Will I regret getting dd a hamster?

[Mermaid4me]

I guess I'll be the one to disagree with all others. I think hamsters are wonderful pets for children (age 8 & up). They for our family were the perfect first pet. My children learned responsability, compassion, care, and even learned about grief. Do we want our children to learn about grief? If everyone could live forever there would be no point, but thats not reality, so having a hamster where the life expectancy is anywhere on average from 2 to 3 years, was also a great lesson in grief. For children to learn how to deal with grief I feel is a very important life lesson we all need to learn some coping skills with. We've had many hamsters come through our home, a few died way before they should have, but most including the ones we currently have lived there full life expectancy. Of the current 2 we have, one is 2 1/2 and the other is already 3 and so far still living! My son, who owns these two, has an enormous cage for them in his room. Their night noise does not bother him. With the exception of one, none of our hamsters have ever bitten anyone. I help keep the cage clean, and don't mind it. Stuff can get matted in fur of "Teddy Bear" hamsters, but we've never had that issue with the short hair hamsters.
A pet like this is not for every family. If mom or dad end up doing most of the work in taking care of it's basic needs, at least it's only for a couple of years rather than longer wtih a guinea pig, should the same issue happen.
We now have TOO many pets, (two dogs, a fish, a guinea pig, a rabbit and two hamsters), so I've informed my kids there won't be anymore hamsters in the near future once these current two pass away. (daughter just came home with the guinea pig recently, errrghhhh). Each of the kids has experienced hamsters (4 children), and now with the bigger pets, It's time to say enough, for now.

If you do decide to get a hamster, read up on all the care first. Hamsters are solitary animals in most cases. They are together when young yes, but are supposed to be separated by sexes around 6 weeks old. They can become pregnant as early as a few months old, but not a good idea as mothers that are just still babies themselves do tend to eat their newborns. Fathers must be removed from the cage preferably before their young are born. Hamsters are fine on thier own though, they do NOT need a buddy.

My children have fun watching their antics, let them rolll round safely in their ball on the living room floor and love building mazes from their cardboard bricks for the little things, and have fun watching them try to find their way through the maze to a treat at the other end. There are bedding types you can buy now that are made of some kind of paper instead of shavings. Many of these new types are subtly scented and aren't as messy as shavings. Having a water bottle is less messy than a water bowl. There are wheels you can get now that aren't as noisy as the older metal ones.

I was just getting to write all the things you just said. I LOVE hamsters. Ours just died a few months ago. He lived for about 3 years. He never bit anyone and he was a sweet hamster. And, as the pp said, THEY DON"t need a buddy! Just do your research before you get one. They can be a fun pet. I always have male hamsters! Good luck.

 

[mjkacmom]

We got hamsters for our children and I will NEVER allow them in the house again. One died within a month (due to fighting with the other hamster) and the other died at about 7 months for no apparent reason. The biggest issue for me was they stunk. Even if I cleaned the cage twice a day I still couldn't stand the smell. We kept them in my ds's room and he was never bothered by the noise of the wheel, but nothing wakes this child up.

I can't believe the petstore didn't tell you that 2 hamsters can't be together! We have 2 rats now (after going through hermit crabs and hamsters), and they're the best. Just as friendly as dogs, very smart, big cage, and you need at least 2, because they're social. However, the females (which we have) are prone to mammory tumors, and one already had surgery, and has another. They never, ever bite.

 

[teacup princess]

Thanks for the advice! I didn't think about the hamsters keeping her up at night or the smell. As a child I had a gerbil, it was in my room, and it didn't smell. I wonder if a gerbil would be better?

You might look into the "Hypoallergenic" dog breeds. There are certain dogs that don't shed which are good for kids with allergies. I know the Havanese and Maltese are in that category because they don't shed, but I don't know what other ones there are.

Thanks. I did research the hypoallergenic dogs and considered one for a while. Problem is he is more allergic to the dogs saliva than to the dander. Anytime a dog licks him he will end up with big welts in that area. I couldn't find a dog that doesn't salivate .

