Are hamsters a bad idea for a pet?
By Robertas
@rawrbert (10)
Vilnius, Lithuania
February 19, 2017 7:58am CST
On average, a hamster is supposed to live for around 2 to 2.5 years. My parents got me my first hamster when I was 5, and it died a year later. From then on, they kept getting me hamsters and the hamsters kept dying every year, or a year and a half later, resulting in a total of 7 dead hamsters from my childhood to early teenage years. It was heartbreaking, but my love for them would overpower the heartache, keeping me on a constant emotional roller coaster, until I simply could not take it anymore and gave up the passion. But was it really worth it?
Should we keep hamsters as pets, or should we leave them be?
5 people like this
5 responses
@rawrbert (10)
• Vilnius, Lithuania
19 Feb 17
My personal answer is no, we should not. People should be focused on pet adoption when they feel the need for an animal to raise. Keeping animals of such a short lifespan like hamsters caged for one's entertainment is neither ethical, nor beneficial to the family.
@prinzcy (32322)
• Malaysia
19 Feb 17
I am a cat person, so I can't have a hamster as a pet. It's not that I don't like them, they just going to be a meal to my cat. I used to have a squirrel. One day I accidentally didn't lock the cage properly. The squirrel decided to find its freedoom. It didn't last five seconds outside it's cage.
@destry (2572)
• Kirkwall, Scotland
19 Feb 17
Labas,
I have never had a hamster - always preferred pet rats as they seem like the more intelligent animal!
@asfarasiknow (3341)
• Bournemouth, England
19 Feb 17
I used to keep them.when I was young. They are fascinating. The Syrian ones tend to be tamer than the little Russian ones, which are probably more likely to bite. I think you were very unlucky with the lifespans of the ones you kept. I also kept gerbils, guinea pigs, and mice, plus (and I know for a fact there are some members who will be horrified by this) fancy rats.
