“I’m not a big pet fan. I remember the school used to have a hamster, and you used to take it home for a week at a time. I did that. I probably got bored of it within a day.”
George Ezra, Musician
Pros and Cons of Owning a Hamster
You think about getting a hamster but are not sure whether this is the right pet for you or not?
Stick with me since I show you all the pros and cons of owning a hamster in the following article so that you can better decide whether you still want to get a hamster or if you rather want to go for different pets instead.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
Table of Contents
Advantages of Owning a Hamster
- Hamster don’t need much feed
- Hamsters stay relatively small
- You don’t need a big home for keeping hamsters
- Hamsters are rather quiet animals
- Hamsters don’t require all your attention
- You can cuddle your hamster
- Hamsters are cute
- Great pets for kids
- Good pets to socialize
- Hamsters are rather cheap pets
- You don’t have to go for a walk with hamsters
- You can find all the information you need on the internet
- You can start a side hustle around hamster keeping
- Hamsters can have positive therapeutic effects
- Pet hamsters are not a long-term commitment
- Hamsters don’t break your stuff
- Good pets if you work from home quite often
Hamster don’t need much feed
One advantage of keeping hamsters as pets is that hamsters just don’t need much feed.
In fact, it will be enough to provide them with a little bit of corn every day and your hamsters will be happy and vital.
You can also add more feed to the hamster cage so that your hamster will have enough feed for a few days instead of feeding it every day.
By doing so, you can save time and can make your life more efficient. Of course, you should always check if enough food is left so that your hamster does not have to starve.
Yet, hamsters are just not as demanding as other pets when it comes to their feed.
Hamsters stay relatively small
Compared to other pets, hamsters also stay relatively small.
Sure, other pets will also be rather small when they are young.
However, most other pets grow quite rapidly and will often become much bigger than expected.
In turn, many people will no longer want to care for those pets since they are simply not cute anymore.
By getting a pet hamster, you can avoid those issues since your hamster will not grow significantly and will stay small and handy.
You don’t need a big home for keeping hamsters
Another benefit of owning a hamster is that you can do so even if you live in a rather confined space right now.
For instance, you may just live in a small flat since you simply cannot afford to live in a big home.
In such a case, you will simply not be able to keep big pets since those bigger pets will often need lots of space to feel comfortable.
In contrast, hamsters don’t need lots of space and will also feel well in small apartments, at least if you care for them in the right manner.
Hence, if you urgently want to have a pet but you currently don’t have the space for big pets, chances are that getting a hamster can also be great for you in this regard.
Hamsters are rather quiet animals
Compared to most other pets, hamsters are also rather quiet animals.
While this might be boring for some people, others find it really beneficial since this means that your hamster will not disturb you as much and also your neighbors will not suffer from any noises related to your pet keeping activities.
This can be quite convenient also at nighttime.
While many other pets will keep you awake with their noises, your hamsters will simply not have those annoying characteristics and will let you sleep.
In turn, your quality of sleep will be quite good and you will wake up full of energy so that you can get things done the next day.
Consequently, if you want to have a quiet pet that will not be present in your mind all the time, pet hamsters can be great for you since they will simply not bark or meow all day long.
Instead, they will just play quietly in their cage and will watch you from time to time.
Hamsters don’t require all your attention
Another upside to pet hamsters is that they just don’t require all your attention.
This is great since you can live your own life while still having a pet to care for at the same time.
You may have many important things to do in your life and may just not have many hours a day to care for your pet.
In such a case, keeping hamsters as pets can be great for you since they can play alone for an extended period of time and will not bother or distract you from the things you have to do.
You can cuddle your hamster
Hamsters also make great pets if you are the type of person who really needs someone to cuddle with.
For instance, if you have just moved to another city and don’t know anyone yet, it can be great to have a little companion to cuddle so that you don’t feel lonely anymore.
Hamsters are cute
Hamsters are also quite cute pets.
Since they are rather small and look innocent, many people like hamsters.
In turn, you will be quite popular among your circle of friends and people will love to come over to your place to see how your little friend is doing.
You may also get a good feeling by just looking at your cute hamster since you will just think:
Life is good! 😉
Great pets for kids
Hamsters also make great pets in case you have kids.
Since they stay rather small, they will not pose any risk for your children and you can therefore let them play without having to worry about your kids.
In contrast, if you get a big dog, you will not have a good feeling leaving your kids alone with it since you will always have to worry about what might happen.
Hence, getting a pet hamster can also make quite a lot of sense if you want to get a companion for your kids that cannot hurt them in a serious manner.
