Hamsters (merged)

Kimberley

gerad_way wrote: »

Just wondered the pros and cons about owning a hamster. My son would like one for crimbo but i'm not sure:
What breed to buy?
Do they smell (obviously they will if you don't clean them) but apart from that?
Best cage to buy. Plastic full of tubes or metal ?
Diseases to be aware of?

We own guinea pigs and rabbits so we are not novices to owning animals.
Any advice would be great

Thanks:beer:

Never give a pet for a Christmas present. Kids normally grow out off or get bored with caged pets.

If you do go ahead i'd suggest a glass cage because if you get a wired one you will forever be hoovering up.

I'd say get gerbils, they are cleaner then Hamsters and don't smell, unless of course you don't clean the cage out. With Gerbils you would ony need to clean the cage once a week, but with a Hamster you need to do this a few times a week.

Also Gerbils are active more in the daytime but Hamsters in the night, so you will not be kept awake by a Gerbil.

UKTigerlily

I've only had Syrian Hammys which is possibly the most common, they come in long or short haired & various colours. If you get a Syrian you must only ever keep one, never never ever put two in together. In the pet shop they might well have a few together but once they get to about 10 weeks old they'll fight to the death.

Of course they are nocturnal so will sleep all day & wake at night so I wouldn't recommend him sleeping with it in his room unless he's like me & can sleep through anything! Mine never smelt nope, like you say as long as they're cleaned out I can't see a problem.

Mine were in Rotastacks but used to shove the water bottle out then chew round the hole & escape! We did tell Armitage but I don't know what came of it! The one with all the tubes seem fine but i'm not up to date on the best for hammys. They like a sleeping area with some bedding in, a wheel (Never one with wire though as they can slip & get their legs caught/broken, always a solid plastic base).

I don't know of any diseases, i've had alot, obviously not together! and none ever got sick. They only live I think 18 months to 2yrs, on average. Of course buy the biggest cage you can, probably woodchip isn't a good bedding as it's dusty. I used to have mine on it but times change! lol i'm not sure if they say to use cardboard squares or what nowdays, someone will come & say.

They're great pets but abit boring! Easy to handle as they're friendly & relatively slow (Syrians). I know the Russians can go together & are much smaller but know nothing more than that! Good luck!

UKTigerlily

Kimberley wrote: »

Never give a pet for a Christmas present. Kids normally grow out off or get bored with caged pets.

If you do go ahead i'd suggest a glass cage because if you get a wired one you will forever be hoovering up.

I'd say get gerbils, they are cleaner then Hamsters and don't smell, unless of course you don't clean the cage out. With Gerbils you would ony need to clean the cage once a week, but with a Hamster you need to do this a few times a week.

Also Gerbils are active more in the daytime but Hamsters in the night, so you will not be kept awake by a Gerbil.

Noooooo get rats lmao even more interesting! I once had gerbils but wow the rats are 1000x more fun!

To the OP I joke! Rats aren't ideal for all, some just stick them in a tiny cage & they're v v clever so need stimulation lol

Kimberley

Rats? :eek: eek!

Raksha

Another vote for rats here too (sorry OP)

Proper small animal bedding is best, as untreated stuff (wood shaving or sawdust) can have chemical residues.

Syrians are larger and easier to handle, so long as they are handled with consideration - if scared they WILL bite, and their teeth are long and go in a long way (trust me, I am speaking from experience I'm ashamed to say). But as has been pointed out, Hamsters are nocturnal and in the wild they will cover long distances - hence their need for wheels in their cages.

One of the main diseases to watch out for is wet tail, which can kill

As you are experienced with other small animals, I'd say if that's what he really wants for Christmas, why not?

jessicamb

If you are getting one then I recommend a Syrian hamster as they are friendlier and easier to handle than dwarves. I think the males are less demanding than the females but they do smell more in my experience. Plastic cages and tubes seem to be too small and enclosed for my liking but they are popular - though they do chuck sawdust all over the floor from the wire one. Whatever cage you get I have never seen one yet that comes with a big enough wheel though - so expect to get a larger one in time. I prefer wire cages so that the pets can chew on and climb the bars.

As for being boring - I've not had much experience of rats so I cant compare but I certainly wouldnt say my hammy was dull but they do sleep a good proportion of the time.

f1re_cr4cker

just to add chinese dwarves are very friendly its the russian dwarves that have a bit of a habit of being vicious.

Deb2008

And yet another vote for rats - they make wonderful pets for children - but I agree with not buying pets for Xmas......

UKTigerlily

Ahhhhh I forgot and an above post reminded me! My last hamster was probably the one that died somewhere between 200-2002, he had a wire cage! I think it was 3 stories high, horizontal bars so he could easily climb & yep, as someone said they do need a bigger adult wheel.

Also, i'd be wary of feeding Harry Hamster if it's anything as bad as Reggie Rat! I assume they're made by the same people & RR is REALLY bad 4 rats!

Mutter_2

"A hamster for Chrimbo" ?

There's nothing on one, why can't you have a turkey like everyone else?