Does any one have a hamster?

Question

My son that will be turning 7 on his birthday, wants a hamster. How much do they costs and are they hard to take care of.

Answer 1

I know several folks who have hamsters. They're pretty easy to care for, though if they escape, the can be a pain to capture. If you have a solid wire cage or a wire topped (NOT screen topped!) aquarium, escapes should be rare to nill. Aquariums are also easier to clean, but heavy. Wire cages provide more ventilation, but can also be very drafty.

Keep one hamster if you get a Siberian (AKA 'Teddy bear', 'panda bear' and the regular old 'hamster'). The dwarf hamsters can be kept in groups if there's suitable room mates, but many dislike company, so it can be a hit or miss situation. Hamsters aren't as social as many other rodents, but they can adjust their schedule to suit yours.

The absolute basics you need are shavings (aspen is very good), a hamster wheel with solid footing, a food bowl and water bowl. You can find tons of toy making web sites all over the Internet. They love cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls. If you take a small piece of paper and crumple it around some treats, they'll love you ^.^ .

Cost ranges from $5 - $20, depending on age, type and store. Most hamsters around here (central Canada) are in the $10 - $13 range.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

I live in Louisiana.I used to breed Blackbear hamsters and they sell in pet stores for about $20.00. If you just want to get a "regular" hamster, they cost about 6 or 7 dollars. You should also consider gerbils. I currently breed them. My 2 year old loves them because they are more active than hamsters and they live in groups. It all depends on personal preference.

Hamsters are pets that prefer to be kept as the sole critter in a habitat; they do not care to share their space with another hamster. Hamsters have cheek pouches where they store their food until they can place it in another spot in their cage. You'll find it amazing as to how much food they can fit in their cheeks.

In the wild, hamsters live singly in burrows and only come together for breeding purposes. Hamsters are omnivorous and are found to eat roots, plants, invertebrates, and carrion. Wild golden (Syrian) hamsters are found in the Syrian Arab Republic in dry, rocky or well-shrubbed places

Answer 3

Really, Dave R?
I know cedar is toxic to caged animals, but I didn't know about the pine. I have rats also and have always kept them in pine and without any side effects. My last rat lived six years and he was in pine all of his little life. But I also cleaned him every week without fail. I had to have him put down because he became cancerous, typical of rats.
While I have heard that the paper pellets are best, I don't really care for them, it's hard to tell when to change it and if you wait for the smell to hit you then it should have been changed days ago.
Hamsters bite! Literally, bite! I haven't seen one yet that didn't, but maybe because they weren't handled enough.
I also kept Guinea pigs in pine... after I had one that got a foot infection from the cedar. Harry, one of them, lived to be five, which is about normal. Jazz, the female, lived to be six. Kept them in different cages of course, or I'd still have pigs running around the house.

Answer 4

my sister has one and i think that she paid about 20-30 $ for it and it was a panda hamster.. the cage we got was really big and i think thats why it cost a little more then the others. the little balls they roll in only cost about 5-15 $ depending on how big/small they r. otherwise, it didnt cost all that much, and it will teach ur son responsablity and care for an animal.

p.s. clean cage often :D

Answer 5

Well, I have rats, so I can help you out a bit.

Hamsters are very cheap to buy. Probably about $5, depending on the store.

I recommend you buy aspen bedding or bedding made from paper of wood pulp. (Pine and cedar, although they smell nice, are toxic to small animals.)

The bedding should be changed once or twice a week.

The water should be changed every day and the food should be changed every day or two.

As long as the hamster is healthy, it is very easy to take care of. which is why you want to make sure it is healthy by keeping its food, water and bedding fresh.

Answer 6

No, I don't have a hamster but I heard they are easy to take care of, and they don't cost much.

Answer 7

They are not hard to take care of, most of hamster are solitary animal but a companion will be much better! Just leave them in their cage with food and fresh water, viola!
They are not high maintenance animals unlike dogs!

Answer 8

they are pretty cheap- probably 5 bucks.

i used to have hamsters all the time! they are so easy to take care of. just feed and play with them. the hardest part is just cleaning their cage.

the dwarf ones are the very small kind. they are cute but they do get aggresive when they aren't handled enough. i think that your son should get a bigger kind. they are easier to handle, and they are slow so that if they get out of his hands he can get it.

Answer 9

Mine cost $8 and the cage was relitively cheap. They are good pets for youngins.