# Should I rethink my decision to get a hamster? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614 "2009-10-21T15:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/41 "2009-10-21T23:39:58Z")
C’mon people! Why no [degu](http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/mammals/degu.php) love??? They’re adorable! ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/42 "2009-10-22T00:43:43Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Rats don’t look cute at all, whats the point of a rodent thats not cute. Did you SEE the pictures I posted of my girlrats? I’m willing to disagree with your aesthetic, but man, a well-fed and happy hooded-coloration rat is one of the cutest rodents in the world. > [@Washoe](#): > > Get a [bearded dragon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogona_vitticeps). Beardies are the perfect pocket pet. They’re cute, docile, low-maintenance, and great conversation pieces. Spoken like someone who’s never been full-strength bitten by a 6’ beardie who was asserting dominance. (Admittedly, it was endearing after I disinfected it and stomped around–apparently my reaction to being bitten was enough to convince him I was Godzilla and he should be nice from now on.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/43 "2009-10-22T00:48:06Z")
> [@Telperien](#): > > Aww, their little ratty ears. Cute! Thanks! Sadly, they’ve all passed away, Galina after surviving two tumor surgeries and outliving her daughter by nearly a year. Galina was the toughest rat around, though. She’d go into dominance displays whenever my bigger cat went near the cage–and she bit his nose enough times when he sniffed the cage that 17lb Nikolas-cat would cower in fear from 8oz Galina-rat. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/44 "2009-10-22T00:48:20Z")
> [@Surly\_Chick](#): > > C’mon people! Why no [degu](http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/mammals/degu.php) love??? They’re adorable! Ahem! See post #30. 😉 A dear friend of mine (who passed away just under a year ago) adopted a pair of degus and had nothing but praise for them. She would go on about how smart they were, how cuddly they were, etc. I really wanted a pair. Hubby said we had enough pets. ☹ Still, when 9YO **mudgirl’s** dwarf hamsters die, I’ll try to steer her towards degus! ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/45 "2009-10-22T00:52:47Z")
Rodents can be nice pets, but they tend to age out in two-to-three years. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/46 "2009-10-22T01:13:29Z")
After pet-sitting for a neighbor, I decided that my next pet species (besides the whole cat hoarding thing) is going to be a (small, no 6’ species for me please) just might be a bearded dragon. I started calling my neighbor’s lizard “Cap’n Crunch” after the way he crunches mealworms when you handfeed him. Very endearing and quite cute, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/47 "2009-10-22T01:37:17Z")
A hamster is a great pet for an adult. If you use the bedding made of compressed paper, they won’t smell. That stuff absorbs much better than the old wood shavings. We had a blast with my kids’ hamsters. You can use old Barbie furniture in the cage, you can feed them a ton of sunflower seeds and watch them stuff their little cheeks full, and yes, they do cuddle. You can put them in little rollerball cars to run around a track or just around the floor, and they are 1000 times cuter than RATS! If you’re into cuddling, though, nothing beats chinchillas. [Chinchillas.com Royal Persian Angora Chinchilla Press Release](http://www.chinchillas.com/newsletter/Royal-Persian-Angora-Chinchilla-Press-Release.htm) They’re big enough to cuddle, look like stuffed animals, and their fur is unbelievably soft. They don’t make coats out of them for nothing! They’re crepuscular, so they’re awake when you are. They love to cuddle, they’re very social, and they live 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/48 "2009-10-22T01:41:15Z")
> [@xanthous](#): > > I am this kind of person. Look at what [hamster cages look like these days!](http://jodyspets.com/site/images/ovosuite1.jpg) I don’t know about the hamsters, but that cage is way cool! ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/49 "2009-10-22T02:28:39Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If you’re into cuddling, though, nothing beats chinchillas. [Chinchillas.com Royal Persian Angora Chinchilla Press Release](http://www.chinchillas.com/newsletter/Royal-Persian-Angora-Chinchilla-Press-Release.htm) They’re big enough to cuddle, look like stuffed animals, and their fur is unbelievably soft. They don’t make coats out of them for nothing! They’re crepuscular, so they’re awake when you are. They love to cuddle, they’re very social, and they live 15 years. That’s funny, because I’ve often heard that chinchillas are a bit cranky and don’t really like a lot of cuddling (in general), which was one of the things that stopped me from getting any (I’m a guinea pig girl). ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/50 "2009-10-22T02:30:24Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > I don’t know about the hamsters, but that cage is way cool! Unless you’re 10 years old and your hamster decides that he wants to escape from his damn plastic SAM Hamster cage and attempts to do so by gnawing on the plastic… loudly… constantly… each night. Goddamned hamster. :mad: I ended up getting a boring ol’ aquarium for him, but I covered the back with the photo paper they have in the fish aisle (with aquarium plants, etc.). He loved staring at it, so it worked out. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/51 "2009-10-22T02:33:57Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > … they are 1000 times cuter than RATS! Having owned both: lies! > [@](#): > > If you’re into cuddling, though, nothing beats chinchillas. [Chinchillas.com Royal Persian Angora Chinchilla Press Release](http://www.chinchillas.com/newsletter/Royal-Persian-Angora-Chinchilla-Press-Release.htm) They’re big enough to cuddle, look like stuffed animals, and their fur is unbelievably soft. They don’t make coats out of them for nothing! They’re crepuscular, so they’re awake when you are. They love to cuddle, they’re very social, and they live 15 years. Chins take a bit of getting used to, but they can be very adorable. It’s hard to get used to handling them in my experience, and (at least the ones I had) never got further than “resigned” about being held. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/52 "2009-10-22T03:10:33Z")
