Hamster for My 9 Yr Old

Get a cat.
Cats are easy pets.
Go to the SPCA and adopt an older cat.
Hamsters bite, are boring, and if they get out, it's bad news.

I'm just going to be honest. I volunteer for a cat rescue, that has a cat house in a chain pet store. I go and clean the cages, feed them socialize them, give medications, etc. I'm up there almost every day, so I've really become friendly with many of the workers. All the workers there get ringworm from all the small animals. Not to mention salmonella and lots of other nasty things. The hamsters are bred and bred and bred. Many arrive dead or sick. Most don't live long, and I would never ever let my child even touch one. In fact, a few of the employees do have children, and they won't even let the kids touch them.
If you do get a hamster, get one from a person whose hamster gave birth. An independent breeder. A rescue. Do NOT get them from any kind of pet store. The animals are bred irresponsibly and have so many issues.

With all that said, hamsters are not really that exciting. They don't just love to be held or messed with. They are nocturnal, and LOUD at night. They run on the dang wheel for hours. Make sure the hamster is not in a room where people sleep!! They sure are cute, but they aren't the most engaging or friendly of pets. (There is always the exception to the rule. Especially, if you get the hamster from someone who has really socialized them.) Unless you KNOW your child is going to clean the cage, feed, water, handle, and socialize...don't get one. YOU will end up being the caretaker.

My 10 year old had a hamster. They are HIGH maintenance. Many weeks she had to clean the cage TWICE a week. Plus they kick the fluff out of the bottom of the cage so it flies out a couple feet onto the floor or wherever you have them.
They squeek. Their wheel - even if you buy the silent ones - squeeks or makes a whirring sound. CONSTANTLY.
You can't "play" with them. yes, you can put them in the hamster ball and let them roll around on a wood floor. That is SUPER fun to watch.... like twice. then, it's not fun anymore. You can't hold them - you can EASILY break their bones. They are fragile. If they get out (which they will) they are a NIGHTMARE to catch.

I say ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Additionally, very few 9 year olds are TRULY responsible enough to care for a pet the way they need to be cared for. Therefore, the actual care of a pet will fall to the parent. If you get a pet for kid under the *guise* that THEY will have to care for it.... what are you going to do? Let the pet suffer if she doesn't take care of it? Give it away? Take care of it and teach her that she doesn't have to be responsible for the pet because you will pick up her slack.

If YOU want to get a pet that YOU are willing, able and would enjoy taking care of and you think it would add enjoyment for your family.... then get a pet YOU want that is appropriate for the age of your kids.

Please check before getting a rodent of any kind. Some of them are nocturnal - I think one of them is the hamster, which means the hamster will be asleep when everyone is awake, and awake and making noise when everyone is asleep. I think a gerbil is a daytime animal. Rats can also make good pets. They are larger, and can actually be playful and are smart. They are bred to be pets, so they are friendly and clean - they're not the stereotype in our heads of city rats.

I second the idea of adopting a cat. Rodents are "prey" animals. Things eat them and they don't give you lovin like a cat can.

I'd be cautious about a hamster.

As Patricia suggested, they are nocturnal, so expect to hear the squeaky 'running wheel' intermittently at night.

The other thing I would caution you about is that they are fragile. When I was 7 I had a hamster and when I held it, it peed on me. Upset, I accidentally dropped it and one of its legs broke. Poor Clyde died. My sister's hamster, Speedy, accidentally got out, chewed a hole through the dryer exhaust to hole up there....

And the rest is history.

Get a pet who can live through kids, their roughness and mishandling. Something that has a fighting chance. And the squeaky wheel at night? Annoying, no matter what age you are.

your 9 year old may well be old enough, but a hamster is a less than ideal pet for any house with little kids. some are very friendly, but many are not. they're noisy at night, and caring for a tiny creature that's not necessarily friendly and snuggly will probably get old quickly.
i'd opt for a fish, or a family cat.
khairete
S.

My daughter had a hamster as well as guinea pigs, at different times, at that age. She quickly lost interest and it was me doing the care taking. They are high maintenance animals. For her daughter, my daughter provided hermit crabs, which are much easier to car for, and told her that when she was consistent in caring for them, she could have a mouse. My granddaughter let the hermit crabs die. She's now 13 and is still not consistent in doing chores, etc. and so still isn't able to have a live animal.

If you're willing to closely monitor and take care of the hamster then it would be OK to get one but know that it's likely that you will have to be very involved in seeing that it's cared for. Your younger kids are old enough to play with a hamster safely with some supervision.

I suggest that you talk with the pet store about the best small animal to buy. If I remember carefully, our pet store said that other small animals are easier and more fun than hamsters or perhaps it was guinea pigs. That is one reason my granddaughter wanted a mouse.

My granddaughter and I visited the pet store often so that she could get to know the animals and listen to someone else describe care.

I can tell you that unless a hamster is played with daily, more than once, that they quickly become wild and hard to play with.

Hello! I would say to read up on hamsters first to see if this would really work for you. My biggest con was always that they are nocturnal. What will happen is that it will be pretty uninteresting during the kid's awake time and then shuffle and rustle when everyone is trying to sleep. They are also pretty short lived ..... If you think a critter would be a good addition, maybe look into guinea pigs. They are a bit bigger and not as fragile and they have the same sleep cycle as kids. Plus they whistle and grumble so there is communication happening. 5 and up is not too young for a guinea pig with parental guidance. If you are interested, they have guinea pigs also at the humane society. The keepers there could probably add more detail of what to expect for a particular animal or guinea pigs in general, i.e. why are they given up? Are some of the reasons points to consider for your family? The same should also apply to hamsters, of course.
Hope this helps :)

I got a hamster when I was nine years old. I was "bribed" to stay at camp. LOL. I had an older sibling so different situation.

I also got the hamster with the notion that I was to take complete care of it including feeding, water and cleaning the cage. I wanted it so badly that I took the responsibility very seriously.

Is there a special occasion for the hamster? Does your kid understand the responsibility of pet ownership?

We got a family hamster when my twins were born.On there 3rd birthday,a little friend of ares let the hamsters out at the party and we never found them.

My friends 9 year old daughter had a hamster, until during a recent sleepover one of her friends left the cage open and the hamster fell from the top of the dresser. It did not survive the injuries. I had a hamster when I was around 10. I looked after it for several months before I got tired of cleaning the cage etc. When I stopped looking after it my parents gave it away.