I'm thinking of getting a hamster as a pet as I've been reading up on them a lot and I'm definately sticking with only the Syrian/Golden type of hamster. I definately like them enough but I just wanted to make sure if they tend to make good or bad pets. I can't get a dog or cat and this is pretty much my only other option. I would really appreciate to hear about everyone's experience with owning a hamster.
2006-08-17 06:40:36 · 32 answers · asked by Animal Girl 4 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
depends on what u expect from a pet. people are in general selfish and they want pets that "cuddle" with them. hamsters dont want to be bothered much -people try and force it and get mad when it doesnt work. they are nocturnal & if u want something thats awake in the day & will like u more a gerbil is better. also only 1 per cage with syrians--if u want 2 get a gerbil or dwarf.
in the wild they travel for 5 or 6 miles at night looking for food. most people just stick them in a tiny cage & set the food in a bowl. the cages most people get are too small. i have 3 cages connected for one of my hamsters. i hide their food rather than set it out. the wheel makes noise at night so make sure the cage is not near your room & they HAVE to have that wheel. i actually make efforts to understand them & make them happy. if u are willing to do that then great!
the females are sometimes smelly, but often the smell is the cage that the owner doesnt bother to keep cleaned. your toilet would stink too if u never flushed it. i happen to have 2 gurls right now so that didnt stop me. i know lots of stinky people.
while they dont like to be bothered they still want exercise. most will want to get in a hamster ball late in the evening and run around a couple hours. if they chew on the bars this is what theyre tellig u.
i love mine but i dont just stick em in a tiny cage & leave them and i dont wake them in the day just so i can play with them. ive taken a lot of efforts to make them happy and though i dont get much affection back, im happy they have the best life they could have.
they do not have salmonella as stated above. or attract bugs. it's obvious the person above relied ona child to care for a pet & she didnt keep the cage clean--thats what attracted bugs. i do not have any bugs--hamsters DO NOT attract bugs. actually the cage just needs to be fully cleaned about once every 2 or 3 wks and the pee corner cleaned every other day--just scoop & replace that small area.
email with any questions.
2006-08-17 07:39:36 · answer #1 · answered by galaxygurl 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have four guinea pigs, but I do work with lots of hamsters because I volunteer at a wildlife center, but they have domestic animals too. Anyways, you are right. All rodents do smell (trust me, I always get stuck cleaning the rat and mice colony) but with guinea pigs, if you clean the cage every four days for two, and every week for one, it will be fine. I believe guinea pigs are friendly and they all have better personalities. Meaning, they show their personalities by squeaks and squeals and body language. I guess hamsters do that, but not really. And yes, the cage cleaning will be different. Guinea pigs are not like hamsters. They are much bigger, they eat much more, therefore they do poop and pee a lot. Not quite so much at rabbits, but yeah, they do go a lot. They also, unlike hamsters, do a ton better in life if they have a friend. My guinea pig was depressed after being adopted. I soon realized he needed a friend, and this is why I have four guinea pigs (two pairs).
2016-03-27 06:13:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have four hammies I love them very much I agree with the person that claimed that they are like family if you get to close to them and they die it is hard I had another one also but my son thought he was a ball and threw it up in the air and it hit the ceiling and it killed it . I was absolutely devastated it was so hard for me to get over that . I cried everyday and night for at least two weeks. I still get puffy eyed when I think about it but I love all my hammies they are a pain in the butt when you have to clean the cage especially 4 cages and if you don't have room or the time to give them the care they need then I suggest another pet ,...I disagree about them not wanting to be bothered my hammies love attention .. I try to give them as much as possible .. hamsters are noisy at night but are great pets,.;. yes they have to have as much room to run as possible the bigger the casa the better and definetly a ball and a wheel but recommended time in a ball is only 20 minutes,,,GOOD LUCK
2006-08-22 19:04:01 · answer #3 · answered by Carrie L 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We had a hamster at school. Her name was Rosie, she was so cute and furry. It is know dog or cat, but still a very good pet. You can also train it to use the bathroom in a liter box. It's amazing what hamsters can do.
2006-08-22 15:56:45 · answer #4 · answered by Jovan G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My daughter had a hamster. It drove her crazy. They're nocturnal so it just laid around all day and then raced around its cage at night making noise. It also gnawed it's way out of the enclosure a couple of times, finally disappearing somewhere never to be seen again.
It was cute though. I wonder if you could cover the cage during the daytime and shine a light on it at night.
2006-08-17 06:56:55 · answer #5 · answered by Daphne 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Only get 1. They breed like crazy and usually eat their babies... what a mess....
Plus they only live about 2 -2 1/2 years....
If you want a small animal maybe you should try gerbils. They are more social, cleaner, you can put them together and they live about 4-5 years...
ive had both and like the gerbils much better.
They do need to be in a tank though cause they will eat right through a wire/plastic cage.
2006-08-17 06:48:29 · answer #6 · answered by carisbug101 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Hamsters dont have salmonila tard. Thats mainly reptiles and amphibians. Any animal can get it but its not likely they have it. Anyways I had two hamsters and loved them to death. They WERE obnoxious at night and we did have to put them in the bathroom to sleep but they were so cute and loved to sleep under the blankets. We had two boys and they fought a lot and had to get two different cages for them once they started drawing blood. Just hold them a lot and talk to them and they will be great.
2006-08-17 09:53:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i like hamsters n have had 2 of them but i dont think theyre good pets. they make a real mess n i was constantly pickin up the wood chips when they pushed it out of their cage. maybe it was just the cage i had, or what. but it is cute to see them in their little balls that they can roll around on the floor in.
2006-08-23 10:30:56 · answer #8 · answered by thatsme 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hamsters are great pets. They can be trained for very simple tricks and are very entertaining just to watch. The only real problem with hamsters are their size. If they escaped they can be very difficult to find. If they get sick their small body size keeps them from being able to survive simple illness. Enjoy them as a species but don't become too attached to a single one .
2006-08-17 06:51:30 · answer #9 · answered by Master Sado 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i got a hamster, and they r so cute, but they really rn't that friendly, i mean they don't bite, but they run away a lot, its not like they cuddle with you, i really wanted one 2 before, but then i wuz kind of disapointed, so know i got a pet parakeet and they r so much better, they r really friendly, and u can train them, and they will sit on ur shoulders and play with ur hair, definately would reccomend a parakeet, and parakeets r a lot less work than hamsters
hope i helped
mandy
2006-08-22 10:21:18 · answer #10 · answered by ILTASKWAMH 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