Hamsters - tell me the good the bad and the ugly

[java]

So we head into the Pet store thinking of getting 2 fish. Somehow we ended up looking at hamsters.

I don't know anything about them. I am guessing they need cleaned cages like once a week? Do they smell?

Is there some other small rodent that is better than a hamster?

Opinions?

I didn't want another animal that poops. But I am thinking hamsters are probably small poopers?
we left without one but the begging has begun.

 

[Poohforyou]

I had a hamster as a kid and it wasn't very much fun since it didn't like to be held. The cage does only need to be cleaned about once a week and I don't remember any bad smell.

As for other options, we have 2 guinea pigs and we just love them. They really aren't any more trouble than a hamster but they're much more fun. They love to be held and played with and are just so darn cute. They squeal when they here us coming and chatter away with one another. We got them through our local 4H club not a pet store. I'm not a fan of pet store animals since I'm concerned about where they come from.

 

[njmom47]

If you get them as babies, and hold them and play with them frequently, they can be a lot of fun. We've had 3 hamsters in our house and really enjoyed them. The cages can smell if you don't clean them out regularly. They can be escape artists (there was a thread on here maybe last year about this). I used to sit and watch tv and let them crawl all over me. Get the exercise ball for them to run around in. We had cages with tunnels and the wheel. We used Carefresh for their bedding (we never used pine or cedar or aspen). They ate their seeds but we did give them treats which they would carefully take out of our fingers through the cage. You can also feed them certain fresh fruits and veggies. There are a lot of good websites with information out there. They live maybe 2 or 3 years. (Our Minnie and Tink lasted almost 2 yrs and 2 yrs a couple of months). I absolutely adore them as pets!

 

[dawson5]

We've had a few hamsters. Love them a lot. We've been lucky to not have biters. I don't know if it was pure luck or that we handled them quite a bit, so they were quite used to us.

Their urine does smell. What we did learn was that they can be litter trained. If you watch, they tend to use the same corner for their "business." They sell small triangular boxes with litter for it. When we ran out of what came with, we used clumping cat litter without an issue. We didn't need to clean the bedding after that. We also used quilt batting for bedding and they seemed to prefer that to some of the other options they sell at the store (easier to change out also).

When got our first, we had the large wire cage with three levels. Spidey would pee out the side. It was quite nasty. We eventually went to a plastic habitrail. It seems a little harder to get out of and you can add to it.

What we learned when they escaped, find where they go to. Our last two would head to the basement. When we found their "vacation home," we would leave the little nest they would make and when they went missing would put water and food down there. Then later on that evening, we would go and look. We would start checking every other hour, eventually they showed up. This worked for us, not sure if all hammies are the same.

If you do get one, grab some of the wet tail medication. After our first had it, we just dosed the others when we got them to be sure. It can kill them fairly quickly and it seems to be a horrendous way to go.

 

[dakcp2001]

I had Siberian Dwarf Hamsters one was nice you could hold him and play with him, the other was ferocious and bit everyone making them bleed. He of course lived for like 5 years. lol. He didn't bite me, but man if anyone else even got too close to his cage he got em!

I also had a pet rat, he was a great pet if you can get past the icky looking tail. He loved to be held and he would sit with you. Just be careful not to get a feeder rat as a pet.

Also had guinea pigs definately the most fun! Playful and liked to be held. I did end up being allergic to them though, which was weird. Not allergic to anythign else.

I would probably recommend a guinea pig if you want a rodent type.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I had hamsters in years past that were decent pets.

We've had two long haired hamsters in the past couple of years (one died in May and we have a new one who's only a few months old now, in signature) and they are awesome. Long haireds were bred to be friendly.

Our new hamster was only 8 weeks old when we got him (the other was already grown and didn't bite) and we tamed him over the course of a month or so. Now he's a snuggle bug (for about 10 mins, then he likes to run around - we have a fieldstone sunroom that's perfect for him so he doesn't even have to stay in a ball).

Consider the long haired variety. They may be a little hard to find. Gentle handling goes a long way. (I wouldn't recommend them for really young kids as they can become very anxious with rough handling.)

