get the young people in your life this year for the holidays. What is a Zhu Zhu Pet? And how can you get a Zhu Zhu on sale this year? Those are the hot questions of the hour as parents scramble from site to store looking for this mechanical animal.

The Business Insider caught wind of the current craze over Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories earlier this month, quoting Jonathan Birchall in a report by the Financial Times:

Five battery-operated robotic hamsters costing about $10 each have become the must-have toy of Christmas 2009, with parents in North America and the UK snapping them up as soon as they arrive on retailers' shelves.

Zhu Zhu Pets, sold in the UK as Go Go Pets, are the hottest toy of the season, according to Jerry Storch, chief executive of Toys R Us, the retailer, a phenomenon on par with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the smash hit of Christmas 1987.

Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories are best sought online at this point, as this video of parents in stores fighting over this robotic rat clearly demonstrates (Source) :


That is not a crowd I would want to brave to give Zhu Zhu Pets as gifts, no matter how much I love my little cousins. So how can you get yourself a Zhu Zhu in a sane and safe way? Here are our top tips and tricks for landing Zhu Zhu Pets:

1. Use and keep checking the site Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Tracker.
2. If you are willing to pay extra, go to Amazon.com for Zhu Zhu Pets ASAP.
3. There are many resellers of Zhu Zhu Pets on eBay.
4. Call your local Toys R Us early and often to learn when they are restocking, as Toys R Us plans to restock Zhu Zhu pets throughout December. Get there early on the days the toy is coming in, and be prepared to fight!
5. You can also get updates online by becoming a fan of Toys R Us on Facebook, to beat the Zhu Zhu crowds.

Good luck getting your Zhu Zhu Pets! If you can land one of these fluffy fellas, the children on your list will feel very special. Buying on eBay or Amazon.com may not provide the best deal on Zhu Zhu Pets for you this holiday shopping season, but it might save you a couple of black eyes -- or having to inflict them while trying to get Zhu Zhu Pets in the stores!