I did consider the reptiles too. She really wanted a turtle, but I've read they're not good for kids because they carry salmonella. Plus, most reptiles freak me out a little and I know I'll be the one who ends up taking care of it.

I'll have to look into the guineas. I for some reason worry more about allergies with that though. My theory was he could play with the hamster in its little ball without actually having to touch it.

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

I had a hamster in my classroom for a couple years, it was great!

I could walk around with him sitting on my shoulder.

If you get it as a baby you can "train" it to be ok around people. My kids used to make mazes with blocks and put him in it. He didn't bite, and lots of kids held him.

He would tool around in his ball during the day too.

He lived about 3 years.

Another teacher had a guniea pig, her room smelled like the zoo...and the constant squeaking - ugh.

I have cats at home, allergic to them but somehow got used to them... maybe it's like having a constant stream of allergy shots, eventually you get used to it.

 

[Queen of 3 princess]

I second getting guinea pigs. Hamsters are not very friendly. They bite and are not social creatures. Guinea pigs on the other hand ARE social. They respond to their family's, Don't mind being held and don't usually bite. They let you feed them by hand and sit on your lap. They don't run on wheels so you don't have to listen to that. They do however squeal like "pigs" when they want something. Like food or water. They also have a longer life span. I think it's 5-7 years. My girls love their guinea pigs.

 

[YoMickey]

I had one as a child. It escaped, lived wild in the house for about 2 weeks before it died, somewhere in the house. We never could find it, but we sure could smell it for about a week. We think it somehow go into the ductwork in the wall. Absolutely disgusting.

 

[StitchFanZ]

I did consider the reptiles too. She really wanted a turtle, but I've read they're not good for kids because they carry salmonella. Plus, most reptiles freak me out a little and I know I'll be the one who ends up taking care of it.​

We got my son a Russian Tortoise when he was about 8 and 5 years later it is still a great pet. The Tortoise is a desert animal so you don't need to have a tank with water. On hot days you can take them outside. They love to walk around in the grass. Feeding them is easy - they like salad stuff so they eat our left over salads and in the summer, we can grow all their food in the garden so they are very low cost and easy care. We now have two tortoises.

Every animal has its risks so don't let steer you away from a really easy to care for animal. An animal that mostly needs fresh salad stuff put in its cage and its heat lamp plugged in every morning is a great first pet. Having run the gamut of dogs, cows, chickens, horses, lambs, lizards, fish, geckos, dragons and so on, the reptile family consists of the easiest to care for animals which makes them pefect as a first pet.

 

[Mermaid4me]

I second getting guinea pigs. Hamsters are not very friendly. They bite and are not social creatures. Guinea pigs on the other hand ARE social. They respond to their family's, Don't mind being held and don't usually bite. They let you feed them by hand and sit on your lap. They don't run on wheels so you don't have to listen to that. They do however squeal like "pigs" when they want something. Like food or water. They also have a longer life span. I think it's 5-7 years. My girls love their guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs are good too. However, hamsters can be great pets. I have had more thann 10 hamsters in my lifetime and ONLY 1 of them was a biter. THEY all loved being held and played with and they were lots of fun. Some hamsters are not friendly as some guinea pigs are not. Hamsters can be lots of fun and friendly. Not all hamsters are biters. There are many different types of hamsters.

 

[YoMickey]

I'll be digging out my aquarium stuff from college years and setting up an African Cichlid tank for my 9-7-4 year olds this week. I'll be doing monthly water changes. They'll be feeding them daily.. For vacations we'll sue the autofeeder.

 

[SassyCat]

I second getting guinea pigs. Hamsters are not very friendly. They bite and are not social creatures. Guinea pigs on the other hand ARE social. They respond to their family's, Don't mind being held and don't usually bite. They let you feed them by hand and sit on your lap. They don't run on wheels so you don't have to listen to that. They do however squeal like "pigs" when they want something. Like food or water. They also have a longer life span. I think it's 5-7 years. My girls love their guinea pigs.