My 13 yr olds take care of the cage and nightly feeding and water changing. I just get to hang out with him.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Please note that there are two distinct kinds of hamsters. The larger ones that are Syrians also know as Teddy Bear, Golden, Panda, Black bear or long haired. These can grow to 5-7 inches with the girls larger than the boys.

Then there are dwarf hamsters. These have many different breeds with different character traits. I do not know them all. They grow to be no more than 2".

Syrians MUST live alone. Dwarf hamsters are capable of living together.

Please do not purchase a small plastic habitrail or OVO if you get a Syrian. Syrians need much more room than that. I have two 110 qt and a 96 qt bin for my Syrians. Two came from Target one came from Home Depot. You can google to find out how to turn them into habitats for your hamster. It was like $10 for the wire mesh fencing to give it ventilation.

There are forums dedicated to hamsters like this one is dedicated to Disney. I recommend that you find one to get more detailed information about hamsters.

We love our three. They are not difficult to take care of at all.

 

[mjkacmom]

We had hamsters, and then got rats. Rats are MUCH more fun - they're more like dogs. They're very smart, very social, and love to be held. One should always have at least 2, since they're so social. My girls used to walk around with them on their shoulders.

 

[MrsPete]

Having owned hamsters, guinea pigs, and gerbils, I'll vote HAMSTERS every time. Random thoughts:

Always choose a variety that has "bear" in the name -- honey bear, teddy bear, black bear, panda bear -- because these are Syrian hamsters. They are larger, slower-moving (read: easier to catch), and they like to be petted. They are less likely to bite, and they prefer to live alone (no need for two hams, no babies to give away). In contrast, dwarf varieties are FAST (like gerbils), and they prefer each other's company to human friends.

Their cages do need to be cleaned out every week, week and a half. I strongly recommend Carefresh bedding; it is a little more expensive, but VASTLY superior to anything else I've used for odor control. In contrast, a guinea pig's cage needs cleaning 2Xs a week -- more expensive, more trouble.

When we clean our HamFriend's cage, we give him several scoops of seeds, and we don't think about food between cleanings. He never eats it all, but as soon as we put in fresh seeds, he immediately runs over and scoops up all his favorite seeds -- he hides them in his bed and sleeps on top of them. Greedy little thing.

The cage will cost about 5-6 times as much as the hamster himself.

Get a hamster as young as possible, and pet him gently every day -- give him veggie treats too (pretty much anything except potatoes and tomatoes). He'll learn quickly learn to love interacting with you. Never pick him up with food smell on your hands -- those are the only times we've been bitten. Advice we read in a book: When you first get your hamster, sit (fully clothed) in a dry bathtub (close the drain) and let the hamster run all over you. He'll become accustomed to you, but he won't be able to run away from you. My daughter did this for HOURS when our hams were new, and they're exceedingly docile little critters.

NEVER let your hamster get wet; they cannot regulate their internal body temperature, and they may die. They are clean little things. They spend hours grooming themselves, though now that we have a long-haired boy, we do brush his hair occasinally -- he gets matts.

I wouldn't get a hamster for a child younger than, say, five. The child would be likely to squeal and scare the hamster or squeeze him. When my nephew's over, we hold the hamster for him and emphasize, "Pet with one finger".

 

[smschex]

Oldest DD had 2 hamsters many years ago. The cage got smelly very quickly and was a pain to clean. Our DD#2 was born a few months after we got them and they did not get handled as much as before and became very anti-social. Bites with those very sharp teeth hurt and bleed alot. I was not sorry when they went to rodent heaven!

Fast forward a few years and DD#3 begs for gerbils. We have had a pair for almost 3 years now and they are delightful--small, very social, and friendly. Their cage does not have to be cleaned nearly as often as the hamsters' did. They are very low maintenance. They like being held and roaming in their ball.
And they have never bitten us.

We are currently keeping a pair of guinea pigs for a friend. They are cute and fun, but they take up much more room than the gerbils.

I would recommend gerbils over hamsters.

 

[java]

We had hamsters, and then got rats. Rats are MUCH more fun - they're more like dogs. They're very smart, very social, and love to be held. One should always have at least 2, since they're so social. My girls used to walk around with them on their shoulders.

