Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

HAMSTER!

He's been BEGGING for a year. His 9th birthday is in 2 weeks. I'm thisclose to bringing home a pet rodent!

STOP ME!!

But really...does anyone have a pet hamster?

What's the maintenance? Does it bite?

I'm scared!

Keep in mind...this is and always has been a furry free pet kind of home. We're newbies!

HELP!
_______________________________
UPDATE:

So....we made a decision!

Nicholas is getting a pet...








BUNNY!

I pick it up tomorrow!! OMG...this is our first (and possibly LAST) furry pet EVER!!

WISH ME LUCK!

Message edited 2/14/2011 9:04:23 AM.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I got one when I was 11 - I was so excited but, I wasn't as into it as I thought I would be.

They are nocturnal - and they love to make tons of noise in their cage at night - either running on their wheel or climbing their water bottle.

As an adult, I had a guinea pig (strange I know - long story) and I think they are a better pet from the rodent family - they are not nocturnal and they are more interactive.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I had 2 hamsters growing up at different times. 1 when I was in elementary school and 1 when I was in middle school.

There is not much maintenance. You just have to change the shavings at the bottom of the cage every so often... give them fresh water and food. You can get a plastic ball for it and it can run around the house in it.

I agree with the PP that they like to play at night. Running on the wheel, moving around. So if it is going to be in a bedroom, whoever is there needs to know that!

Also, hampsters only live about 2 years. So just be prepared that you may have to deal with pet death fairly quickly.

Message edited 2/10/2011 12:53:55 PM.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

We have one.

Do you want to take ours?

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I had two when I was a kid. I loved them... at first. But they did bite me and they smelled and their cage was a b!tch to clean (it was 3 stories of tunnels, tubes, and beds). They lasted about a year before my little cousin put something in their cage and they ate it and died. I was upset, but I got over it quickly. Get a turtle or something else. Hamsters and birds are two pets I'd be happy to never have again.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

Julz...lol!

I did hear they are very active at night, but I would keep the cage downstairs in the playroom at all times...not in the bedrooms.

I did also hear they don't live too long...we broke in my son already when he lost David...his Beta fish that he had for 5 YEARS!

Do you recommend a hamster as a first :furry" pet? Any pro's/ cons?

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I will say this much about small pets...and it's purely my opinion and experience.

They are a heartache, for me anyway. They don't live very long - hamsters generally live about 3 years - and the cost of a vet or finding one who treats small animals is tough. We've had several betta fish and also had a teddy bear hamster. I honestly took it the hardest when they died, esp the hamster.

We got our hamster as an adoption from Petco. They estimated his age at 9 months "because that's usually how long it takes for the kids to lose interest in it", which I'd say is about right. The one we adopted was already hand trained so it was use to being handled and not a biter. If you get a baby, I would be more cautious about the handling part until they are hand trained.

They are very sweet, not a ton of maintenance (cage cleaning a few times a week is a must-some sites will tell you 1x per week but it's more), daily food & lots of exercise with tubes and in a ball. You have to give them a balanced diet of grains & fruit/veggies.

I don't know...I guess I am still fresh on the heels of Chewy's passing (Nov) bc he was a cute little guy and an easier alternative to a dog or cat if you have been pet free thus far. I have always had a pet of sorts my entire life so I am pro-pets, esp for kids.

If you get one, FM me if you have any Q's - I nursed ours through mites, constipation, being lost in the house for a day & a few other ailments.

ETA: They are very active at night but we have a cat so keeping it elsewhere in the house was not an option - we would put his cage in the bathtub at night with a nightlight on (of course! :) ) - they supposedly don't have good eyesight.

Again ETA: You don't have to scrub out their cage & tubes at every cleaning, so depending on what cage you have, it could be cleaning the bottom half & replacing the bedding.

Message edited 2/10/2011 1:16:42 PM.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

My mother is not an animal person AT ALL, but she allowed my sister to get a guinea pig . My sister trained it to walk down the hallway and stop at her room until she picked it up to put it back in the cage.

A little smelly, you definitely have to keep the cage clean. But, for a young child, I would say it is a good pet.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

Umm, how about a dog?

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I had a bunny rabbit when I was that age.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

Legos. Little tiny legos. Polly Pocket too (put you don''t have to worry about that) ...That was enough to sway me from any pet, no matter how small.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

GP's are better pets then hampsters, you need a bigger cage, but they can be hand fed and much more fun then a hamster that wants to sleep during the day when you kid wants to play with it.

If you get a GP, rescue it from a place instead of buying one from Petco, they are usually sick. Also there are so many unwanted GP's that need a good home. I got 2 of them from Katie's Critters in Miller Place I believe was the town, she has a website. She must have had about 20 of them.

Also Rats are supposedly the best pets for kids. They are super smart, they are gentle to the owners but I could not get past the tail and the beaty eyes.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

I agree we did the Hamsters but they were just nice to look at in the cage. Guinea pigs are much friendlier. My DD's comes to the bars when she walks in the room looking for green beans. your DS would probably get more out of a guinea pig. Rabbits and Chinchilla's are also nice.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

See??? I was thinking of maybe a bunny.

But researching online, they seem like a lot of work (remember...I have NEVER owned a pet that didn't live in water- )

Those of you that have had a pet rabbit...what's the maintenance?

And guinea pig seems like a better alternative. From what you have all said, they seem "friendlier". That's what I want. I don't want to freak every time my kids play with the animal that it will bite!

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

Rabbits are fairly easier just need a little bigger cage then the guinea pig. they love to run around outside of their cage and like attention. aside from cleaning the cage, food and water thats about it. they will use a liter box in their cage.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet...

UPDATE!! See first post!

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

Val sent you FM!

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

I wish you luck with the bunny!

My cousins got 2 bunnies when they were smaller... ended up living for over 10 years! ... I have no idea how long they lived for... seemed like forever!

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

Posted by jerseypanda

I wish you luck with the bunny!

My cousins got 2 bunnies when they were smaller... ended up living for over 10 years! ... I have no idea how long they lived for... seemed like forever!

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

Congrats on your new pet! Just be careful of the wires in the house if you let the bunny out of the cage! They love to chew! My ex-boyfriend had one (it was the sweetest thing) but liked to hop behind the TV set a lot.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

We want pics of the new bunny please and what did the boys name him or her.

Re: Talk me out of this...my son wants a pet... UPDATE!!

I'm picking up the bunny at 10:30 today!!


The bunny is jet black, so I'm pushing to name him Midnight. Let's see what the kids say.

I will post pics as soon as I surprise the kids!