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02-19-2007, 10:06 AM | #1 |
I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Posts: 37,147
| Thinking of getting My daughter a hampster My neighbors have gotten a hampster and now My 6 year old Daughter really wants one. I told her the only way she could have one is if she fed it and helped clean its habitrail. Has anyone on here gotten one for their kids at this age. Were your kids good about feeding and cleaning up after them when the newness wore off? We are thinking of getting a habitrail for it with the tubes to climb up. Do they smell? Any unput you have about hampsters or small animals is apreciated
__________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427 |
Welcome Guest! | |
02-19-2007, 10:36 AM | #2 |
& LuvtheCarley too! Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wa State/Texas
Posts: 1,625
| My boys had a hamster at about that age. From my experience you will be the one cleaning the cage. I didn't mind, but just know, hamsters pee alot, LOL. I would take the whole thing apart once a week and scrub it out. They will take all their food to one end and pee at the other end. It needs that good cleaning once a week or it will stink. Also keep in mind, hamsters are nocturnal animals, so they play at night. Ours ran in his wheel all night long, again, we didn't mind, but some people might. They are also escape artists, LOL. I thought it was a great experience for my boys, but when "mr. stinky" left us...we didn't replace him.
__________________ Delaina Cooper & Carley |
02-19-2007, 10:46 AM | #3 |
Love my Boys Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: w/ my boys
Posts: 5,056
| I agree totally w/ lovethecooper. YOU will be cleaning them up weekly & they pee a lot.. it smells like ammonia big time . We got our two females at the pet store... little did I know they where preggers when I brought them home. In no time I had 17 hamsters & seven cages Thank goodness they only live about three years. Good luck
__________________ B.J.mom to : Jake J.J. Jack & Joey, momma misses you..... The joy found in the companionship of a pet is a blessing not given to everyone. The two most powerful words when we’re in struggle: me too.. |
02-19-2007, 10:49 AM | #4 |
Yorkie Kisses are the Best! Donating Member | LOL they multiply like Bunnies - our Hampster 'Andy' had babies too and we thought it was a boy - My oldest son was about 7-8 when he got his first hampster and was very good about taking care of him/her - he was so devestated when little 'Andy' passed though |
02-19-2007, 10:51 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Indiana
Posts: 4,685
| I did most, really all the cleaning. I used a 20 gallon aquarium instead of the cage or tubes. They pee so much, you can't get the glass from the aquarium clean, even with soaking. They do smell and at times really bad!
__________________ Janet |
02-19-2007, 11:02 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL
Posts: 7,651
| My boys were wonderful about taking care of their hamsters .............. for the first two days! After that it was pretty much me who took care of them. Still -- it is like a right of passage. Every kid needs a rodent to care for. When we moved to Florida, I thought I was going to be stuck moving the hamsters with us but the mover showed an interest and I jumped on the opportunity. He got two free hamsters, cage, miles of the habittrail, food, and bedding. That was one rehoming I was happy about! Another was more recent, my youngest had a pet snake -- now that required work. We had to go out and catch frogs all the time. So, if I had a choice, hamster or snake -- I would take the hamster.
__________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard |
02-19-2007, 11:10 AM | #7 |
Kyle Plus 3 Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 6,929
| I would say if she is good with your dogs, then she'd be OK with handling a tiny hamster. I never really remember mine smelling.. although we did change the cage every few days with fresh bedding. The cons of owning a hamster are they are REALLY good at getting out of their cage. Also, they don't live for longer than a few years.
__________________ Kyle (me), Britney, Brooklyn, and Coral |
02-19-2007, 11:30 AM | #8 | |
I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Posts: 37,147
| Quote:
__________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427 | |
02-19-2007, 02:10 PM | #9 |
Lil' Divas mom Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 3,337
| Well if it must be between a snake and a hamster then my suggestion is for the four legged critter of course. My 5 year old had one, helped with the maintenance for about a week and then it was all me. I believe no matter how much I scrubbed that baby I was always able to smell "hamster" from the time I walked in the house, and trust me I cleaned it out a whole lot with weekly allover scrubbing and changing of the bedding.. Keep us updated!
__________________ Tiffany http://www.dogster.com/?447329 & little Zoey:http://www.dogster.com/dogs/859071 |
02-19-2007, 02:15 PM | #10 |
and Bernie's mom too!" Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8,283
| I would recommend Gerbils for many reasons: 1. they are desert animals, so urinate much less than hampsters. 2. if you buy them at the same time you can have 2 (which is much more fun, and not a lot more mess. 3. the are not strictly nocturnal so won't keep everyone awake all night and then sleep all day. Also, I would recommend an aquarium (as posted above). The plastic habitral type things are pretty at first, but a nightmare to clean and the little guys can chew their way out!!! I say this after experimenting for years at our daycare with different pets. The gerbils were winners...they were easier care, inexpensive to maintain, played during the day, weren't biters, two were more fun....etc.... If you decide to do this, I'd be happy to give more info about care, I really did my research.
__________________ Ginger Bernie Fun Kitty |
02-20-2007, 04:16 AM | #11 |
Donating YT 7000 Club Member | I got my second hamster when I was 6! He was the sweetest little guy ever. I highly, highly [highly, highly, highly, highly X100] reccomend a male teddy bear hamster. I've had two, and both were as sweet as puppies! I have heard it's not best to use and aqarium, because they don't get enough circulation. I had a habitrail for a short while. While it looked really cool and was probably fun for him, he used to escape from it nearly every week. I think your best bet would be a barred cage. At PetCo they have some with 3 stories (the hamsters use a ladder to climb to the next one. or if they're like mine they hold onto the edge of the next floor up and pull themselves up! lol) They don't smell if their cages are cleaned reguraly (about once a week). They are great little pets. and they teach responsibility.
__________________ Megan "I have my dreams, I have made plans." - The Pirate Queen All Gave Some; Some Gave All |
02-20-2007, 04:25 AM | #12 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL
Posts: 7,651
| Funny, I was okay about the snake, but would not let him get a tarrantula. I just kept imagining it getting out and waking up with it on me. No way! LOL! He recently asked for an iguana. I reminded him of the snake and we reasoned through it -- we decided he is really too involved with sports/school/girls to have time for a lizard. Whew!
__________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard |
02-20-2007, 04:53 AM | #13 | |
I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Posts: 37,147
| Quote:
__________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427 | |
02-20-2007, 05:10 AM | #14 | |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fort Hood, Texas
Posts: 2,107
| Quote:
They are little scam artists, once one of them got out (who knows how) and ended up under the range, actually I bought them this little car they could "drive" and they learned how to positioned it where it was under the entrance of the cage on the top part. Very smart little guys They don't smell, they STINK, it got to the point to were we were cleaning the cage twice a week and they still smelled..........................it was bad, no matter what I cleaned it with, including bleach. Soaking, disnfecting didn't help, I was even buying them a special shaving that was supposed to stop their urine from smelling, it didn't work On the good part they are very cute, but I ended up spending more on the cage and toys than on the hamsters.
__________________ TINKERBELL, CHIQUITO, AND MOMMY MICKIE | |
02-20-2007, 06:12 AM | #15 |
Kyle Plus 3 Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 6,929
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__________________ Kyle (me), Britney, Brooklyn, and Coral |
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