I think my guinea pigs are an abnormality. What you and others have described them as is what I have read, but mine are the complete opposite!!! Mine are mean. We originally got one, but then got a second one a couple of days later because she seemed lonely and I know they do better in pairs. Whenever we would try to hold them to get them used to it, they would run and hide in the corner of their cage under the shelf (they are hard as HECK to catch) or they would bite me. The second one (gertrude) loves to bite. Occasionally, I would be able to get them to sit on me, but then I got peed on bunches. ahahaha but anyway, mine are not very friendly (have had them over a year and it hasn't changed). I had wanted one since I was a kid and got married last year (parents wouldn't let me have one - had cats and dogs), and we live in an apt - so I thought it would be perfect. To tell you the truth, I really regret getting them now.

They are very talkative though. They chatter a lot, even when they have plenty of food and water. They do pee and poop A TON. As soon as you put them back in the cage after cleaning it, it is full of poop!! Very frustrating - it does smell awful, too. They are cute though. Also, if you get them, make sure to have plenty of stuff for them to chew on (wood stuff, esp) or their teeth will keep growing into their throats eventually (that was my understanding). Also, never put them in one of those roaming balls or a wheel - they have long backs and aren't meant to be in those things - it can break their back. Also, since they have long backs, you have to make sure that any children that hold them know how to support them properly.

We actually ended up getting a yorkie for free (he was 3 and we were getting him out of a bad situation), and he does not seem to bother our piggies at all. Sometimes they will stare at him, and when I have held him near the cage they try to sniff him! hehe But he is very calm around them, and they do not seem scared. They have not been out of the cage together though...don't plan on doing that.

I guess I'm posting this to say that not all guinea pigs fit their description (at least in my case).

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

I would agree as far as I would prefer guinea pigs over hamsters having had both. A couple things you have to think about with the pigs though is that they are social and if you only have one it will get lonely if your DD doesn't pay attention to it. We had two and they were wonderful and never bit. It could be because we got them from some neighbors who handled them from the time they were very young. If you do get 2 of them be careful because it is hard to tell the gender when they are young. We ended up taking ours to a pet store when they were about 8 weeks old to find out what they were. If you want to know how to tell PM me and I'll tell you. They were both girls fortunatly. To be honest I would never get any small animals like that again because they are so much work but we did love our pigs.

 

[flying_babyb]

I have a hammy and have had hammys since I was 5. I have a bin cage (look it up) and it stays clean. I change it once a month. I also bought a rabbit potty and the hammy goes in there. I change that once a week. A silent wheel is a great idea, Plastic. There feet can get trapped in metal ones. the smell is not so bad in a bin cage cause its much eaiser to clean. My rabbit smelled more (so do the cats). The biting thing, If you handle them when there young they dont become nippy. I used to let my hammy ride in my pocket cause he was so sweet.

 

[dayzemair]

I too had a great experience with hamsters as a kid and in college. I had my childhood hamster for over 4 years, almost unheard of for hamsters! And he was very friendly and lovable. but I have also had a mean hamster that bit and one that just wasn't as friendly, so I think it REALLY depends both on the hamster and the kid. If your kid gets bored with it really quick, don't drag it all out over the life of the hamster, find someone that will take it in and love it and if the hamster is a big biter, see if you can take it back - its not worth it to keep a biting hamster in the house. But the balls are a blast and I would recommend getting the habitrail type hamster things, with the tunnels and such, fun to watch!! and get the yogurt treats cause they are fun for the kids to feed to them.

I would be concerned about the allergy thing though, not sure that hamsters are any less of an issue in that category then any other mammal, but they may be. Make sure to keep the cage very clean and YES it is a pain to clean the cages but it might be worth it if you really end up with a lovable family pet in the end.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[dhardawa]

I'm really surprised at all the responses here.

I grew up having hamsters off and on as a child and loved them. When Emily was younger, we had rats and they make great pets, but they do stink. So, when our last rat died, Emily asked for a dwarf hamster. I warned her that they bite, but she still wanted one. So, off to the pet store we went.

