June 20, 2024, 9:39 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Hamsters are cute to look at, relatively easy to look after, and inexpensive to keep, and there is even space for them in the smallest hut or apartment. It sounds like an ideal pet, doesn’t it? PETBOOK author Manuela Bauer used to have hamsters herself and explains why the small rodent has high standards and is not really suitable for children.
Sooner or later, parents are likely to face their children’s requests for a pet. In principle, acquiring an animal companion is a good thing, as children learn to take responsibility for a sentient being. They develop empathy and respect for the needs of their pet. Children under six typically can’t care for a pet independently, so it’s wise to wait until they’re at least seven, preferably eight, before getting one. Otherwise, adults will almost certainly end up with the responsibility of cleaning and feeding. PETBOOK reveals why a hamster, of all things, is not a suitable pet for children.
What are the different hamster breeds?
Within the pet trade, there are different hamster breeds. These include the Teddy hamster, Campbell’s dwarf hamster, Roborovski dwarf hamster, Chinese dwarf hamster, and the Djungarian dwarf hamster. However, the Syrian hamster, also known as the golden hamster, is the most popular choice as a pet.
Advantages of keeping hamsters
- Hamsters are solitary animals and do not need to be kept with other hamsters
- With a little patience and the right treats, you can quickly tame them.
- If you wait until they are active in the evening, you can observe them performing their typical hamster activities, such as how they hoard food in their cheeks or how eagerly they run on their running wheel.
- They do not need much space and are relatively inexpensive. Nevertheless, their enclosure must be large enough. You can read more about this in this PETBOOK article.
- They are easy to accommodate or care for while on vacation.
- They don’t need to be kept busy all the time and will not mind if you are absent for a few days, assuming you provide them with enough fresh water and food.
Disadvantages of keeping hamsters
- Hamsters are nocturnal. During the day, they like to sleep undisturbed in their little cage; they then become really active at dusk. They run around their cage all night, which can be quite noisy. Keeping them in a child’s room, therefore, usually leads to sleepless nights. Children often only get to see the rodent just before they go to bed.
- Hamsters are not cuddly and pattable animals; they also have a delicate bone structure and can be easily injured by a boisterous child. If they feel threatened, they may even bite.
- Hamsters only live for one and a half to three years. Once a child has formed a bond with them, its early death can be traumatic.
- Even though they are considered easy to care for, their enclosure must be cleaned regularly, and they must be fed a balanced diet (salad and vegetables as well as dry food).
- Hamsters should be allowed to run free every day.
Which pets are suitable for children?
Most children want a dog that they can play and cuddle with and that comforts them when they are sad. But for many families, the demands of dog ownership are too great. So their search continues. Guinea pigs and rabbits are considered suitable starting pets for children. However, as prey animals, they are not particularly fond of being held. They should also be kept, at least in pairs. This is where hamsters enter the picture as potential pets for children, given their solitary nature.
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Hamsters used to be considered the perfect pet for children
In the 1970s, the approach to choosing a pet was less sensitive and more practical: if it’s small, clean, and fits under a child’s bedroom table, it was considered suitable. At that time, people didn’t give much thought to the fact that a pet had other needs besides fresh salad. The animal was considered the child’s toy and used for the purpose of entertainment. It’s disheartening to consider how many small animals may have endured a bleak existence in cramped cages tucked away in the dark corners of children’s bedrooms over the past decades.
As a child, I remember my father taking me to a pet store to bring home our new hamster, “Bazi”. I was hooked, and the poor fellow was often torn from his sleep in broad daylight when I wanted to play with him. Unsupervised, he surely didn’t appreciate it, as he attempted to escape his enclosure and me, his unwitting jailer, daily. He usually hid behind the kitchen dresser.
One night, he even relocated entirely, sawdust and all, into my toy bin, where he dismantled my Steiff horse to line his new abode with the straw filling. It was an extraordinary feat the little fellow had accomplished overnight, but his newfound freedom was short-lived. My mother and I quickly found the runaway, and he was returned to his cage, where I could once again disturb his rest without any obstacles. To this day, I still think about him sometimes and feel guilty!