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Christmas

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Original poster

MN jury required please!

29 replies

earlgrey · 22/11/2006 12:08

dd2, who was 7 in October, wrote the following last night:

Dear father christmas

I would like for christmos pleas a rea hamster whith a caje please pleas pleas!

Love from Alex
XXXXXXXX

And she drew a really pretty picture to go with it.

Now, I'm not the best at housework in the world, and we've got a Springer spaniel that chases anything that moves.

But I was moved by her little letter.

What would you do?

OP posts:
FioFio · 22/11/2006 12:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

RTKangaMummy · 22/11/2006 12:12

several years ago we got a toy one for DS it had a ball that it went in and would go all over the floor

And then you could turn it off

Cassoulet · 22/11/2006 12:12

I'd get her a real one in a cage. Confined mess and dog can't eat it.

RTKangaMummy · 22/11/2006 12:12

Could you get a real one?

They are norturnal though

madmarchhare · 22/11/2006 12:15

send a letter back from father christmas saying that he hasnt any left this year but if she still wants one next year she can have one.

Original poster
earlgrey · 22/11/2006 12:17

RTKanga she's had one of those, and sadly knows the difference.

I had a hampster when I was a girl - we lived in a flat and that wheel they run around kept us ALL awake at night. Plus it bit me.

Ohhhhh ... what to do.

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Jaynerae · 22/11/2006 12:17

We have a Sheltie who would love to have the hamster for dinner! - but the hamster just pops his nose up to the cage bars to tease her! We have had hamster for two years and have had no problems - just keep the cage up out of the dogs reach and it will be fine.

curlew · 22/11/2006 12:17

Oh get her a real one - where's the harm?

Original poster
earlgrey · 22/11/2006 12:17

MMH - FAB!

OP posts:
fifi26 · 22/11/2006 12:46

Go on get her a real one. It is Christmas after all and its not like she asking for a pony

TeeCee · 22/11/2006 12:48

Don't do it!
Get her one of those ones that goes round in a ball from Hawkins Bazaar.
You'll be stuck cleaning it and she'll grow bored of it.
She's got a dog already.

Would you have been as moved my her little leter if she'd asked for a tarantula or a snale or a pony??!!

Oh do what you want!

anorak · 22/11/2006 12:49

Tell her she can have one if she combs her hair and wears washed socks. If not you will have to spend all her Christmas present money on socks.

lemonaid · 22/11/2006 12:52

I would probably get her one, but I have a heart of pure gooey mush... (plus hamsters are cute)

curlew · 22/11/2006 12:55

Oh, I didn't realize this was the throw away socks girl. Say she can have one for her birthday IF she gets ready when she's asked to in the morning!

TeeCee · 22/11/2006 12:58

What's this about throwing socks away?

wannaBe1974 · 22/11/2006 12:58

no don't do it. The novelty will wear off when the realization dawns that hamsters sleep by day and annoy the hell out of everyone by night. They smell, can be agressive, and you will be left to feed/clean it.

Personally I don't believe in giving animals as Christmas presents, so if she really, really wants one, then I would get her a book about hamster and how to keep them for Christmas, and tell her she has to save up her pocket money, or potentially even do chores to earn the money to buy one for herself.

Children have to learn that you don't just get an animal as a present - animals come with responsibility.

Notquitesotiredmum · 22/11/2006 13:00

PS and in the meantime, persuade her that Gerbils are a lot more fun then hamsters. They almost never bit, unlike hamsters, and love being handled. If you get a glass tank for them rather than a cage, you fill it with toilet role holders and they chew them up and then dig tunnels through the fluff, which is fun to watch, and they need less cleaning out as they pee rarely (desert animals). When they do, you just scoop out the fluffy stuff and replace it with new loo roll holders.

Bozza · 22/11/2006 13:02

I think it is the sister of the new sock girl actually.

Original poster
earlgrey · 22/11/2006 13:02

anorak, if only it were that easy! It's dd2 that wants the hamster, not dd1 with the sock problem!

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VoodooFig · 22/11/2006 13:03

yes get it get it get it!

keepit a real suprise

get one of those cages with the plastic tunnels that go up and down etc

will teach her responsibility and they are cute.
I have owned hamsters gerbils and mice, always found hamsters the friendliest to handle, gerbs can be fast and nippy x

wannaBe1974 · 22/11/2006 13:10

you say you have a dog, so bearing that in mind:

how much attention does she pay the dog
Does she enjoy going for walks with it?
does she ever help you feed/brush the dog?

If she loves her dog and would help you to care for it, then maybe she is ready for the responsibility of having a pet of her own. but if she pays no attention to the dog, and iv the novelty wore off when fido was no longer a puppy, then I'd say that you'll end up doing all the work and ... don't do it!

Kelly1978 · 22/11/2006 13:13

Dogs are a lot more interesting that hamsters though, so even if she loves the dog she might find a hamster boring. I'd only get one if you like them and don't mind having the responsibility for it if she loses interest.

geekgrrl · 22/11/2006 13:13

I'd get her a real one in a cage, but maybe not as a Christmas present.

Ours (female golden hamster) doesn't smell (hamsters don't smell anyway - they're very clean animals) or bite and isn't noisy enough to disturb dd1 at night, either. It's nice to handle and looks really cute. And the work is minimal - I clean the cage out once a week, takes 5-10 minutes.

Original poster
earlgrey · 22/11/2006 13:19

wannabe:

She says 'Max, you're so sweet' and strokes him.

She flatly refused to go to the shops on Sunday because dd1 and I were taking him with us.

No, never.

Got my answer then!

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Original poster
earlgrey · 22/11/2006 13:21

Kelly, you've summed up my thoughts in one!

Just needed a bit of perspective from other MN'ers!

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