What Are Advantages And Disadvantages To Owning Pet Hamsters?
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.
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.
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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.
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.
barrelracein…
Level 1
Well….. my hamster was very annoying and always chewed on the cage what she said
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 .
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.
I suggest a Guinea pig. They sleep at night, They make noises and talk to you in there very own way, They smell better, You can give them a bath, they are so cute and sweet and mines never bit us. Here is a link, tells you all about themhttp://www.pgaa.com/burrow/general/guine…
Well,i owned one once and i wasn’t so happy!it makes annoying voices and it’s not clean!And there’s also the matter of sex!u most not keep the female one after it puts its babies coz it eats them u most kepp the male one!
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
NO adwantages
Well, I’ve owned a few, they have really short lives and have a tendency to run away from home, but they’re cute and stuff, too.
Well, honestly, I dont like hamsters. They aren’t very friendly, and they poop on you. Don’t like being pooped on. If you want a rodent pet, you should get a rat, they’re cleaner, much more friendly, smarter, and they DONT poop on you! =) Hope this helps!
well…the advantages are that they are cute and fun to watch. they don’t really make a mess and they aren’t loud. but the disadvantages are that every time you pick one up they either poop on you or bite you…..yeah…thats why i won’t get a hamster.
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.
our first hamster was a male
he was so good, clean, friendlly and a real pet
now we got a female one and she is sooooooooo smelly
and not as friendly
Well….. my hamster was very annoying and always chewed on the cage. He was also nocturnal so i would have to put him in my closet so he wouldnt wake me up. And you have to clean their cage alot cause they poop like crazy. =]
keep taking the medicine and im sure you will recover soon
i have a black bear hamster and he is easy to clean and loves to be held and petted. he is a blast to watch and cheap to feed.
well i know that they have a problem with living for a long time but besides that their REALLY fun i have one right now and he likes to run on his wheel he’s very calm really cute and i would recommend getting one as your pet.hope you find the right hamster.
They bite and don’t live too long. They require clean cages. They are fun to watch is about all. I had three and they all died within a few months after getting them. I talked to a pet store about and they said I didn’t do anything wrong that they don’t live very long.
there ok and i agree with some of the other answers only one because they are champion breeders
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.
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
Loved them as a kid ! Go for a long – haired teddy bear hamster ! They are sooo cute !
they are messy,have Salmonella,and noisy if you have a excercise wheel and they bite hard.but there easy to take care of,doesnt take much room,and there cheap only like $8.
well they very easy to carry(depends on the size….)
but they sometimes bite.
they easy to play with but once they got out of the cage…it’s big trouble.better start looking before it gnaws your belongings
they’re fun to capture pictures with..i’ve got many (most facing the camera…
but when they get too close to you and they die.it’s like losing a family.
i’ve got six hamsters and already lost one. : ‘ (
My youngest daughter had a hamster…….. We got her the cage with the wheel and a door, and the whole bedding and water-bottle feeder-thingy, and all……… To make a long story short, we had our heat coming up, from ground-grates, on the floors…… My daughter’s hamster, kept opening her little cage, to run the whole house….(or, so we thought,anyway).. only to get her little feet burnt on those grates, while she was running, one night…..We kept wondering how she was getting out…My ex, put a bread-wire wrap, on the door, even…….. Well, I didn’t find out until, last year, that my daughter would open the cage, for her hamster, and thats how she got out, and got her little foot burnt…..Other than that, we did indeed start getting little critters, because our daughter wasn’t keeping the cage clean..(like we told her she’d need to do, under the conditions of having one, to begin with) well she still got tired of the hamster, and wasn’t cleaning the cage, as told , as often as we wanted….. So, we had her to give it away……..And then, proceded to fumigate the house, afterwards……… So, yes, they will indeed attrack bugs, if anyone gets tired of keeping the cage clean, on like a daily basis…. Its the smell of the hamsters, cage that will attract them. And, I personally got to where, I didn’t like that very smell myself, all to well…… The hamster was fun, though, especially when he’d run around the house in her little ball…….That was pretty cool….You have to have a ball, when you have a hamster, they just go together……. Have Fun, with your New pet!!
get a male one there cleaner
if you want a pet to interact with, may I suggest a rat…..they make great pets, very sociable and quick learning. Mine came when called. Stick to the males, they tend to be calmer. Make sure if you do get one from a petshop that its already hand tame, get a young one or go to your local humane society and adopt one thats already socialized.
Maybe that is not a good choice. My brother had one and it was loud. I’d put it in another room if I were you.It also ran away three times a week. Guinea pigs are better. Sorry to burst your bubble.