Hamster's life is valuable?

Toria · 06-15-2009, 05:44 PM

I don't know about anyone on here but i was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with hamsters.
Most my friends and people i speak to don't value hamsters or any small animals. I have received some horrible comments about my hamsters; eg. 'why didn't i just stamp on IT when it was hurt?' and that they aren't worth the vets bills. My cousin told me a story about how him and his friend went to a pet store and bought a hamster and fed it to his snake. He thought it was hilarious. It annoyed me that he would tell me this when he knows i keep them as loved pets.

Even friends that don't have bad things to say look at me a bit like 'why would you want that hamster, and why would you value it's like so much'

It had been bugging me, especially since EVE-A got ill. I don't understand how a hamster's life is less valued than say a dog? It has really been bothering me. I think that any life however tiny the animal is just as important as another life.

Has anyone experienced similar reactions from people?

Bunsey · 06-15-2009, 07:12 PM

yes, i've had those reactions all the time, similar sorts of things. Like at work, if you say your hamster has died, peoplejust say "are you getting another?" but if someone's cat or dog has died people are like "oh no, how awful, you poor dear, you must be devastated". People think any pet other than cat or dog is just like a toy. A lot of people can't understand why you take a hamster to te vet when it's cheaper to buy a new one (i.e. why would you pay to mend a broken toy when you can buy another for less). Most people see hamsters as a child's toy.

Toria · 06-15-2009, 08:11 PM

I agree. When it cost me £104 to take EVE-A (out of hours) everyone said i should of just bought 10 new hamsters.
It really grates on me.

I wouldn't want a new hamster, in my eyes you get a pet for the companionship and to love and care for them however small they are, not something you can just bin.

souffle · 06-16-2009, 03:26 AM

It is them who are the losers in this game as they will never share the experience and joy of caring for all living things as equals. Each has it's own value and is equally important in the big overall picture. Perhaps one day they will change when they learn to empathise a bit better but for now I wouldn't worry about what they think as you know that you are right in your caring attitude.
If you can pass your attitude on to your children and others then you are working towards a better world! Pophammy walks the drive before we leave in the morning and lifts the slugs and snails off so we don't run them over! It does get through

helenf · 06-16-2009, 05:27 AM

I've had people before offer no sympathy about a dead hamster, yet happily console someone who has lost a bigger pet.

I love and have loved my hamsters with all my heart and I think people who can't understand that are missing something.

Katty_Sheldon · 06-16-2009, 05:33 AM

I agree with everyone... luckily my friends see that i care about my hamster and they are OK. Each one of them had/has/wishes for a pet and i am sure that if something happened to Sheldon they would stand by me. I cant understand how can someone be so cruel to something so cute... i know some children can to horrible stuff to animals, but i think they soon realise its wrong and grow up (or just realise that its not well recieved by society).
I mean there are people who take care of spiders... i think its just that some people dont respect "cheap" hamsters as a pet.

Bunsey · 06-16-2009, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toria

I agree. When it cost me £104 to take EVE-A (out of hours) everyone said i should of just bought 10 new hamsters.
It really grates on me.

I wouldn't want a new hamster, in my eyes you get a pet for the companionship and to love and care for them however small they are, not something you can just bin.

i had an experience like this, too. I won the lottery at work (£50) and the day before i'd had an emergency vet appointment costing £95. When they asked me what i would spend my winnings on, i said the vets bill and they were all like "for a HAMSTER!?! you could've bought a new one for a fiver".

It saddens me that most people don't share my view of the animal kingdom, but like Souffle says, all you can do is treat animals with respect, know that at least YOU are doing the right thing and try to pass it on as best you can to your kids.

Toria · 06-16-2009, 12:33 PM

Yeah i agree. Its nice to see that i'm not the only person

shazzy · 06-16-2009, 01:03 PM

I was having this exact same discussion with my Riding instructor on Sunday...I was saying how I'm fed up with some people who think that a hamster is easily replaceable once ill and their life is not valued as much as say a dog or a cat as they only cost about 7 quid to buy.

Money shouldn't mean a thing...it's a living being at the end of the day. One that has no choice but to trust you and hope you care for them. It saddens me that so many people let these little animals down..

I was also saying that I feel bad keeping a hamster in a cage as it makes me feel guilty in a way, but my riding instructor reminded me that someone else wouldve bought my little girl and who knows who she wouldve ended up with....it couldve been alot worse for the poor girl. My little Mo is spoilt rotten and is never left wanting for anything (well, maybe just to be able to escape through that hole under the door that I keep lifting her away from!)

robyn_pickles · 07-09-2009, 10:14 AM

I get this all the time, it really irritates me. It doesn't matter what size something is, it feels pain and matters as much as anything else. And when people say things like 'youd spend money on going to the vets? it costs less to get a new hamster' it makes me really angry. They arent all the same as people seem to think. When Pickles passes away i'll have genuinely lost a little friend!!
x