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Original poster

My DD being bullied. Going to get hamster. Advice please!

156 replies

Hamsterthoughts · 21/12/2020 08:36

So... long story.

Dealing with the school and it will improve.
However I am desperate to do something to make her happier in the interim.

She has been desperate for a hamster for last two years. She’s deeply caring and very responsible, so I have no doubts about her caring for it (with my help)

I’m very house proud though. So that’s concerning!

My questions
What are they like as hamsters?
What’s upkeep like?
Are they affectionate?
Do they smell?!
Best place to keep them?
Best breed to get?

Thanks so much

OP posts:
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5
DasPepe · 21/12/2020 11:28

I came on here to suggest a rat or another animal. Hamsters aren’t really great pets. They are interesting and great to observer but for interaction they can be bitey (?) :) and aren’t exactly cuddly.

Rats are really clever thus there is a greater interaction as you can train them and they are curious little things.

hedgehogger1 · 21/12/2020 11:33

Hamsters are little shits. Get a couple of guinea pigs instead if you have the space. They have proper personalities

LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus · 21/12/2020 11:34

I have had some lovely hamsters but it is important to get a young one so it can be tamed. I got one that was supposedly a baby but it definitely wasn't. It never was very keen on people but never bit. I have never been bitten by a hamster. I really like them. However, I now wouldn't get one as I don't have the time for one. They need 2+ hours out of their cage every day. I had one that had free roam of the living room, never bit a wire, and returned to her cage at bedtime every evening when she was tired! They can be lovely pets of given lots of time.

Original poster
Hamsterthoughts · 21/12/2020 11:37

I am sold on rats

Any downsides?

Happy to get a large cage

OP posts:
Sarahlou252 · 21/12/2020 11:40

My dd had a hamster during lockdown as she was beginning to get very down and I wanted her to have something to help. She was so excited to get him, read up on how to look after him, he is really easy to care for and as good as gold.
But. Big but. They are nocturnal, and with a 9pm bedtime she rarely gets to see him awake as he is a lazy little thing!! And he bites if you dare wake him up and then try and handle him!

Taylrse · 21/12/2020 11:42

I had a hamster years ago. It's important to handle It regularly when you first get it, to get it used to being picked up. Mine never bit me.

They are cute little animals. Have to be kept busy with toys and one of those balls they can roam around the house in. You can pick them up and stroke them.

They are also lively at night time, so make sure you don't have a squeaky wheel in the cage or it'll drive you nuts Smile

1starwars2 · 21/12/2020 11:49

I have no direct experience of rats but my DS2 has an elderly hamster, when he goes he would like rats. People who keep them seem to love them. Have you got any local pet shops you could visit?

knittingaddict · 21/12/2020 12:05

@Figgygal

Hamsters are poor pets for children you rarely see them as they largely nocturnal unless you’re willing to wake them up in which case they will bite Cages that they sell in stores are wilfully unsuitable we have a large glass Vivarium for our mice which previously housed the hamster You cannot keep guinea pigs in a flat for they are good or yours that is just not gonna work
My daughter has the same sort of home for the hamster. You can pile the bedding high and the hamster can create it's burrow for sleeping in and has a slightly more natural environment. One happy hamster, but two disappointed children.
Thisusernameistakenagain · 21/12/2020 12:20

Dont buy a 'hamster cage'. They're so small it is unbelievably cruel. They need plenty of room. If you're on fb there are some great hamster groups with experience and advice.

DianaT1969 · 21/12/2020 12:52

I had guinea pigs and they were loyal and affectionate. They would squeak with excitement when only I came into the house and heard my voice - nobody else.

Whengodwasarabbit · 21/12/2020 13:33

My daughter has a really friendly loving Syrian female. She smells more than any previous male hamsters. She was bitey at first but after handling soon tamed.
Our guinea pigs are absolutely full of character and life they are so vocal and hilarious and good for getting rid of scraps. We love them all but when ever anyone needs a real cuddle to cheer them up we all go to our dogs 😂
I have no clue about rats for pets all I know is my husband caught one only this morning in a humane rat trap, it was feeding from our guinea pigs bowl. It is huge and he has released it into the field 5 mins from our house, so I expect ratty will find his way home by tonight🤦🏼‍♀️

roulade · 21/12/2020 13:48

No downsides on rats. I think boys are better than girls as less skittish and smell much less. They are so friendly and don't bite. I'm on my 5th pair and love them!

hedgehogger1 · 21/12/2020 14:01

Make rats have massive bollocks. They are more bollock than rat. They are cute though, the bit that isn't bollocks

SockDrawer · 21/12/2020 14:03

I’d get a kitten. Rag dolls are very affectionate and loving and should be house cats so the flat isn’t an issue.
Absolutely agree that rag doll cats are wonderful. But a much longer term commitment than a rat in many ways. Rag dolls live an average of 15 years and rats only 2.

With pets with short life spans (like rats, etc) I always feel it’s especially important to give them a really good life: It only gets one life after all and you’re the one choosing to keep it as your pet.

