2006-10-12 17:05:15 · 9 answers · asked by rodz 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
They are easy to pick up after they can be freindly or not they have mood swings, there a good conversational peice with kids. Downsides they only live for a couple of years and they can get out of anything and into anything
2006-10-12 17:12:06 · answer #1 · answered by Princess 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would have to agree with a couple of others on here. Get a rat. They are more sociable and more friendly than hamsters. And they rarely if ever bite. I personally have never been bitten by a rat, however i have been bitten numerous times by hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. I just recently added two pet rats to our family. You should always have at least two together, or they can get lonely, and they need to be held every day and allowed to run around in a protected area. We just use my bed. I have two kids, ages 4 and 5 and they love them. Disadvantages are having to clean out the cage at least once a week, or it will get smelly. If you do decide on a hamster however, STAY AWAY from the dwarf hamsters, in my experience they are mean, and don't seem to ever get used to you, and mine would try to bite me every time i stuck my hand in the cage. Hamsters are nocturnal and need a wheel in their cage to run and they will do it all night long, it gets pretty annoying. Good luck.
2006-10-13 02:00:10 · answer #2 · answered by moddedmama 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They're nocturnal and love to run on the wheel at night, so not good in the bedroom if you sleep at night. They're cute, and when they're younger they have a tendency to bite. That's easily cured through handling and trust. Start out giving them treats, make them take it from your hand through the cage. All they think about is escape, so be sure to get a clip to lock the cage door, or they'll pry it open with their mouth. They're cute, and I'd advise keeping them singly, or make sure the person selling them is an expert in sexing them, it is difficult to do. They breed like crazy, and have fairly large litters. Cute, inexpensive, friendly pet that's fun to watch and play with.
2006-10-13 01:55:21 · answer #3 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You really need to read up on Hamsters---they are good at self-care, and can live alone in their cage, but there are a lot of specific issues about handling them, and their bedding and cages that you should know. They need a slow, quiet, careful introduction to people, dislike loud noises, have poor vision, and can fall from heights and hurt themselves (unlike cats.) They should also live alone, one hamster to a cage. They are most active in the early evening--he is a nocturnal animal, and needs to sleep during the day, so his cage shouldn't be in sun. He can catch colds from people, and needs to have a constant temperature--if it gets too cold, he might hibernate so fully he might appear "dead.". His cage needs to be cleaned weekly,but his special "arrangements" (bed, hidden food) need to be left alone. Before handling him the first time, give him plenty of quiet time to get used to his surroundings and to get his cage, bedding, etc. arranged the way he likes it. It is easy to frighten a hamster. They are smart enough to learn their name, and quite a few tricks, though.
Some people prefer Rats as pets---they are more sociable, love to have a "buddy" rat in the cage with them, and aren't nocturnal, so they are available for play when the human owner is.
2006-10-13 00:30:38 · answer #4 · answered by papyrusbtl 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ok plain and simple short and sweet. hamsters are "dumb" animals. but cute as all get out! they can get out of their cage but so can anything. they do not smell! i swear. if they do you havent been changing their cage at ALL. but a rat is better because you can let them out of the cage to play with you. hamsters are so small they will run away and hide. rats will hang out. rats are very smart, so yes, they get out of thier cages too. hamsters will bite when scared or startled by waking them up. rats only slightly bite to get a feeling for you. honestly. they dont bite hard just a nip to know you. i cant explain it. and i said this was short.
one more thing to keep in mind. in my experiences small animals with red eyes are more aggressive/mean
2006-10-13 05:05:38 · answer #5 · answered by Killer Tomato 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ur gonna think im messin with u, but im serious. if u want a small pet, get a rat.
but if u do u have to get it a very large cage n best to get 2. theyre way too intelligent to just stick in a small cage n leave em. n they get lonely.
advantage: surprisingly smart n almost never bite.
disadvantage: some dont have much control over excretions.
2006-10-13 00:28:35 · answer #6 · answered by john 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hamsters are easy to take care of and very cute and cuddly. Unfortunately, some like to bite and all are great escape artists.
2006-10-13 00:09:28 · answer #7 · answered by Belly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good: They make great pets, There cute and small, There easy keepers, They can be tamed very easily, They dont cost much and there very intertaining.
Bad: They are a little messy, There very noisy at night, There can get nippy sometimes, They are escape artists, They chew on everything and they require daily handling to keep them tame.
2006-10-13 01:41:56 · answer #8 · answered by Barrel_Racing_Cowgirl 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they are cute, but can be smelly, have to clean the cage , and they will bite.....and their teeth are sharp.... i had a rat, same problems but my rat was more of a pet than my hamster...she sat on my shoulder and would just sit there and hang out.....
2006-10-13 00:14:19 · answer #9 · answered by broken_jade 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