We have had Meatball for about a month now and I couldn't love him more. I really like the dwarf hamsters better than the standard ones because they are more active during the day. He was also very friendly from the first day whereas regular hamsters can take months to become tame. Sure, if you don't clean the cage regularly it will stink, but I clean it out about once a week and haven't had the slightest bit of stink problem.

I don't for one second regret getting Meatball.

We had guinea pigs in the past and they are loud and annoying. I ended up giving them away because I started to truly hate them. They drove me crazy.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

We had guinea pigs in the past and they are loud and annoying. I ended up giving them away because I started to truly hate them. They drove me crazy.

I have heard people say this before and I never had that problem. Either the pigs I had were quieter or it was just that I enjoyed the noises they made. I loved it when I would get out a plastic bag and they would start squeaking because they thought they were getting food.

I think it's just like anything else, you just need to be as informed as possible (which is what you are doing) then just go with what you think is best for your situation. I think that pigs or hamsters can be great pets. Whatever you decision is I wish you the best of luck and hope your DD enjoys her pet!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I have heard people say this before and I never had that problem. Either the pigs I had were quieter or it was just that I enjoyed the noises they made. I loved it when I would get out a plastic bag and they would start squeaking because they thought they were getting food.

I think it's just like anything else, you just need to be as informed as possible (which is what you are doing) then just go with what you think is best for your situation. I think that pigs or hamsters can be great pets. Whatever you decision is I wish you the best of luck and hope your DD enjoys her pet!

LOL, ours loved carrots and watermelon and would squeal every time we opened the fridge, it was so cute.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I bought my DD a Teddy Bear hamster for her 8th birthday in Sept. 07. She named her Ginny. Her real name should be been Houdini! That hamster has gotten out so many times. She has caused a lot of damage to anything she can get her (sharp) teeth and claws into.

My DD was very excited when she got her. The girl at the pet store made sure we got one that was nice, and didn't bite. She is and doesn't. The excitement lasted until the first time it was time to clean the cage (Crittertrail). I think in almost 2 years she has cleaned it once by herself. Usually it's me.

Ginny lives in my office since she keeps DD awake at night (even with a plastic wheel). A few days after we got her we checked on her and she was gone! She had pushed open the door of the cage. Took quite a while to find her. Then I read up on their escape capabilities and saw that it's fairly common for them to open their cages. There is now a binder clip holding it shut. However, she has gotten out several more times. Once her little room thingy at the end of the trail fell off, another time it was left ajar and she got out, sometimes the binder clip isn't secure, etc. I think she's escaped at least 10 times now. Here's the list of things she has damaged:

A pair of my mom's pants that were too close to her cage
The bedskirt on the guest bed
The carpet at the guest bedroom door where she attempted to claw her way out.
About a 2" diameter hole in the guest room closet carpet where she lived for about a day.
The quilt in the closet
The above all happened before she was moved to my office.
Then it was...
The carpet by my office door where she tried to get out.
Any paper that she can get in contact with.

Twice now one of our cats has carried her downstairs to "play" with her. Amazingly Ginnie has remained unscathed and even though she should only live about 2 years, next month we will have had her 2 years. Oh, and she apparently has magical healing powers as a few months ago she had a cataract in one eye and I figured this was the beginning of the end, but noooooo, the cataract disappeared after a few days and she still is going strong.

Since she's nocturnal she has very little play value. DD barely spends any time with her. I had a hamster as a child. My sister and I had Bonnie and Clyde. They too escaped all the time. Once they lived in the overflow of one of our bathroom sinks for a few days while we searched for them. Another time they ate some poison put under our kitchen cabinets by previous owners and Clyde died. Bonnie died a little while later but not until she had bit me. My mom called animal control and they had us put her in the fridge in a magarine container 'til they came to pick her up. They checked her for rabies. Looking back I don't know why I ever got DD a hamster.

I also had guinea pigs-I really enjoyed them. Though my female turned out to be a cannibal and ended up killing off her entire family (4 new babies, older pregnant offspring, and her mate) Our guinea pigs lived in a cage outside and yes they could be noisy. They would squeal when I would go outside to feed them. But they were good for eating vegetable scraps. I also had mice, rabbits, and my sister had a rat. Of all of them, I liked the guinea pigs the best. The babies were so cute when they would pop out and start running around, eyes open and with their fur (unlike rats and mice.)

