anyone have hamsters?

[Donovans4]

We are seriously considering getting DS(10) a hamster for his Christmas gift this year. I have been doing some reading online and have talked to a clerk at the local pet store and it sounds like he could handle taking care of one. One of my main reasons for getting him a hamster is that his wish list consists mainly of video games, which I don't want to get. (DH did get him one, but that is it). He has asked for a hamster in the past, but I always said no because we have cats. So, anyone have hamsters as pets? If so, please share the pros/cons of having hamsters as pets.

 

thanks in advance!

LauraD in MN

[Desert Rat]

The pros:

We had hamsters as pets with a cat in the house. Never a problem and the cat loved to chase them in the ball. (Hindsight is that was probably a mean thing to do to the poor hamsters-but I was 10).

They are easy to care for and clean up after. They stay in a cage and don't make messes around the house.

They are nice animals to hold.

 

Cons:

The don't live long, usually around 3 years tops.

If not handled every single day they get wild and will bite.

They do have a rodent-ish smell if their cage isn't cleaned weekly.

 

We've decided not to do hamsters in our house any more because of their short life span and their tendency to bite. This really goes for all small rodents.

We love our amphibians though and highly recommend fire-bellied toads. :)

[hornblower]

We've had hammies - both the siberian and the dwarf. You can only keep one/habitat; they don't live together well, not even the dwarf, though some people succeed in keeping same sex pairs, but generally even the dwarves will fight.

 

Pros: they're cute. If they're handled from a young age, they're quite docile and cuddly. Boys are always more mellow than females.

 

Cons: they're nocturnal. You probably won't want the cage in a bedroom as at night they like to run in their wheel or rearrange their cage.

 

They do need to have their cage cleaned out at least once a week. To be really happy, they need a fairly large cage, much larger than what the pet shops sell. They need time outside of the cage daily. They need veggies in addition to a good commercial food mix.

 

We now foster rats for an animal rescue and while I still think that hammies are cuter, rats are definitely more interesting. They're slightly less nocturnal though I still don't keep their habitat in a bedroom as they're loud at night. They're smart and more interested in humans than hammies. They also need to live at least with another rat (either same sex or spayed/neutered obviously)

 

If you decide to get a hamster or a rat, find out if there's a small animal rescue in your area. They'll have a better idea of the animal's temperament and they can help you pick one which is suited to your family. They'll also vet check them, and you'll be sure you're not getting one which is pregnant or sick - common probs with ones from pet shops. I don't recommend buying any animals from a pet shop.

 

BTW, vet bills for rodents are the same as for other "bigger" pets. One of my hammies needed surgery to remove a fatty lump. Another had a bad respiratory infection & needed antibiotics. Euthanasia is a bit cheaper (than for cats & dogs) when they get to the end of their life (some slip away in their sleep, but some clearly suffer and need to be helped to pass if there's no other med help possible)

 

hth!

[Jen500]

We have hamsters. The boys love them. They are fun to play with, build little cardboard forts for, and sit on their lap when they read. We can go out of town for several days w/o needing a pet sitter.

However, we got off to a rough start with the hamsters. One hamster bit ds very hard. He was scared to hold her, but we needed to handle them every day so they'd get used to us. Shortly after bringing them home, one hamster had a litter.:eek: A few weeks later our dog got to their cages :sad:. The cages need to be cleaned weekly or they really smell, and they run on their wheels at night.

But we do love our hammies.

[SonshineLearner]

I'd suggest two guinea pigs. I think they are more interesting:-) Less like rats.... Do a big cage...and get a good lid! When we babysat a couple for a month, we had a wooden large square that we would let them out to play in...in the yard.(with my daughter to watch them...or me) If I was going to leave them there without us, I would have made a screen for the top. (Just to make them safe.) So..there's my vote....two guinea pigs:-)

Carrie:-)

[Laura K (NC)]

Most 10yo boys I know are somewhat forgetful. Our youngest son has had hamsters for many years now and he's 11. He is very conscientious and kind with animals, but he forgets to secure the cage and our hamsters have escaped many times over the years. That might be devastating if you have indoor cats.

 

Our hamster stays in my 11yo son's room. We have an aquarium with a special lid that we got from Walmart. I prefer these cages to the plastic or metal ones because hamsters chew, and he can't chew his way out of a glass aquarium. Also from Walmart, we got a plastic running wheel (which doesn't squeak like metal wheels) and a wooden sleeping box that doubles as something to chew on. At one time we rigged up some tunnels for the hamster to run in, but they are pretty difficult to clean, and unless you have a lot of connecting tunnels (and we didn't), they don't give the hamster that much more exercise.

 

We adopted someone's used hamster this last go-around. The previous owners said they didn't want him because he bit their girls. I think the key is to be extra gentle with them, and not to sneak up on them. This hamster has never bitten my son or anyone else in our family.

 

Maintenance-wise, they're easier than guinea-pigs (we have three pigs). Hamsters smell less, and you can leave them if you go on vacation. Guinea pigs are much more sociable, though, if you don't mind the extra work. And speaking of work, my son does all the hamster care (my older son does all the guinea pig care), though I often have to remind him. My son got hamsters as a birthday present three years ago and that was the happiest I'd ever seen him with a present.

 

Best wishes!

[SonshineLearner]

Also, you might want to try rescues in your area, including the Humane Societies, because they can have little critters to adopt:-)

[laurad1125]

We just got a siberian dwarf for my 10 year old and boy was I nervous. He's done great!! We did try to keep two together and that didn't work. Fortunately we had two cages connected and now they're not. :-)

[kzdaisy]

W have one Teddy bear boy hamster and one Dwarf female in separate cages. The boy is much more easy going and loving than the girls they are more nervous.Teddy has never bitten anyone but Tater Tot the little girl bites if you try to get her.You have to wait for her to climb out of the cage onto your hand then she is fine.They both have there own personality but we love hammies Hubby and I had them when we were kids so we had to get some for ours! Enjoy.