Should I start exterminating my son's hamsters?

Question

My beer buddies told me that they carried the black plague.

Answer 1

Accidentally stepping on some is unavoidable. It happens.

Answer 2

Any animal can carry disease. In general if the hamster was sold at a pet shop they usually tend to be healthy possibly checked for diseases. The black plague was thought to have been carried by rats but I think it had a great deal to do with the overcrowding, the pollution of the bigger cities along with poor sanitation and contaminated drinking water.
The old expression is eat waste matter and die. Human fecal matter has been known to carry human disease but we do not go around exterminating humans. Keep the cage clean, do not eat the waste products, teach your child not to kiss the hamster and to wash their hands after handling it. Same goes for the pet dog or cat they often carry Strep B which is not pathogenic to them but can be unhealthy for humans especially pregnant females if they get it in their body and it affects the unborn child.
I think your beer drinking buddies need to lay off the beer when watching History channel so they know the difference between the big black rats of England long ago attributed to being the carriers of the black plague.
Yes it was attributed to the fleas on the rats and lots of other things but the conditions which cause plague existed, filth, overpopulation, old buildings which rats could get into easily made of wood. Because of the great fire the King made the city of London be made of bricks which probably helped keep out the rats better as these big black rats could chew through alot. I went to Madam Tausauds when in London visiting my sister and they discussed the plague which helped wipe out the rats and black plague. The rats were so bad they actually got into one of their exhibits of stuffed dancing black rats and it was awhile before they realized there were real ones amongst the stuffed dead dancing ones. So they removed that exhibit permanently. Shame it was probably rather entertaining.
You can always tell your child to keep the room clean and the cage clean for health reasons but do not scare the child. I did keep a guinea pig outside at one time and occassionally a black grey rat would come up to eat her food that dropped out of the cage and check her out. It was a small swamp river rat it never bothered any of us but I probably scared it badly such that it began being careful about when it came to get what it could. Tough life in the wild I guess. I am assuming the smell of another rodent could attract such an animal if the cage is not kept clean such as the dancing black rats attracted the other live rats who assumed if these are partying it up here then it must be a fine place to reside.

Answer 3

The Black Plague was actually caused by the fleas that were carried on rats in the 1800's. The actual animal only serves as a carrier, it does not have the disease.

I'd just leave the hamsters alone even though they do look like rats/rodents.

Answer 4

Your beer buddies are bonkers. Rats carried the black plague at one time - never hamsters.

Answer 5

Don't exterminate the hamsters.

Go to your local pet shop, and ask someone who works there about flea powder that's safe for hamsters. It's the bugs that carry the diseases, not the hamsters.

Answer 6

Hamsters carry the black plague? I don't think...that's...true.

Answer 7

Why risk breaking your son's heart by what your buddies told you. The key words are Beer and Buddies! They told you that while they were drunk and probably don't remember what they told you!

Answer 8

Take them to the doctor or look at them- do you see lesions, swelling or rotting flesh? Any other symptoms? Then think- Beer Buddies- what does that imply? (NO don't kill your kids pets)

Answer 9

Never

Answer 10

Yes, by all means, one at a time.