Just an FYI if you're going to a pet store to look at small pets. See if they have any teddy bear hamsters but don't expect them to be tame. The one we got this year (in pics) was only two months old and completely wild when we first held (or tried to hold) him in the pet store, and he bit us!
(This after we had the most amazing teddy bear who was tame when we got him but who had just died.)
Once we got him home it took time and patience to tame him. A friend of mine who has hamsters and guinea pigs came over shortly afterward and noted she could tell he'd been held a lot because "he was beginning to get snuggly". Every evening, after HE woke up (ideally, as they can be startled and cranky when you wake them up AND when you take them out on their time they've usually gone to the bathroom already
), we brought him into our sunroom and held him, played with him, let him run around with the doors closed. Within a few weeks it had become routine and he seemed to look forward to it.
Now he comes out in the evening and sits with one of us (we rotate so he gets to know us all) with our hands lightly cupped around him as he likes a tight little spot for a while. He'll sit that way sometimes for 20 minutes or more looking at us or grooming himself, etc. Then he wants to walk around on us and the furniture, then he gets really going and we put him on the ground where he'll run for a bit. After an hour or so he's ready go back in his cage where he happily eats and explores for the rest of the night. He is completely adorable and we fell in love with him early on. Even our dog enjoys watching him and sniffs and licks him.
We did wind up putting two cages together with plastic tunnels to give him a little extra space to explore, as they can get pretty big. (Our last one could barely fit in the tube and I was afraid he'd get stuck so we didn't do the two cage thing with him, but he was older when we got him and was happy in the one big cage alone - if anyone wants the link to that cage, let me know. I think it's a great one for larger hamsters.)
My kids take care of almost everything related to the hamster, especially DD. The biggest thing I have to remind them about is changing the water every day and of course, cleaning the cage. They feed him every night while he's out and sometimes move his cage up to their rooms for a few days if they want to. Otherwise we keep him downstairs in our family room because those wheels do get loud at night, even the ones that are supposed to be "quiet"!
I grew up with small syrian hamsters and we even had them when we first got married. I much prefer the teddy bears now as they are just super friendly and fun as far as small pets go. (In fact, they were bred to be that way.) I think that the more time you put into them, the more you get out of them, and understanding and respecting their personalities and routines make them happier and friendlier overall.
I am on rabbit number 4,, we love them and I probably will always own one at a time. Having said that, they arent for everyone, But for some, like us, it is a pet i wouldn't want to be without. Ours DOES NOT smell. He is litter trained . We got him when he was only a few weeks old (HIGLY recommended) and started litter training right away. he does not make a mess anywhere other than his litter box, never even seen him pee,lol. I clean his very large dog kennel type cage once a week. I have kids 8 and 11 now, but they've been around them their entire lives. They really love their pet bunny! Theire are different personalities, tho, and i really suggest getting a baby, and spending LOTS of time with especially at first. Let it run around while you just sit and watch, tobuild their trust. Eventually the bunny will becaome eager to see you and jump into your lap just like a puppy. Anyway I could go on and on...
lol
seriously
Adopting is our 1st choice no matter what pet we find =) and 2 would be great... DD7 really wants a pet and I think helping DD9 would be best before she has her very own pet.
