Considering getting a Hamster, any advice

tibawo

We 'inherited' a Syrian hamster and although I am not pet minded I like him.

Yes he is nocturnal so we were advised to keep him downstairs. He can make the odd noise and at first I did wonder what it was. No more so than getting used to other noises in and out the house.

Ours tends to wake up about 830. The girls get him out, stroke him etc and then put him in his ball. If he is still whiz zing round before they go to bed then I put him back.

I think he is easy to look after and between home bargains, tesco and pets at home find he is not that expensive to keep.

Person_one

nonnatus wrote: »

Hamsters are horrible, NOISY nocturnal blighters - very unsociable at times that your daughter will want to play.

A rat from a good breeder, that has great parents and has been well handled is far, far better. Beautiful, clean, CLEVER and affectionate. Even capable of learning tricks and things. Lovely creatures.

I agree that rats are fantastic pets, but you should never recommend just 'a' rat. They are social animals, it's cruel to keep them alone, you always need at least two, more is better!

krlyr

Another cost to factor in, with any small animal, is vet bills. A consult can be between £10-20 (in regular surgery hours) just to look at a poorly pet, medication more on top of that. Just because they only live a few years, doesn't make their pain any less valid than that of a dog - and a hamster/gerbil/rat that's ill or injured in the middle of the night needs emergency vet treatment just as much, even if it is going to cost you ten times what you bought/adopted them for in the first place!

lisajane8482

I wanted a rat but my DH has vetoed that as he does not like them. I talked with her last night and she has her heart set on a hamster and has started doing her own research on how to look after them and keeps telling me hamster facts, likes, dislikes etc.


I've already factored in the cost of vet bills (as I did when we got our three cats), although the hamster is only small it would not make him any less of a member of our family. I fell out with a friend a couple of years ago (who I had known since infant school) over the fact that she wouldn't take her rabbit to the vet when he had an abscess and used the excuse that the vet bill would be more than the cost of buying a "replacement".

sulphate

We have a Syrian hamster. Generally I disagree with the "good pet for a child" idea and still believe adults should take primary responsibility but it sounds like you are already on top of that. Just bear in mind that the novelty can quickly wear off when a child gets a pet. It may be best to wait a little while longer to make sure she's still keen in a couple of months. When I was younger and wanted a pet my parents would always make me wait until another pet died.

Syrian hamsters need a lot of space. We bought some rubbish "starter kit" cage to start with, ours grew out of it within a week. Pets at home in particular have reduced their selection of decent cages over the years. We bought this cage in the end: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/174238 - one of the biggest, but she loves it. She doesn't get as much out of cage time as I'd like, if she had more then I'd be happier with her having something a bit smaller.

Hamsters can be very noisy at night so would be hesitant about having one in a bedroom. Consider getting a decent sized wheel (they need large ones to prevent their backs from arching) - we have this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Exercise-Wheel-colours-vary/dp/B00365P9NY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416316745&sr=1-1&keywords=trixie+wheel but the silent spinners are supposed to be good too.

I don't bother with salt/mineral licks (unnecessary) special wood gnaws (she prefers cardboard boxes and destroying the wooden stuff she's supposed to play with/make use of), the bog standard pet shop shavings are rubbish as has already been said so we use aubiose bedding ordered online as we have rabbits too.

Syrian hamsters will be unfriendly if they are not socialised from when young, particularly if they are shop bought, but they can also become devoted to their owners. Ours was very nervous when we first got her, but we started handling her daily (with gloves!) after a couple of days of bringing her home and she came round very quickly. She responds to her name now and runs over to see us when she's awake.

dandelionclock30

OP, you can get pet insurance for rodents and its worth having I think because vet care can be expensive with them. As it can with all pets.
If your still set on getting a hamster then please consider getting one from a breeder not a pet shop. It will have been handled from young and they will be able to sort you out with a nice one.Shop bought rodents are farmed and dont have the same care and attention.

gettingready

With cats at home I would personally avoid anything smaller than a guinea pig - have you thought about that? They are bigger than hamsters and I had guinea pigs running lose near cats with no issues. Pls guinea pigs do nto bite - hamsters do if they are not tamed properly from babies.

Less to worry about perhaps?


http://www.rodentswithattitude.co.uk/breeds.html

xx

ripplyuk

I've kept many small rodents over the years and for a child, I would definitely go with the rat. Sometimes people imagine a typical brown wild rat but the fancy rats are lovely colours. They make wonderful pets. Failing that, a guinea pig or gerbils are good.

Many people don't realise that these little animals do not arrive ready-tamed. Hamsters in particular will bite at the beginning if you make any mistake, until they become used to you and it can take quite some time. I was bitten at least once by every hamster I owned but have never been bitten by a rat, gerbil or guinea pig. Also, your daughter will rarely see the hamster, as it will only be awake when she's sleeping.

Having said that, I had lots of hamsters as a child and really enjoyed it. They taught me to be very patient and gentle with all these small pets. We had two cats and a dog as well (and also a variety of birds). We never had a problem with the cats. looking back, I'm surprised we didn't. I had 2 hamster cages in my room, and the cat slept in my room too! The hamster wheel noise never disturbed my sleep but for a lot of people, it will be intolerable.

lisajane8482

We wouldn’t be getting a hamster until mid-December - after the new year but I honestly do think she has her heart set on one. I remember how I was at that age as I also had a hamster, Harry, and although I loved him and loved playing with him it was my mum who ultimately looked after him which I would be happy to do. As I’ve said I would LOVE a rat but DH hates them with a passion and has said that we cannot have rats or mice. I've tried explaining until I'm blue in the face that pet rats and mice are not the same as the vermin kind to no avail but he is happy for a hamster to join our family.

I was looking at that cage on zooplus, Sulphate, and also this one: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/40878. I wasn’t sure on which would be better though, a larger base or a taller one with more floors. I would like to make a multi-storey bin cage eventually (as suggested by Pawsie) but I think that as a starter a shop bought one would be best. I was also looking at that exact wheel on zooplus, it’s around two thirds of the cost of amazon. I did think that the Leon cage may need some adjustments floor wise to fit the wheel in, luckily my dad is a joiner so I would be using his skills for that.

I hadn’t realised you could get hamster insurance, dandelionclock30, so I will be looking in to that thank you. I have also enquired with my vet as to whether they register hamsters and they do


I had thought about a guinea pig but hadn't really pressed the idea, I'll do a bit of research and see what she thinks.


Thanks everyone who has contributed so far

GBNI

Hamsters have very poor eyesight, this is usually the reason most people end up getting bitten by them as they approach them incorrectly! I always had hamsters when I was younger (always Syrians as they are easier to handle) and I loved them although usually I moved their cage downstairs at night time.

As for guinea pigs, kept them as well. They make wonderful pets. They are really happy little guys. They will squeak and whistle at your and make a purring noise if you scratch them in their favourite spot! Mine always answered to their names and were very easy to handle.