Good pets to socialize
Since hamsters are quite popular pets, they are also great to socialize.
For instance, if you buy your kids a hamster, many of their schoolmates will likely come over to your place to play with your hamster as well.
In turn, your kids will have a pretty easy time finding new friends and maintaining current friendships.
In fact, pets can be great to boost social connections and especially hamsters can make a real positive difference in this regard since many kids just like those little friends.
Thus, especially if your kid currently struggles to find new friends, getting a hamster for your child can make quite a lot of sense to make your kid more popular.
Hamsters are rather cheap pets
You also don’t need to be rich for keeping hamsters as pets.
Sure, you will have to feed them from time to time and also have to see the vet in case they get sick.
Yet, you will have much lower expenses compared to keeping a dog on average.
Consequently, getting a pet hamster can also make quite a lot of sense for you in case you are on a budget right now and simply cannot afford to keep other pets.
You don’t have to go for a walk with hamsters
Another advantage of owning a pet hamster is that you also don’t have to go for a walk with it.
While you have to go for a walk with your dog every day, you simply don’t have to go outside during times of bad weather with your hamster.
Instead, you can stay indoors in a rather cozy environment while other people have to go for a walk with their dogs during those unpleasant times.
You can find all the information you need on the internet
You should also not be intimidated in case you currently don’t have sufficient knowledge for keeping hamsters in a proper manner.
Thanks to the internet, you will have many other people with whom you can exchange your ideas and questions via social media or forums.
You can bet that many other people had the same issues as you before and you will find solutions to almost every problem that may come along with getting a pet hamster.
Hence, you can really learn a lot from more experienced people in this field and you may also become a real hamster expert in the long run if you are willing to invest the time and work hard on expanding your knowledge.
You can start a side hustle around hamster keeping
Many people also don’t realize the full potential of hamster-keeping.
Your hamster may not just be a great companion for you, but you will also be able to make serious money if you know what you are doing.
In fact, it has never been easier to start a side hustle around your pets.
You can just start a blog or a YouTube channel on which you answer various questions about pet hamsters.
Over time, you may be able to build a significant audience and may be able to monetize this audience in the long run.
Some people even make a full-time income from those channels and if you are willing to put in the work, you may be able to quit your job sooner or later and do something that is more enjoyable to make a living.
Hamsters can have positive therapeutic effects
You should also not underestimate the therapeutic potential pets can have.
This is especially true for hamsters since you can cuddle those little friends and you can therefore just get a much better feeling.
Especially if you feel lonely and depressed, having a pet hamster at home can really make your life much better and can help you overcome your mental problems.
Sure, owning a pet hamster may not be enough in such a case.
You should definitely also see a psychologist.
Yet, caring for pets can be one easy measure to make your life much better if you currently struggle with these issues.
Pet hamsters are not a long-term commitment
Hamsters will usually also not get that old. While this might be sad since your hamster will pass away rather soon, it also means that you will not make a long-term commitment by getting a hamster.
In fact, most hamsters pass away within 2 years.
Thus, while other pets will live for decades, you will not have to care for your hamster for that long and this will give you more flexibility in your life in general.
Hamsters don’t break your stuff
Since hamsters are rather small, their potential for destruction is also rather confined.
Thus, even if you let your hamster run freely in your home, you will not have to fear that it breaks anything since its body mass is just limited.
Hence, keeping a hamster instead of bigger pets can also make sense in case you have many precious things at home and don’t want to risk them being destroyed sooner or later.
Good pets if you work from home quite often
Hamsters also make great pets in case you have to work from home.
Since they are rather quiet and don’t require much attention, you will be able to focus on your work and will simply not be distracted by your pet.
In turn, chances are that you will work much more efficiently and that you will just be more productive in general.
As you can see, there are definitely many advantages of keeping hamsters as pets.
Yet, it is not all upside and I will also show you the downsides of pet hamsters in the following chapter so that you get a more comprehensive view of what having a hamster at home really looks like.
Disadvantages of Getting a Hamster
- You have to see the veterinarian from time to time
- Hamsters are not that communicative
- Your kids may get bored rather soon
- Your hamster may escape
- Time to say goodbye sooner or later
- Hard to teach hamsters tricks
- Issues with other pets you might have
- You have to clean the hamster cage
- You have to clean your home more often in general
- Not suitable if you are allergic to hamsters
- Your home may smell rather poorly
- Hamsters may prevent you from going on vacation
- Your hamster may end up in the shelter
You have to see the veterinarian from time to time
One disadvantage of pet hamsters is that you will have to see the veterinarian sooner or later.