Having owned both rats and hamsters, I say rats, a thousand times rats. The hamsters were grumpy and never seemed to look at us as anything other than the annoying giant hand that must be escaped. My two rats were affectionate, intelligent, and had their own distinct personalities. Boy rat loved to ride everywhere on my shoulder and chatter in my ear. He had an aquarium-style tank that we left open when we were home and he would jump on top of the tank and hitch a ride on whoever walked by. Girl rat was a former control rat at a lab but did not seem ill-affected by it. She loved to be held in my arms like a baby and get tummy tickles. Both rats were perfectly happy to cuddle for hours in a chair while I was reading a book or doing homework. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/53 "2009-10-22T03:19:23Z")
I love my hamster! She’s a spaz, but she’s great for a few reasons: She’s nocturnal, so she’s up and playing when I’m home for the evening, instead of falling asleep when I want to play. She’s pretty self-sufficient. I make sure she’s got food and water every night before I go to bed, feed her some treats every now and then, and she’s got it made in the shade with her wheel and toys. She’s amusing. I love watching her stuff her cheek pouches, clean herself, burrow, run through her tubes, etc. She’s so much fun to watch. I only need to clean her cage once a week. I clean it pretty thoroughly (taking maybe an hour tops). With a dog, you’re always picking up poop, walking them, etc. They take more time to care for than a hamster. I’m a bit biased… she’s in her play pen right now, digging in a box and being cute as ever. Love her! ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/54 "2009-10-22T04:26:25Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Spoken like someone who’s never been full-strength bitten by a 6’ beardie who was asserting dominance. _Six feet?_ :dubious: Are you sure you’re not talking about a Chinese water dragon? Now those fuckers are VICIOUS. I wouldn’t own one if you paid me. I have never been chomped by a beardie, and neither has anybody else I know. If it was a beardie, you just got very unlucky. But hell, I’ve been bitten by my own cat and my own dog, so shit happens. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/55 "2009-10-22T05:09:58Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Unless you’re 10 years old and your hamster decides that he wants to escape from his damn plastic SAM Hamster cage and attempts to do so by gnawing on the plastic… loudly… constantly… each night. Goddamned hamster. :mad: Yeah, maybe the cage without the hamster would be the ticket. 😛 I just like the cage, the hamster was optional. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/56 "2009-10-22T05:46:28Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > They absolutely reek… if you want a rodent get a rat or rabbit Rabbits aren’t rodents, and a lot of them are jerks. It hurts a lot more to be bitten by a rabbit than a hamster! ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/57 "2009-10-22T06:12:52Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > And never forget that they’re prodigious escape artists. They can get out of _any_ cage, no matter how well designed. You ain’t kiddin’. My dear departed Roscoe P. Coletrain was an amazing escapist. I once saw him pull his water bottle down to the cage floor, jam bedding into the wheel until it wouldn’t turn, climb the wheel to reach the wire ceiling, _monkey bar_ his way to the hole where the top of the water bottle had been, and clamber his way onto the cage roof. My amazement turned to horror as he immediately dove to the floor from the dresser his cage stood on. He stuck the landing and disappeared under the bed, evading capture for hours. I don’t think I would have been able to come up with a plan like that myself, given similar circumstances. I wouldn’t own another hamster unless I had a welded steel box to keep him in with enough food to last his whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/58 "2009-10-22T13:12:52Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > _Six feet?_ :dubious: Are you sure you’re not talking about a Chinese water dragon? I was improperly counting tail length, but yeah, Bowser was easily the biggest beardie I’ve ever seen. (I’ve never kept the bigger lizards, but have spent a lot of time around bearded dragons, water dragons, and uromastykes–which are the most adorable of lizards with their tails and their grumpy little faces) And he wasn’t so much vicious as an asshole who liked being the alpha male–his owner used to joke that if he was human he’d be an outlaw biker. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/59 "2009-10-22T13:18:50Z")
Missed the edit window: Having just done some looking up, it appears that my friend the lizard keeper may have been gravely mistaken about what kinds of lizards she was ACTUALLY raising. Back to google for me. =P ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614/60 "2009-10-22T13:43:47Z")
Well I’ve given myself 24 hours to think it over. I’m getting a hamster! Will report back on how it goes! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-rethink-my-decision-to-get-a-hamster/514614.md?page=4)