to think that hamsters make rubbish pets for children?!

[threeleftfeet]

We've been looking after some hamsters for some friends for a few days.

They're super-cute dwarf hamsters.

But the bloody things only wake up at night! What use is that to a 3 year old?

Having hamsters seems to me to involve the grown ups looking after them and the little ones being disappointed as they can't play with them.

What good is that? Have I missed something?!

I'm really keen on pets in cages anyway. If they were my hamsters they'd probably end up with an enormously daft cage the size of the room or something!

Guinea pig noises are not cute, they're fucking irritating as fuck

Are you sure it was dead PizzaSlut? Don't they go into hibernation and can look like they've popped their clogs but really just sleeping?

Hamsters are not good pets. They are solitary, nocturnal creatures who, at best, learn to tolerate being handled. i had loads of them as a kid! plus rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and a dog. Oh, and a budgie

I would say that for younger children, rats are the best pet. For older children, rats or guinea pigs.

I wouldn't say a guinea pig for a younger child, because they really can't cope with being prodded about weak little hearts, piggies. they're quite delicate animals.

well, normally. I've had some right characters!

But rats make GREAT pets! Friendly, loving, sociable, intelligent. They are wonderful. You have to have a same sex pair though, they don't do well on their own.

My children have had hamsters since they started school. DS1 is on his 3rd, and DS2 his 1st.

All of them except DS1s current one have been lovely and not at all bitey (the one he has now is an evil fucker, also our 1st male one, so wonder if that's the difference?) They wake at various points during the day.

I have a Puinea Gig, he is luffley

We used to have rats but ran out of room for cages when we moved.

hush your mouth, agent!

WHEEEEEEEEEP

I had one once who did such a huge wheep, she never wheeped again

She also used to jump into my cereal bowl, just for the hell of it

I had hamsters as a child, I looked after them, but they weren't much fun.
Now I have rats and they are so much better.
Rats are brilliant pets.

Rats are defiantly the way forward! We have 4 girls :) they are affectionate and can be taught tricks, their names etc. we have had them for 8 months now and have never been bitten at all. Although they do groom us by gently nibbling our nails :)

Our hamster is fantastic. And I don't understand why people are saying they are unsociable, our is like a little puppy jumping up and down for attention when he sees us. He loves coming out and being handled and stroked. If it's a toss up between his favourite tasty treat or a bit of fuss, he goes for people every time. Not is the least aggressive either.

He does get up occasionally in the day and will get up early evening if you go over to his cage. I do think syrians need far more room than the average hamster cage provides though. We've got the Savic Hamster Heaven which is fantastic and I would recommend it. I always feel a little sad when I hear of hamsters being kept it utility or spare rooms etc though. Ours is such an attention seeker and gets a lot of it, I think he'd be miserable if he was alone all the time. Ds is 6 and loves him.

BigusBumus - why on earth did you get them if had working Jack Russell's?

I hate it when people get pets without consideration to their circumstances.

Oh, and by the way, they aren't 'nasty little gerbils', next time research an animals habits first. I can't explain how angry I feel when people give their animals to our sanctuary when they haven't thought their purchase/present through properly.

Hope they went to someone who appreciates that gerbils are not toys and as the are animals, they may bite!

I would go for a gerbil or guinea pig any day. Gerbils make great nests out of your junk mail , and you don't need a shredder. Guineas have lovely teddy bear faces and their little wheeeep noise is a wonderful welcome home. Love 'em!

Agree.
My DD wanted a pet last year and she suggested a hamster because her friend had one.

We compromised (she got the pet, but guinea-pigs) I've had 12 when I was a child-teen. Now we have 2 boars from rescue and they are fabulous.

Lovely, cuddly, furry, chunky, not bitey, and the most varied vocal range of any small furry (wheek, purr, chatter, especially when they hear rustling or the fridge opening).

Georgeous

Aww Agent Guinea Pigs do sound lovely.

YANBU, but they're fantastic pets for a household of 20-somethings! We have a Syrian who was returned to the pet shop for adoption because he was apparently aggressive. In fact with a bit of patience he's turned out to be fab. When he was younger he was a right escape artist (too intelligent for his own good) but now he's an old man and loves cuddles and fuss. We do suspect he might be half rat though; he's cleverer than other hamsters I've met and massive even for a Syrian. Cool as he is, I don't know if I'd get another hamster because I just can't see another matching up. I luff him!

We've had two Chinese dwarf hamsters and one is still doing well aged 2.5, the other died aged 2 and was replaced by a Russian dwarf. They were all friendly, often awake in the evening and happy to be handled. My DC are 14 and 12 and I think they are better with older children.

Oops I've just re-read my first post!

It should have said I'm not really keen on cages!!

I've had Russian hamsters that were lovely, really sweet and good handling, we've also had Syrian ones for the kids but neither were keen on being handled - one was very scared (and screamed which was most disconcerting) and the other was a real biter - drew blood every time!
We're currently on our latest pair of gerbils - not good for handling, but great fun to keep, awake during the day, curious and responsive if not actually friendly.
I considered rats but decided that gerbils are easier to look after, rats need more frequent cleaning and are far more intelligent so need to have interesting stimulating lives.
I think we were unlucky with our Syrians, they were impossible to handle and really annoying with their nocturnal wheel trundling.

DD and I went into a PetShop today (just for a look, y'know).
The hamsters and rats were sleeping. Lazy buggers, where's the fun in that?
The rabbits just sat like blancmanges. Boring.

There were no guinea-pigs, thankfully.
But if there were, they'd have been tootling round, wheeking ,rumblestrutting and popcorning.

You only handle our hamster if you view your fingers as fairly useless add-ons in the grand scheme of things, and wouldn't particularly miss em.

I think he might have a personality disorder - when I approach him, he fixes me with a muscular stare as if to say "yeah? you spilt my pint?"

having said that I am very fond of him - he's quite elderly now - we let him out every evening, to run round, but beforehand he spends about 10 mins in his plastic ball whilst we sort out food and bedding, so we don't tread on him. He follows me round in his ball, hoofing after me frantically, and rests against my leg, gazing at me myopically - he's sweet but v. scary.

Another vote for rats!

70 Must have been boy rats, our girls never stayed still! Lazy is not a word I would ever have applied to them

70 - don't forget trundling, pootling and scrunting :)

sounds like you really shouldn't keep a hamster then .

I've always had hamsters, never gone long without one, in fact the last one died about 2 years ago and I think this is the longest gap their has been (mostly because I don't really have the room for the huge tank anymore). However I have found them to be great pets, reasonable size and not too fast. Naturally they may not wake up until evening but that doesn't mean you can't wake them up at other times, if done at set times everyday you can retrain their sleeping patterns to some degree.

Im another Hamster fan, had both Syrians and Chinese but always found Syrians so much friendlier, never had a biter yet (have been bit but always when they were ill or afraid)

They will wake earlier in the afternoon / evening if you make an effort to train them to (early feedings with their favourite treats is always good).

My 8 year old thinks our hamster is as good as the cat (who scratches and bites)

Another yanbu, though you meet the odd lovely hammie exception to the rule.
I quite like Fancy mice.
Rats are good but much work.
GPigs just so dull.
We now have cats :). More work than the others but less work than a dog, and true family pets.

Hamsters are awful. Rats and guinea pigs make brilliant pets, guinea pigs are especially good for the younger kids.

my ds (10) loves his new (syrian) hamster! it's really tame and doesn't bite and is just dead cute!

he breakdances