This is not only true in case your hamster gets sick, but you will also have to make sure that your hamster doesn’t get fleas or other unpleasant things.
This means that you will have to spend significant amounts of money on your pet hamster and you should make sure that you can financially afford it before you get one of those little friends.
Hamsters are not that communicative
You should also not expect your hamster to be as responsive as many other pets.
In fact, when you talk to your hamster, it will just look back at you, either confused or amused 😉.
While your dog will bark at you and will show you that he noticed that you talked to it, your hamster will often not let you know that he even heard you and this can be quite frustrating in the long run.
Your kids may get bored rather soon
While keeping hamsters at home may be exciting in the beginning, your kids may lose interest in them pretty soon.
Consequently, it may not take a long time until your children may no longer want to play with or care for your hamster.
In such a case, you will be the one who will have to care for it alone and you should make sure that you are willing to do all the work that comes along with it before getting a pet hamster.
Your hamster may escape
Another problem with pet hamsters is that they may escape sooner or later.
If you are not careful, your hamster may just realize its chance and may escape in your garden.
If you are not fast enough to stop it, your hamster may also go for a walk and may end up on your neighbor’s property. In turn, your neighbor may not be happy at all.
Time to say goodbye sooner or later
As mentioned before, your hamsters will also not live forever.
In fact, hamsters have a rather short life expectancy and this means that it will be time to say goodbye rather soon.
This can be emotionally challenging, especially for smaller kids who are not ready and willing to take this step.
Hard to teach hamsters tricks
Hamsters are also not the best pets when it comes to teaching them tricks.
While dogs will learn rather fast in this regard, hamsters will just not make the same progress and your kids may be pretty disappointed due to that and may lose interest in playing with your hamster rather soon.
Issues with other pets you might have
If you already have other pets at home, you should also make sure that those pets get along with hamsters.
Otherwise, you may wake up one day and get a rather unpleasant surprise in this regard.
You have to clean the hamster cage
Cleaning the hamster cage is also not pleasant at all.
In fact, there are many nicer things you could do with your time.
However, if you get a hamster, it will just be your responsibility to keep the hamster cage clean so that your hamster will feel comfortable in it.
Thus, before getting a hamster, make sure that you are willing to do this unpleasant work.
You have to clean your home more often in general
If you let your hamster out of its cage, you may also have to clean your home more often since your hamster will just lose some hair and may also make a mess from time to time.
This means that you will have to invest additional time and this can be really annoying, especially if you work in a demanding job for long hours every day and barely have any leisure.
Not suitable if you are allergic to hamsters
You should also make sure that you are not allergic to hamsters before getting one.
Otherwise, you might have to give it away pretty soon.
Your home may smell rather poorly
If you don’t clean your hamster cage on a regular basis, chances are that also your home will smell quite poorly.
Hence, make sure to organize yourself as a family so that the hamster cage will be cleaned and you all have a nice and hygienic home instead of a mess.
Hamsters may prevent you from going on vacation
Owning a hamster may also be problematic in case you want to go on vacation.
You will have to find someone who takes care of your hamster while you are away.
Sure, you may also be able to give your hamster to an animal hotel.
Yet, this means that you would have to spend additional money and you may also not find one of those facilities in your neighborhood.
Your hamster may end up in the shelter
You should also really make sure that hamsters are your favorite pets before actually getting one.
Otherwise, your hamster may just end up in the shelter sooner or later.
Top 10 Pet Hamsters Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Hamsters Pros | Hamsters Cons |
|---|---|
| Hamsters are small pets | You have to see the vet sooner or later |
| You don’t need a big home | Hamsters don’t live that long |
| Hamsters are quiet pets | Hamsters are not that responsive |
| Hamsters are rather cheap pets | Hard to teach hamsters tricks |
| They don’t need much feed | Your kids may get bored soon |
| Hamsters don’t need all your attention | Your hamster may end up in the shelter |
| Hamsters don’t disturb your sleep | Hamsters may escape |
| Good pets for kids | You have to clean your home more often |
| Not a long-term commitment | You have to clean the hamster cage |
| Hamsters don’t break your stuff | Issues with other pets |
Should You Keep Hamsters As Pets?
As you can see from the previous discussion, there are many advantages and disadvantages of owning a hamster.
You should check out all the pros and cons of pet hamsters mentioned before in detail to make a profound decision regarding this important topic.
If you come to the conclusion that hamsters are not the perfect pets for you, you may rather want to get a cat, mini pig, guinea pig, dog, spider, snake, rat or a tortoise instead.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rodents/hamsters
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
