Dear Reader, this week, a guest post – written by my friend, Amanda Knibbe of her family’s experience having a pet hamster. Thank you for sharing with us, Amanda! – Heather
“Mom, can I get a hamster?” … “Actually, how about a dog?” … “I’ve always wanted a leopard gecko!”?
Does this sound familiar? You’re not the only one who’s heard this soundtrack of endless “can we get a pet?” pleading. Going through some sort of pet experience seems to be a mother’s right of passage. But if you’re anything like me, the idea of having another beating heart to worry about was not high on my to-do list. However, as an animal lover and in my past pre-mom life as an Animal Health Technologist, I did know the unique experiences and joy that can only be found in having a relationship with a pet.
As a mother of two children, I had by some miracle successfully said no for many years to the constant pestering of “Can I get a hamster?” But with my daughter’s birthday looming, I found my resolve weakening – a rodent is small right? How bad could this beating-heart experience be?
Of course, the typical threats of, “You’re the one who must feed it” and, “You’re the one who will have to clean the cage” and even, “You’ll have to pay for the food and the bedding” were all laid out clearly. Already I knew that with each eager nod of my daughter’s head that she’d agree to anything at this point. With the full knowledge that I would be the one caring for this new little creature we headed to the pet store on my daughter’s 9th birthday.
Getting Ready – Hamster Care Things
Thankfully, being a part of a “Buy Nothing” Community Facebook, I found one mother who was more than eager to pass on their hamster set up that they no longer needed. A cage, bedding, toys, and many other hamster “must haves” made their way into our home. That was such a blessing and saved us so many initial expenses. If you are part of a community Facebook page, I would highly recommend reaching out to see if there are any other mothers in your neighborhood ready to pass on the hamster parenting baton.
Picking out our new family member was quick, as my daughter seemed to know exactly the color and personality she was looking for. After a couple of meet-and-greets with potential candidates she quickly clung to a tiny little white and tan hamster and announced confidently, “this is the one!”
The pet store employee brought out a clip board and we read and signed the adoption papers, which made me feel like I was taking home my third child.
“Congratulations!”, she said as she passed us a pamphlet on hamster husbandry and sent us on our way.
Let the adventure begin.
Home with a Hamster – the Good
“Pip”, as he was affectionately named by my daughter, quickly fit into our home and day-to-day life. I was pleasantly surprised by how low maintenance this little critter was. My daughter confidently took on the responsibility of caring for Pip including weekly cage cleanings, feeding him his daily pellets plus treats, and getting him used to being handled and played with. She quickly bonded with him, and we all enjoyed interacting with his fun and laid-back personality. I enjoyed our daily routine of my daughter bringing him to visit me in the kitchen each morning as I packed school lunches, where I fed him fresh apple slices.
What was I so worried about I thought to myself, this hamster stuff is a breeze! Or so I thought.
Home with a Hamster – the Bad
We had owned Pip for about a month when one evening in February we found him tucked in his favorite little shelter not waking up and very cold. My past Animal Health Technology career skills jumped into action as I checked his vital signs and quickly went about warming him and syringing warm sugar water into his mouth.
My son frantically googled Pip’s symptoms and the search results reported what seemed to be a common problem: hamster hibernation.
What? Is this even a thing?
A call to the pet store confirmed that our little Pip had gone into hibernation, which for a hamster is dangerous as organ failure is a risk. Hours went by and I went late into the night nursing this little creature in hopes of reviving him.
Sadly, we woke the next morning to our little Pip having crossed the rainbow bridge. My daughter was heartbroken, and I was surprised by how we all grieved for that little hamster that had only been a part of our family for a few weeks.
I wasn’t sure if my daughter wanted to try again with a new hamster and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to begin this hamster ride all over again, but after mourning her little Pip, she was ready.
Bringing Home a Hamster – Take 2
Once again, we found ourselves at the pet store picking out the next hamster. I was very skeptical this time as I had thought hamsters were supposed to be an easy beginners’ pet but having quickly lost one, I wasn’t so sure. However, I followed my daughters optimistic lead, and we found ourselves bringing home “Rosie”.
I am happy to report that we have had Rosie for 5 months now, and she has settled in wonderfully. She has been entertaining to all of us, with her curious nature and sweet cuddles. We so enjoy her sweet little presence in our home. My daughter is still very diligent with feeding, watering and cuddling her but the cage cleaning has become a joint effort as I knew it would.
So to all you moms out there who have been dodging the hamster-begging questions, I would encourage you to take the leap. Our hamster owning adventure has had its ups and downs, but I am grateful for the experiences and life lessons that it has brought to our family. It has taught my children responsibility, compassion, grief and loss. It has brought joy and companionship to my daughter.
I’ve attached some links of hamster products that we have really enjoyed using in our hamster husbandry.
All the best from our hamster home to yours, Amanda.
Some Products We liked in Hamster Care
Hamster Bedding
Not all hamster bedding is created equally – the first stuff I bought stunk! This Carefresh bedding was a needed improvement and my house didn’t smell like rodent.
Hamster Cage Liners
So more on the scent front – these Arm & Hammer cage liners also helped reduce the “rodent smell” and made it easier for my 9 year old daughter to clean the cage herself.
Hamster Treats and Chew Sticks
One of the great joys of hamster ownership is watching them do cute things, like nibble at a treat. These Grddaef chew toys help Rosie’s teeth and we love to watch her nibble away.
Hamster Food
Our hamsters enjoyed chowing down on Kaytee’s Fiesta food. It is fun and colourful!
If you can’t find a free cage and other hamster care items in your local mom group, or want to buy new – here is what worked for us:
Hamster Cage
To start, we had a pretty basic standard cage for our hamsters. It kept the hamsters contained, it was easy to clean, and my daughter could move it around easily.
And then we upgraded to a cage that was pretty fun for the hamsters! We had a lot of fun interacting with and caring for the hamster with the Rosewood Pico XL.
Hamster Waterbottle
Hamsters need water and our little hamsters stayed hydrated with this Kaytee water bottle that mounts inside the cage.
Hamster Accessories
The best part of having a pet hamster is all the fun ways you can play with them. My daughter enjoyed taking our hamsters on little walks around the neighbourhood with this little bag.
…and when the inevitable happens and your hamster crosses the rainbow bridge…(Sadly, since I wrote this post, Rosie also passed away…and I’ve got the hamster cage in the basement storage room awaiting either my daughter’s request for a third hamster…or a post in the Buy Nothing group on Facebook.)
Books about Pet Death
Lifetimes – by Bryan Mellonie
Death is a part of life – and Lifetimes explains in a gentle way how everything – from a hamster to a human has its own lifetime.
While it was sad to have my kids experience pet loss, I think it was good for them to go through. My son really supported his sister through her grief, we held a tiny funeral and said nice things about Pip – it was all a good part of really living in the real offline world and feeling our emotions.
When a Pet Dies – Fred Rogers
Does anyone provide comfort and understanding to children like Fred Rogers? This is a good book for young children.
Bear Island by Matthew Cordell
This is a gentle story about grief and how recovering from a loss takes time.
Thanks again for joining us for Amanda’s guest post! If you are interested in guest blogging about your real-life motherhood experiences (especially about different kinds of pet ownership as parent), please reach out to me! See you next week, – Heather
ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links from which I receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting RinkydinkMum!
Enjoyed this post? Check out some other posts!
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- Cat Books for Kids
- Colorful Eclectic Family Room
- Books for Boys Resistant to Reading
- Hosting a Mother-Daughter Craft Club
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