Does anyone have a small critter?

[channingsmommy]

My son has been asking for a hamster for a week now. He will be four next month, and I know he is too young to take care of a critter, so I will have to help him. I was wondering if anyone has a hamster or guinea pig? I keep reading that a guinea pig or rat is better. Im not sure. Any advice?

[littleman03]

I got my son a hamster when he was 3 1/2 and he loved it, although do realize that you will be doing the cleaning and the cage does need to be cleaned often. He can help with the food and getting the hamster out and playing with it. They tend to only want out and be active late at night, so that may not work out for a little one. Ours lived for about 2 years, and it was awful when we found him dead...we were all so attached to him. He never even bit anyone, loved to be held. But most hamsters will bite, guess we were lucky. We didn't get another one because I didn't want to take on the cleaning of the cage again...lol.
We also had a guinea pig before we got the hamster, loved the pig, still you have to clean the cage, they do squeal when they want attention and they bite, ours bit my mom on her knuckle on her finger and within 24 hrs her entire hand was swollen half way to her wrist..why...we have no clue. Needless to say the pig had to find a new home and he found a great one.

Have you tried fish, we have had those for years and a couple of gold fish are less time consuming and cost less.
I know you can't cuddle them, but he could help with feedings.

Honestly I am not a cat person, but we just got one (my son found it when it was just 5 weeks) and have had him for a couple months now and after getting past the first vet checks and declaw/neuter, he has been one of the easiest animals I have ever had to take care of!

Hope you find something that works for your family, I know how it is when your child wants a pet, my son loves dogs but is allergic and wanted one for ever...so we are happy he found the cat!

[channingsmommy]

Thank you so much for the information. We do have a cat and some fish now, but he is just on this wanting to get a hamster/guinea pig kick. We are going to go to the pet store and let him try them out... Thank you again

[tslemmer]

I agree with the good advice above. Small children should always be supervised when around small mammals, and they can be excellent helpers--refilling water bottles, filling food bowls, giving hay, etc.

Please think rescue rather than pet stores. Young-Williams Animal Center has four gerbils and two rats right now. Gerbils are great pets. They don't like to be held, but they are so entertaining to watch! They live best in pairs. Rats are clean, fun pets. They have an older rat boy and a younger rat boy. They also like to live in pairs (same-sex, of course), but these rats are singletons. They just adopted three hamsters out this week. They also always have rabbits. All are great pets but can be labor-intensive. The pair of guinea pigs just got adopted (they live best in pairs), but Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue always has some. To find adoptable guinea pigs (or any pet) visist www.petfinder.com.


Pet stores don't tell you all you need to know about pet care. Syrian hamsters are solitary, guinea pigs need hay daily, rabbits can be litter box trained and shouldn't have many carrots, etc.

To learn more about house rabbits, visit www.rabbit.org. Hamsters or gerbils? Google "hamster care" or "gerbil care". Guinea Pigs: www.guinealynx.com.

Adopt a pet. Save a life!

[stinkysmom]

As a very experienced animal keeper, I highly recommend a rat. Though your son is too young to care for it by himself, a rat is a friendly, intelligent animal that is easily handled by a 4 year. They are MUCH less likely to bite than any other rodent. Of the hundreds of rats I have worked with, I have only been bitten once.

Buy a large birdcage. They are easier to clean, and they are better for the animal's respiratory system. Don't buy one, get TWO. They are very social animals and need a companion.

My biggest piece of advice is DO NOT buy a rat from a store that sells them as feeders. Buy from a breeder. You can find them online. You will pay about $10 for a rat from a breeder, but you will have MUCH lower vet bills. Or get them from Young Williams. I have adopted rats from them, and they are great. (Hey, Tslemmer! you know me in real life!)

Find a good vet who takes care of exotic animals. I recommend Dr. Hila at Callahan Dr. Animal Hospital. Most regular vets don't know much about taking care of exotics.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions at all. I am happy to help!