DH is from the bronx Rats are not pets! But I agree we took a pair from school and was amazed at how social they were. But DH was not happy so rats are out.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

We have two gerbils- they are pretty minimal maintenance. (They don't pee alot= not smelly= honestly we only clean the cage about every 3-4 weeks.) We keep food in their dish and water in their bottle and they're pretty happy.

We inherited them from another family- so they were "trained" to be held. They do scoot around alot, too, but we've not lost anyone yet!

Advantage, too- hamsters are noctural; gerbils are diurnal (awake in the day- though ours nap alot, lol).

Gerbils do eat plastic and need to have a metal/glass cage and no plastic toys. (We have a couple wooden tunnels for them and they love love love to chew up egg cartons and toilet paper tubes!) Ours came with a neat double decker cage- bottom is a glass aquarium; top is wire mesh. There's a ramp from the glass to the wire "floor" and another ramp up to a sort of loft in the wire section. Lots of room!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Hamsters are wonderful pets! I especially like that they are fairly clean unless you don't clean their cage weekly. They sleep during the day and are awake at night, which means if you are at work & school during the day you get to enjoy them more. They are easily tamed, although in the beginning you will get nipped a few times!

If you go on vacation it is easy to just clean the cage beforehand, transport the cage to someone's house. That way the only thing they will have to worry about is feeding & watering.

The only negative I can think of is the average life span of a hamster is 2 years. But it is also a good first experience about death for a young child. We always had little funerals for ours.

TC

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

They bite. I almost lost my thumb to one when I was a child. Blood everywhere....

 

[torinsmom]

I have had hamsters almost my entire life. They are very good starter pets, INHO. In my experience, Teddy Bear hamsters are the most social and least likely to bit or be skiddish. Yes, the cage does need to be cleaned every week or two, depending on the hamster. Every one I have every had did their business in one area, and I tend to clean that corner every few days and clean the whole cage once a month. They make a little nest away from their bathroom area, and if you clean the whole cage, they have to rebuild it.

I have my hamster in a 10 gallon aquarium with a screen top on it. You can get one fairly inexpensively at Walmart, or if you're lucky at a thrift shop or Craigslist for even cheaper. She has an exercise wheel, a little igloo, food bowl and water bottle in the cage. She also has an exercise ball she goes in every day and she gets to come out and play on the bed or couch a lot too. I have only been bitten by a teddy bear hamster twice in 15 years. One I woke up from a dead sleep and the other was evidently in the process of dying(she was cool to the touch and died a few hours later)

Biggest con to me is that they only live 2-3 years You also have to be careful if you get a female that it is not pregnant, LOL, although the accidental pregnancy we had provided a few friends with free hamsters.

 

[dandave]

The cage has to be cleaned at least once a week. Even then, my son's room always smelled like hamster. Our dwarf hamster bit fiercely, and could only be handled with a gloved hand. He ran around that wheel allll night long, and he lived about two years. We miss him, but nobody has even considered getting another one!

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

loved my hamster! He would ride around on my shoulder while I was teaching.

As PP said, get one young and get them used to being touched, held...he was actually a recess choice in my classroom and would let the kids play w/ him. He ran around in one of those plastic balls too.

Also - don't fall for the "oh yeah, they're both males" thing and get 2. One will be preggers in minutes

Very easy to please - liked to have toilet paper rolls and scraps of fabric to rip up and move around in his cage.

If they ever get out, just leave some food out, you will find them there.

He lived 3 years

 

[SLK1]

Might I suggest a guinea pig? They're NOT nocturnal, so will sleep when you sleep. They're very social and will "whistle" and "squeal" when you come in the room. They don't bite (or at least the ones we've had haven't ever offered to bite). They're less "mousy" than hamsters.

 

[SallySkelington]

I had hamster once. It bit a good chunk out of my step dads hand one day. I still refer to that day as one of the best days of my life. (I don't like my step dad).

Even though I loved my hamster I would suggest a Guinea Pig, they aren't known to bite and they don't get lost as easily. They also like to cuddle and they know their owners. I can't wait to get one.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Might I suggest a guinea pig? They're NOT nocturnal, so will sleep when you sleep. They're very social and will "whistle" and "squeal" when you come in the room. They don't bite (or at least the ones we've had haven't ever offered to bite). They're less "mousy" than hamsters.

I agree with this.