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Pygmypuff · 08-15-2016, 03:14 PM

Hi Pinkneon!

This is definitely a tricky situation, please don't take offence at anything I say because I don't mean it in any way to cause hurt or anything like that!

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but a lot of autism circles around the senses and sensory overload. A hamster could be both beneficial and unhelpful because of this, for example, if the child is feeling overwhelmed by their senses and they touch or hold something that feels nice and soft (eg. a hamster) this could really calm them down. However, an Autistic child who is offered a hamster to hold or touch could possibly reach out and squeeze or grab at it, especially someone who is only five. This is likely to cause hurt to both child and hamster!

As well as this, hamsters are, in general, quite shy animals, who are frightened easily. A child could very easily scare a hamster, which, again, could cause them harm if the hamster were to bite them.

Sorry, I'm rambling a bit!

Basically, its up to whoever is responsible for the child and whoever will be looking after the hamster. But I would absolutely recommend if you were to go for a hamster to go for a Syrian, as these on the most part are the easiest to tame.

Goodluck!

08-15-2016, 03:14 PM
Pygmypuff Hamster Addict Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South West England Posts: 970	Re: Hamsters for children with Autism? Hi Pinkneon! This is definitely a tricky situation, please don't take offence at anything I say because I don't mean it in any way to cause hurt or anything like that! I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but a lot of autism circles around the senses and sensory overload. A hamster could be both beneficial and unhelpful because of this, for example, if the child is feeling overwhelmed by their senses and they touch or hold something that feels nice and soft (eg. a hamster) this could really calm them down. However, an Autistic child who is offered a hamster to hold or touch could possibly reach out and squeeze or grab at it, especially someone who is only five. This is likely to cause hurt to both child and hamster! As well as this, hamsters are, in general, quite shy animals, who are frightened easily. A child could very easily scare a hamster, which, again, could cause them harm if the hamster were to bite them. Sorry, I'm rambling a bit! Basically, its up to whoever is responsible for the child and whoever will be looking after the hamster. But I would absolutely recommend if you were to go for a hamster to go for a Syrian, as these on the most part are the easiest to tame. Goodluck!