My good and bad experience with hamsters.

[CattysHammys]

I've been owning hamsters since 2012, and I am so relieved to have stopped. I will most likely never own one again. Here's why.

I was 8, maybe 9, and I was watching Pets 101 on animal planet. I came to the hamster video, and this lady said the biggest lie I ever heard: "I think it would be hard to find someone who hasn't had a hamster in their childhood." (Even though it is hard to find someone who HAS had one) Being a gullible child, and obsessed with "fitting in" and "being like everyone else" I told my aunt about it. She would come to visit for Christmas, and she got me Hammy.

Hammy was amazing. He was a golden Syrian male who was so calm and friendly. I made a little maze for him, took him out on my bed... He was just so much fun. Everyone loved him. We kept him in a crittertrail that my aunt gave us, and he escaped every night. One night, he escaped and found old candies under my bed. He ate them, and became very ill, less and less active every day.
Hammy died on Easter Sunday 2013.

Two years later, I decided to get another hamster. Misha. Misha was a Lilac Fawn Russian dwarf. It took me a year to tame him, but after that, he became the sweetest thing ever. Whenever I was sad, I would hold him. He cuddled up to me and licked my hand like a little dog. Speaking of dogs, my friend had two Shih Tzus. I was babysitting them for her, and I decided to take Misha out to play. I thought the dogs were sleeping, but one followed me, and grabbed Misha.
Misha Hamilton died on Easter Sunday 2015.

Then I got Lighting the Robo. Lightning was my best friend. She was a Cinnamon carrying husky Robo. She was the last out of a litter of 8. When I got her, she was extremely shy. Her fearfulness was only made worse when I introduced her to my brat friends. These kids were extremely loud and grabby. It took me a while to gain Lighting's trust, but we became so close. Lightning wasn't really a favourite among my family, so I was all that she had. She became sick very often, but always fought them. She had a very strong spirit. Lightning and I had an amazing bond. She would sleep on me, lick me, and climb on me. I loved her so much. Then, she ate some silicone from the bathtub. That's what ended her. Lightning, I will miss you forever.
Lightning passed away sometime in the Spring of 2016.

Then there was Syria/Snowbell. She was a Yellow Roan Syrian. For some reason, she and I never really bonded. But everyone else loved her. She was very friendly, and also quite tame. She would beg for treats often. She was the family pet, not mine like Lightning. There's not really much else to say about her, except no matter how much I tried, I would never love or bond to her.

Bear was next. I got Bear in early June 2016. He was a red eyed Argente Russian Dwarf. I was so happy to have gotten him. He loved his treats, but not me. He hated me. He would constantly bite and attack. He did NOT nip. He drew blood.
We gave him and Syria away in late July 2016.


Will I ever get another hamster? No. Do I miss them? A little. Well, I miss Hammy, Misha, and Lightning. But they did cause a ton of stress.

So, that sums up my experience. And please, whatever you do, don't judge me on my opinion.

[PumpKinSpiceLatte]

Im so sorry hamsters have not appealed to you lately, and I respect your decision

[Cinnamon Bear]

Agreed hamsters can be stressful, I can see where you have been through a lot with you hammies you wrote about.