For what it is worth--- my brother insisted on getting a hamster when he was about 10 yrs old. He never took care of it. It lived an isolated existence in a remote location of our house (because he couldn't stand the noises that the hamster made at night). I don't even think the poor thing got fed regularly.
That being said-- we did/do have a dog whom we all love and take care of. That poor hamster was just a bad match. We ended up giving the hamster and all his accessories away to my friend's little sister.

Hope you liked the story!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your feedback! I will let you know what I decide. I am in Canada. I don't know anyone who owns a rat. Are there similar allergies to rats as cats?

Liz

I've heard of people developing allergies to BEDDING in small animal cages, but never actual allergies to rats (or hamsters, gerbils, whatever). Having said THAT, however, I had my lab animal practical exam today and started wheezing like crazy in the rabbit room. I swear, it was practically an asthma attack...which I suspect means I'm allergic to bunnies (it's happened before).

Of course, that doesn't answer your question. I guess my point is that I'm not allergic to my 3 CATS, but I'm apparently allergic to rabbits. So I guess anything can happen with allergies.

Wow. THAT was a pretty pointless post . Clearly, I need to go to bed now.

I am allergic to both cat and dog dander, and slightly to rabbit (the rabbit itself doesn't bother me, but if I get a scratch, it inflames more than usual - the doctor said it was a mild allergy). I didn't have any problems with the rats, although my rat book says allergies aren't common but are possible, and suggests putting the animal up by your face and playing with it for ten to twenty minutes to try to test it out. You can ask the petstore about refunds and returns. The rats they sell in petstores are usually very cheap. I bought my first rat for $1.99, and my second rat for $4.00.

Although I think rodent allergies are sort of generic (if you're allergic to rat, you may also be alergic to hamster or gerbil) as I was tested for rodent allergies when I was having asthma symptoms.

Colleen
Colleen

THANKS again!

Yay for rats!! We had a pet rat in college named Scooter. She was one of the best pets ever. We let her roam around our apartment. She came when she was called and always went back to her cage to go to the bathroom. Loved to play. Loved to sit on our shoulders under our hair and hang out.

Absolutely, get one. My only tip: Get a young rat (saving one from becoming snake food is always nice!) , and handle it a lot. You'll end up with a happier, more social pet.

Have fun!

cheers,
paula

Update:


Got a hamster....the first few days I was really wondering if I needed my head examined.......but with lots of handling, respect for sleep time, etc we have a cute, cuddly, teddy bear hamster that is tame, and uses one corner of the cage as a BR.....there is no downside.

Thanks for all your input!

Hope you all had great holidays.

Liz

I've had both hampsters and guinea pigs. The only difference I saw in either was that I could sleep with my ginea pig and not fear squishing him. LOL Ok...I was a kid. I only allow cats and dogs in my bed nowadays.

I would only take a hampster that did NOT bite. I can't stand small animals that bite or nip. The quick darting bite scares me and I drop them. So I get ones guaranteed not to bite. The last hampster I had, I put him on a small harness leash I got from the pet store and would sit out on the apt. lawn with him while everyone took turns petting him. He loved the freedom. So much so, I had to stack phone books on top of his cage cause he always managed to find a way out, and I got tired of taking all his toys away so he couldn't climb...then he climbs his water bottle! The little rat.

And who says Christmas pics are only for dogs and cats? I made a little Santa hat and taped it to my hampster's head, then put a red cloth over my hand and held him while snapping his pic. He seemed to really enjoy the attention.

BTW, my guinea pig usually slept in the doghouse and drank from the dog's water bowl from the neighbor I got her from. I couldn't let her outside for awhile after I got her or we had to go over to their doghouse and fetch her everytime.

Good for oyu liz.
I personally think it is a plus that they only live 2 years.
we got a couple of girtlels (kids called them that) becaue we knew we were going to put our dogs down and needed a transition pet, Ok I know that isn't fair, but I really did not want the long term comitment. They are happily living in the 2nd grade classroom at school making lots of kids happy.

Hamsters are solitary animals so you can only have one, and those habitrail tube cages are a pain to clean and put back together...just my 2 cents...