CandidaAlbicans2 · 21/12/2020 15:47

@Hamsterthoughts, whatever pet you get it will need space, and bear in mind that the recommended cage sizes are the absolute minimum required, and that pets create mess and smells, so if you're house proud and limited for space please don’t get a pet.

Rats are lovely as, being a social species, they enjoy interacting with us. Here are a couple of resources:
www.ratforum.com/
www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/
www.ratshackforum.com/

RE guinea pigs, they are delightful but no, you can’t just have 1 even if it has lots of human contact. In Switzerland it’s actually illegal to keep solitary GPs as it’s considered cruel. The www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/ is an excellent resource which covers everything from housing to behaviour.

CandidaAlbicans2 · 21/12/2020 15:48

Hamsters shouldn’t be kept as pets.
In the wild the average hamster will travel approximately three miles, and we somehow feel it’s acceptable to keep them in a cage a meter or two in diameter…
Aside from that, they’re nocturnal, they can bite, hard, and they don’t live very long. And they drop dead seemingly without warning.
Don’t do it.

Couldn’t agree more @AlternativePerspective. I’m not anti pets but it’s so sad the poor conditions that so many are kept in just because people try and fit them around their lives rather than consider the animal’s needs first. And don’t get me started on the cages and fish tanks sold in pet shops that are marketed as ideal “starter” set ups. Bastards! Angry

ForTheLoveOfCatFood · 21/12/2020 16:23

Don’t buy a cage from a pet shop use zoopla or online sites you will get a much bigger cage for less.
Boys are more friendly than girls imo

Get from a breeder so they will be well socialised. You can litter train them easily enough and they are very tidy creatures. The like to pee on flat surfaces but I used to wipe down with baby wipes daily.

Very intelligent and make great pets Smile

Heathercob · 21/12/2020 16:33

I had a rat called Goldie as a teenager 😊. She was really affectionate, and loved sitting on my shoulder, and curling up to sleep on me 😍😍. I did end up with a few corners of books, magazines etc nibbled on, but she never bit anyone.
I also had loads of hamsters when I was little, and the only time I got bitten, was when I hadn't realised that one had injured his tail, and I'd touched it.

SimonJT · 21/12/2020 16:42

Guinea pigs are great, but you need a cage of at least 120 x 60cm for a pair, levels don’t count either, so you can’t save space by getting a multilevel cage. Boars also need one of everything, so bottle each etc to reduce squabbles.

I babysit a friends pigs when he goes on holiday, the cage needs cleaning daily as they poo and wee a lot, you also need to hoover daily due to the hay. They also somehow managed to shoot the odd poo out of the cage, they kick it an impressive distance. They have a cage, but they just live in the plastic base without the actual cage attached. They live on fleece, when I babysit them I change it everyday otherwise it is very smelly.

Rats are great. My lasy housemate had two.

Any rodents will need a large cage/living area and most rodents need to live in pairs.

YoniAndGuy · 21/12/2020 17:01

Rats are the most amazing pets.

You 100% need two.

Boys are supposed to be more cuddly than girls, we only ever had boys though so I can't compare.

They are just lovely. They are genuinely interested in you and what you're doing. They're super clever. They love company. They are funny. Not bitey at all unless unsocialised, whereas hamsters for sure are nippy.

Get a care for your rat book, and definitely buy from a breeder.

Original poster
Hamsterthoughts · 21/12/2020 17:05

So

I’m getting two dumbo rats
Absolutely perfect
Really large cage!

Spoke to two pet shops, both of whom put me through to people with pets, and both said that males generally more affectionate but produce more body fluid and smell a little more
But seeing as affectionate primary consideration - I’ll suck it up.

Thank you so so much

OP posts:
Original poster
Hamsterthoughts · 21/12/2020 17:07

@YoniAndGuy

Rats are the most amazing pets.

You 100% need two.

Boys are supposed to be more cuddly than girls, we only ever had boys though so I can't compare.

They are just lovely. They are genuinely interested in you and what you're doing. They're super clever. They love company. They are funny. Not bitey at all unless unsocialised, whereas hamsters for sure are nippy.

Get a care for your rat book, and definitely buy from a breeder.

I did think breeder But actually got through to such a lovely and passionate member of staff at an independent pet shop The guidance apparently says the rat needs to stay with pet shop for two days after arrival but they have a policy of 5 days And she says she will be around to help with any questions or issues And In those five days the children and I can visit and get to know them
OP posts:
YoniAndGuy · 21/12/2020 17:08

Honestly I've never found them smelly.

You do need to clean them regularly!

But it's nothing compared to eg. 3 times a day dog walking.

They're so lovely, you're going to adore them!

Cherrysoup · 21/12/2020 17:11

Hamsters being nocturnal, I just wouldn’t. Dumbo rats, otoh, I so would.

My DD being bullied. Going to get hamster. Advice please!
Original poster
Hamsterthoughts · 21/12/2020 17:32

I will post pics in the new year!

What’s activity like during the night? Just thinking where to put cage

OP posts: