[ThaiSpice]

Would you/have you let your children have a hamster (or similar pet) if they asked for one?

[LadyCoconut]

probably. but I realllllly hope she doesn't

I had a rat, some guinea pigs and a hamster at one point growing up and really enjoyed them... did not enjoy cleaning out their cages.

[Nicole1110]

I don't know. I got bit by a pet hamster when I was a kid and it drew blood so I'm pretty turned off to them. I really hope he doesn't ask for a pet for a looong time cause I hate cleaning up after animals.

[karenwalter]

IDK, probably. But I really hate hamsters so I'm hoping he'll be good with a dog or something like that.

[morgankaedenmadisonsmommy]

My boys have had teddy bear hamsters and they loved them! We had one that was so perfect for kids. He was big and fluffy, cuddly and clean. I even got very attached to him. We had him for about a year before he died

[MominNOVA]

My oldest had a teddy bear hamster too. He started wanting a hamster when he was in second grade. He loved that little guy and was devastated when it died. Hamsters live about 1000 days; so, having one isn't long term committment.

DS 2 had two Siberian hamsters who were very nasty. They started off living in the same cage but then we had to separate them because they started to fight like mini tigers. Ugh...two cages to clean.

Then there were the hamster escapes.....

[ThaiSpice]

I bet we will let her if she wants one. It's dogs that I don't want her to want LOL. They are MUCH more of a commitment. I wouldn't be too upset, though, if she didn't want one

My sister had a Teddy bear hamster for a while, and it had babies. We loved it. Over the years we had a number of hamsters, gerbils, mice & Guinea pigs.

My roommate in college got a couple of gerbils...what a nightmare. She had a plastic cage & they could chew right through it. Ugh. And they had babies.

[gina!]

Nope. Never had one never would. We are good with the dog!
I'd love a huge fish tank but I'm not adding another thing to be responsible for any time soon!

The sitter has guinea pigs so the boys can get their 'fix' over there. The GP are great with the kids.

[*Izzy's*Mommy*]

Hamsters can make ok pets....but they aren't as interactive with children as other pets. I had a hamster named wigglenose growing up and he was alright, didn't do much lol. We had mice too, but they always escaped from their cages.

Rats actually make good pets and are extremely smart. I have to admit, as much as I know they make good pets, the idea of a pet rat doesn't sit well with me haha!

Rabbits can be aggressive with people and children sometimes and don't love being overly handled unless hand-raised from birth.

If Izzy ever wants a small pet, I'd go with a guinea pig. They're gentle and like people. They're pretty terrified of most things, but that's natural since the guinea pig is not a predator to anything. Plus, you can feed them fruit and veggies from your fridge/garden.

I'll be happy if she just wants to stick with the cats and dog we have. We only have our old dog right now, our other one passed away in Janurary. We will eventually get another dog or two, even though they are a LOT of work.

I think it's really important for children to be raised with animals. It can help to teach them empathy and how to care for a living creature. It can make them more sensitive and gentle too. I'm not saying that children without pets won't be like that. I'm just saying that I feel it's a benefit to being raised with an animal or two.

[Heaven]

Nah I would probably say no to hamster. I'd consider a kitten or cat abuse I've always loved them and wasn't allowed to have one growing up. The most we were allowed for pets were fish, small turtles and birds.

[Nicole1110]

Originally Posted by Heaven

Nah I would probably say no to hamster. I'd consider a kitten or cat abuse I've always loved them and wasn't allowed to have one growing up. The most we were allowed for pets were fish, small turtles and birds.

cat abuse

[RachaelDMommaTo3]

Originally Posted by *Izzy's*Mommy*

I think it's really important for children to be raised with animals. It can help to teach them empathy and how to care for a living creature. It can make them more sensitive and gentle too. I'm not saying that children without pets won't be like that. I'm just saying that I feel it's a benefit to being raised with an animal or two.

I agree with this! Right now we just have a cat. Once we're back in the states we'll be getting a dog (or two) and if the kids want a small animal I could be completely open to that. I would urge them to get a guinea pig over a hamster, but the final decision would be theirs. We had TONS of animals growing up and my parents never said no to any of them as long as we were willing to take care of them. We had dogs, cats, rabbits, ducks, a goat, iguanas, geckos, a guinea pig, hamsters.. etc.. I have a huge love for animals, and I love to teach the kids about them.

[gina!]

An old friend of mine had rats and they were great. I'd never get one though.

[MominNOVA]

Originally Posted by *Izzy's*Mommy*

I think it's really important for children to be raised with animals. It can help to teach them empathy and how to care for a living creature. It can make them more sensitive and gentle too. I'm not saying that children without pets won't be like that. I'm just saying that I feel it's a benefit to being raised with an animal or two.

I agree completely.

The boys always had pets... hamsters, a cat, hermit crabs... and best of all, our beloveed Labrador Retrievers. I think it made a real impact on them as far as developing the understanding of other's needs, responsibility, and empathy.

(BTW, even though our sons are grown and out of the house, DH and I are getting a Lab puppy in May. We drive up to the breeder in PA to pick him up. DH says that this will be his last dog.)

[Aynber]

I'm not sure I'd go for a hamster. We had a few growing up, but they didn't live much longer than a month. Of course, it didn't help that they were named Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, because of the way the cat and dog stared at the first one we had.

[*SamF*]

I would. I had hamsters growing up and loved them. I think I've run the gambit on all small animals as pets. I'd love another ferret but DH is convinced it will steal his keys.

[RobinJS]

No rodents for me. I hate cleaning their cages. I had one when I was a kid and I don't think I ever bonded with it. It was just a lot of work. Cats and dogs yes but no rodents and definitely no birds.

[doodoosmom]

The kids asked for a dog but our pet deposit is $1600 and DH said no..so we went with a rabbit. I think we picked the perfect one. It's really friendly and gentle and it will eat from the kids hands and is not scared of them..it comes right up to them when they come to the cage and it just sits there and lets them pet it. Plus it's easy to care for..so that's a plus for me

[lhug_nar]

YUP! I would, in a heartbeat! Right now we have the 3 cats and 2 ferrets on top of the horses and goats. I used to have rats, I loved them. They were so friendly and loving. For me, it's important that my kids grow up with animals. Personally, I think that it gives them responsibility and someone else to care about.

[gina!]

Originally Posted by RobinJS

No rodents for me. I hate cleaning their cages. I had one when I was a kid and I don't think I ever bonded with it. It was just a lot of work. Cats and dogs yes but no rodents and definitely no birds.

Yeah. Definitely no birds! I had 2 birds I got in 8th grade and omg. What a bad idea. They were so loud and cleaning the cage was gross. And they smelled.