OP-it's too bad you can't get a cat-that's my pet of choice.

 

[ChristusG]

We're going through this right now.

See, we got DD two kittens about two years ago. I'd never had cats before and had no idea I was allergic to them. I tried to live with the allergy for two years and just could not do it any longer. After much searching, I finally found good homes for them. I'm not one that just throws cats out into the woods or drops them off at the pound.

So we got DD a dog. I did my research. Lots of research. And we settled on a toy poodle. Small enough to carry camping with us, non-shedding, smart. Well, this poodle missed the smart boat. We've had him for 7 months and cannot even get the dog house trained. He cowers down and runs from us when we approach him. I wonder if he was mistreated before we got him. With two small kids, homeschooling, taking care of the house, and taking care of our other dog (a Jack Russell who we've had for nearly 10 years), I just cannot devote the time to the poodle that he needs. So my sister is eagerly taking him off of our hands. She loves dogs and thinks she can probably change him, he just needs some time and attention. She even wants to train him for agility. I would not have given him to just anyone, but she really wanted him.

I feel sooooooo bad that we've gotten rid of both of DD's pets. I feel horrible!!!! Even though DD does not seem sad. But she really wants a small animal. So I've thought and thought and thought. We do not want a hamster because I've heard that they bite often. Plus, they are escape artists. Same with mice, all they want to do is escape. I've owned quite a few guinea pigs in my life, and while they are sweet, social animals, they are also extremely messy. So I do not want a guinea....I want something smaller. I've thought about gerbils, but I've heard that while not as bad as hamsters, they are still not too friendly. I think we've settled on the possibility of a dwarf rat. Rats are very social, rarely ever bite, and can even be trained. A dwarf rat can fit in those hamster trail cages that my daughter thinks is so cute.

My only concern about a rat is that I wonder if I'm allergic to it. I'm scared to get a rat and then learn that I'm allergic to it and have to get rid of yet another animal. So I'm not 100% settled on a rat yet, just due to the allergy factor. Maybe I can convince DD to go for a hermit crab LOL. Cause I do not do reptiles....just not for me. Especailly due to the salmonella factor.

 

[teacup princess]

Well today was my daughter's birthday so off to the pet shop we went. We looked at guinea pigs, hamsters, dwarf hamsters, and rats. In the end she chose a teddy bear hamster and named it Nibbles. The pet shop guy said this one particular hamster was one of the friendlier ones he's ever seen (although, it did bite my daughter while trying to chew it's way out of the box the pet store put it in on our drive home, but I think it was just a case of mistaken identity ).

He also said hamsters are prone to get "wet tail" which I basically took to be sort of like diarrhea. He said when they get that they stink so hopefully we can prevent it and avoid the hamster smell.

Thanks for all of your input. It always helps to get the opinions of others.

 

[cart-mom]

Get a guinea pig instead. My DS was 9(now 14) and wanted a hamster so I got it. He was a very good hamster but only lived about 2 1/2 years (long time for hamsters). Just this year, my other son (now 9, himself) wanted a guinea pig so we got one. Very easy to handle and much slower than a hamster. DS7 stared asking for a hamster. Off to the store I go and get what I thought would be a good pet (great first experience should have been the clue) but instead I got the tasmanian devil. It looked all calm at the store. After we got home and started putting together the cage we put him in his ball. DS14 wanted to put together the cage and took a while so he started to poop & pee in the ball. Once in the cage he started to chew the wire cage and push his head through (over and over). He went back the next morning and we exchanged him for a guinea pig that is wonderful. Oreo & Smorz are great pets for my boys. Now DD11 wants a pet hamster or guinea pig. She has to wait until after our vacation in 13 days. It's hard enough finding care for these two.

Sorry this post is so long. I feel that experience helps sometimes. Good luck with whatever you decide.