Buying a hamster from a breeder

[CurlieSue]

Hi, my daughter is coming up to 2 years old and I'm thinking of getting her a hamster. I would obviously do the caring, cleaning out, feeding etc, but I think it would be a lovely pet for her to have, as she's such a caring little girl and an only child, and is very advanced for her age and I know she would love her own little pet (it would also be a pet for me too). I would like to buy a hamster from a breeder. Is there a website that advertises hamsters from breeders? I would never buy from a pet shop. Thank you.

[rightsaidfrederickII]

As a hamster owner, I can say here and now that hamsters are crap pets for young children. There are two reasons for this

1. They're nocturnal, and so are invariably only awake when your child is in bed
   
2. They're a bit delicate - no two year old, no matter how advanced they are for their age, has the dexterity to deal with a wriggling hamster. The risk is that the hamster is dropped, or it becomes scared, and very often scared hamsters bite. I remember having a hamster as a small child (age 3-5). I don't remember handling it - she was just far too fast for me, and I wasn't a clumsy child by any stretch of the imagination.
   
   If I were you, I'd go for something that's a bit more robust, and awake in the day. I know guinea pigs are very popular on MN, and rats may also fit the bill.
   
   In answer to your original question, it can be hard to find hamsters from breeders. It may be possible to find one via one of the hamster clubs - the Northern / Midland / Southern Hamster Clubs all have lists on their websites. The other option is the 'gumtree rescue' - it's common to find hamsters looking for a new home on there.
   
   I'd also suggest joining a site like Hamster Central to learn more about them - but as I say, I don't think they're great pets for young children by any means.

[domesticslattern]

I would just like to second that a hamster is a really duff pet for a very small child. It will wake up when she goes to bed and go to bed when she wakes up. Seriously.

[CurlieSue]

Thank you for your reply. You have made some really good points. I think that I was too hasty in thinking of getting a hamster for my daughter. I think I will leave it for a few years until she would be better able to handle one.

[Fresh01]

We have a Syrian hamster my DD got for her 8th birthday. She is allowed to handle it and so is her 12 year old sister. My 5 and 7 year olds are not allowed to handle her without my close supervision. I had hamsters for 10 years from the age of 8. They are great pets but not for a young child. They try and hold them too tightly around their tummy and squeeze them.

[CurlieSue]

Hi Fresh thank you for your reply. I agree that my daughter is far too young for a hamster and I was wrong to think of getting one for her. I would have been the main carer, and my daughter would have only handled her under extremely close supervision, but I will leave it til she is much older.

[TabascoToastie]

Rats are much, much better pets than hamsters: awake during the day, friendly, love people, smart, trainable, can be house trained, don't bite. As long as you get more than one. Not for age 2 but fab pets for older kids!