Thinking of Getting My Daughter a Hamster for Her birthday....Need Advice

Hamsters are horrible pets. They just eat, poop, escape and have no regard for their owners except at feeding time. And, they only live a few years.
Domestic rats are exceptional pets. They are as smart as a dog, can be trained, and come when they're called.
I had a pet store in Austin many years back and customers were very pleased to know that rats are way more entertaining than hamsters or gerbils. Plus, rats live longer.
Bunnies are my next choice, then guinnea pigs.
Good Luck.
S.

My 8 year old son has 2 Russian Dwarf hampsters we got at Petsmart. He LOVES them! My husband raised hampsters as a child, so he was full of advise. Make sure you get females. Most pet stores will only sell females. And you will want to get 2 or more. They are very social creatures and will be very sad alone. Buy 2 from the same cage because they will be from the same family and get along better.

They are very easy to take care of. We like the Critter Trail line, too. Easy to clean and so many fun things to get. Here is a picture of the one we have: http://www.seapets.co.uk/product-details/stkcode/858524/c...

They need a place to exercise. They love to chew, so we save paper towel rolls and cut them into smaller tubes for them to crawl through and chew. They also like those little treat boxes full of goodies they can chew. Sometimes we cut apples up for them for treats, too. We change the bedding and clean the cage once a week and my son helps.

They do bite and it hurts. They do not like being surprised and a hand suddenly shoved into the cage. The first time my son got bit it broke his heart, but he didn't hold it against them. My husband says the best way to pick them up is like a Momma cat - in the tuft of skin behind their neck. They cannot bite you that way. I have never had one bite me while I was holding it (once I got it out of the cage), but we sure have had them poop all over us! They like the excerise ball and we let them run around all over us. They are pretty cute. We have named them and the come to the front of the cage when we call them if they are asleep. They do make a lot of noise at night since they are noctural. My son wanted them in his room, so we got him a white noise machine to help drown out the chatter at night and he doesn't even notice it anymore.

Hope that helps! They would be a great addition to your family!

I would have to agree and kinda BooHoo the hamsters. Had one when I was little and they are skiddish and would not stay still to let you love them. All you really do is watch them in their plastic tubes and wheel. I am a huge rat fan! I got my first one when I was in my late twenties because I lived in a rental house and could not have a dog. It truly was the best pet I have ever had. They are so smart and lovable. They will let you rub them behind the ears, it's belly and will sit on your shoulder and walk around the house with you. My rat even gave me kisses. They don't run from you, they run to you. They are happy to see you just as a dog would be when you come home. Some people can not get past the tail, but really, they are truly the sweetest creatures. I got a three story metal cage which was great, because the rat had plenty of ventilation (the plastic cages, in my opinion are kind of stuffy and not much human interaction) and it was truly easy to clean. You just clean the bottom of the cage once a week and you are good to go. Once every two months I would take the cage outside and give it a good hose down with water and a sponge. I never used chemicals. (the plastic tubes were a pain to clean). The bottom floor was the poop and pee area, the second floor was food and the third was where I put a soft bed. I like using the corn cob bedding on the bottom. I found it to be less messy, no odor and my rat stopped itching. Best of luck.

I got my daughter a hampster for her birthday last year. When people asked what kind of gift to get her I advised hampster accessories. We have a critter cage and it is nice. Didnt take long to put together and it is easy to clean. We just bought here a regular hampster. The drawf hampsters are cute but I was concerned of their small size. The hampster is rather loud at night so we put in the laundry room to keep it from keeping us up. The only thing I dont like about the hampster is that is chews everything. It has chewed up 2 plastic beds already. They are not to expensive to replace.

Hamsters are nocturnal. If you don't mind hearing the exercise wheel running at night, then I say give it a try. Also, about plastic cages- hamsters love to chew. Be sure to have plenty of chew toys or get an aquarium (although not as fancy and fun as the cages with all the tunnels). Also, for the hamsters to not bite, she will need to play with it everyday to get it used to human contact. I would also pick the hamster with the short hair, that way you don't have to worry about grooming the longer haired ones. Good luck.

Well- remember they are nocturnal- so you need to ahve somewhere they can spin around in their cages all night without keeping her awake. They are smelly- cages need to be kept real clean-
Teddy bear are the way to go-
Think of the cleaning part when getting a cage and shavings work great- You dont need naything too complicated to take apart- the ball thing is great- but... they are definitely stinky if you dont keep up with them
the connecting cages are great!- Walmart is sometimes cheaper than a petsmart would be -
Good luck
D.
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Just a thought - we also looked at getting a hamster. When we went to purchase one, they were a little aggressive and the Petco person recommended a guinea pig instead. The guinea pig was terrific! Rabbits are great too. Ray Brown in Azle is a good contact for bunnies! Good luck!

G. V.

We had 1 of each at the same time, different cages, different daughters. The Teddy Bear didn't last very long. He got the wet tail early on, maybe after 6 months.

The other one lived 2 years. They make a big mess chewing, but were relatively easy to care for. We bought the cheaper cage and if there's one you can spend more money on that makes it easy to clean and less debris tossed out of it by the hampster, go for that.

Whatever you do, don't get your daughter a hamster. They look cute and fuzzy and adorable, but the big problem is, they have no brains. Saying so, the can't bond with you. They are nocturnal, so your daughter will never get sleep. They are heartless, annoying creatures. They just have a mindset of, eat, sleep, wheel, bite your owner. I suggest a Guinea Pig, or Rat. Maybe Sugar Gliders, but you have to watch her. I've had 5 guinea pigs, all alive healthy, and cute. Every day of my hamsters life, I feel sad to say this, I wanted to throw her ungratefull body on the wall. She died when she got an eye infection, and refused to eat. My guinea pigs, come when called, and love to snuggle. I'm thinking of getting a rabbit, so ill update you on that. Also, I saw someone post, "most people buy two hamsters, because they are very social" not true. Hamster dnt care what happens as long as they get food. Anyway, the extra 20 bucks, is worth the 3-14 year old friend. Please, please, don't get her these awful creatures.