DD wants a sodding hamster, pros and cons please

[sandyballs]

I hate the thought of a stinking rodent in the house.

Cons:

• nocturnal, what's the point if they can't play in the day
  
• smelly
  
• bitey and scratchy
  
• money - vet bills, sawdust, food and other stuff they need
  
• I will end up caring for it by NY day despite DDs claims.
  

Pros:

• only one I can think of and that is DD has longed for one for years and I have just found a long letter in her bedroom begging for one for xmas and that is all she wants.
  

• another - a cheap present despite being one of the 'cons' above!
  

Can't believe I'm even thinking of it, please talk me out of it, say they are dirty and smelly and it will die young and leave DD distraught.

[Mintjulia]

I've just looked after my best mate's gerbil while she was on holiday. Like any other per, they are a tie. you have to be home at least once a day to feed them.

Apart from the dcs learning to take responsibility for something, keeping one as a pet seems completely pointless to me.

It didn't smell though.

[SaltySheepdog]

Not holding out for an update 😂

[Aquamarine1029]

I haven't bothered to read the thread. Tell your child no because keeping animals in cages for our entertainment is cruel. That's the truth. Never mind the fact that they are smelly, which is also true.

[mam0918]

I adored my hamster, they are great pets for kids and they do play (great for school aged kids as they can sleep during school hours and play in the evening) and non of mine ever scratched (can they even do that?) and rarely bite and the bites are just tiny nips.

Cons:

• dont live long (you get super attached and they die)
  
• cant really be kept in bedroom because they are noisy all night with gnawing
  
• dont mix well with other pets (dogs always thought it was a fast moving treat and many species are solitary)
  
• cleaning the litter is a pain in the arse (saw dust and tiny poops everywhere and piss soaked newspaper is the worst)
  
• wet tail is common, fast killing and devistating to see
  
  Does she very specifically only want a hamster or does she want a pet and thinks a hamster is most likely to get?
  
  Honestly if she just wants a pet then an outdoor cat is the most low maintence pet you can get - a lot of the 'small' pets like hamsters and fish arent as easy as people think.

[mam0918]

@Aquamarine1029

I haven't bothered to read the thread. Tell your child no because keeping animals in cages for our entertainment is cruel. That's the truth. Never mind the fact that they are smelly, which is also true.

damn it is this a zombie thread?

Im sure the hamster (all possibile ones OP could have got) are long dead if this was 2012.

[mam0918]

no idea why that quoted someone... sorry.

[Hoppinggreen]

I have a couple of vet friends, one said to me
Who the fuck decided that a nervous, nocturnal, bitey, fragile creature like that would be an ideal children’s pet?
Apparently they are also quite fond of dying

[AmandaHoldensLips]

Hamsters STINK !!!!!

[LoverOfLight]

You need to have a look at hamster hideout because hamsters are deceptively complex to look after properly.

Hamsters are seen as unfriendly and bitey because the majority of people buy syrian hamsters and keep them in ridiculously tiny pet shop cages. Even the "Extra Large" pets at home cage is well below the minimum recommended by both experienced hamster keepers and the RSPCA.

Don't get a syrian, get a dwarf. They are cuter, easier to care for, and they are not as nocturnal as Syrians as they are crepuscular so will be awake in the morning and evening. My Syrian does will wake up in the morning for treats but does not wake till 10pm. Another advantage is stuff designed for hamsters fits dwarves not syrians really. Don't get a roborovski for a first pet.

Get a larger cage than you think, get plenty of bedding for burrowing and burrowing toys from Zooplus. They actually make cracking pets when cared for properly.

[LoverOfLight]

Lmao didn't see this was from so long ago, hope you got on well with the hamster OP

[BakewellGin1]

Need a large cage considering their small size

Ours was a biter and an escape artist

He only lived about 18 months and then had some sort of seizure and died

He slept at all the times DS was awake so pointless as a pet

Guinea Pigs might be better?

[Mindyourbusiness22]

Aww I had a few hamsters when I was growing up loved them! They also didn’t smell - you do need to clean them. I was about 7 or 8 when I got my first, and cleaning then was my responsibility.

[Lovinghannah]

Con: extremely cruel to keep any animal in a cage.

[bookworm14]

This thread is nine years old. If the OP did buy a hamster it’s long dead.