Mad hamster lady?!

[jesselle]

Haha yes, people think it's mad that I have 4! Though one of my friends was really sweet and said what a lovely thing it is to make a little hamster haven for unwanted hams

And the comments re the cages - people think they're huge but to me they're only just big enough.

[ThePipsqueakery]

Yeah, pretty much everyone thinks I am mad for having all the hamsters I have. Granted, I have 9 of my own, along with 10 foster hamsters, and chinchillas and mice, so they might have a point. I think most people think it is crazy how much I am willing to do for them.

[gellerbing]

I tend not to tell people i have a hamster unless they ask if i have any pets, so far nobody has said anything about it. though once my sister was trying to find a vet and i recommended my vet, her instant reaction was to ask me why i needed a vet when i only have a hamster

[SocksnPheobe]

I am rather new to hamsters after getting my first one last year. Most of my friends and family think they are really cute, but some just don't understand my love for these small critters, lol. I am already the crazy cat lady in my friend circle (I have three Birman cats and have shown the breed for 15 years), so I am sure I the crazy hamster lady title is soon to follow and I will wear both badges proudly

[SoapyVP]

Originally Posted by Colby and the Dwarfs

DrKMcK that's awesome During the fall when I walk my hamsters down the street (In their balls, they're like little ducklings that follow you!) I get all kinds of weird looks, but if you get to walk your yappy blow-dried rats down the street, I get to walk my quiet, well-behaved hamsters down the street. Don't judge!

Oh, I wish I could see this! Lol, that's just great!

I get labelled 'mad hamster lady' sometimes but I think it's in fun. People ask how many I have and currently I answer 'only 4 at the moment'. I guess my thinking this isn't many makes some people think I'm mad. But everyone has their own hobbies/madnesses and, if they don't, they're probably not very interesting people.

[Munchalot]

Originally Posted by DrKMcK

LOL. I'm going to be 60 this year and I am definitely a crazy hamster lady! I've also been known as the "Dog lady" by my police precinct and as ..."the lady who has all the animals" by every neighborhood kid. I wind up with newborn kittens and as a drop off point for abandoned dogs. Sigh. In my working life I was a psychotherapist and I used gerbils as therapy animals, most notably, my beautiful Kyle. This little gerbil managed to help me get through to 14-16 year old gang boys. One 14 year old used to sit on the floor with Kyle through his whole session. I used to have kids, parents and my co-workers come a-running when I walked into the agency with a shopping bag containing a travel cage. Everyone wanted to greet whoever I had with me that day. At another agency, where I worked with mentally retarded adults, the hammies were a real treat...for my co-workers too! One of my supervisors got pooped on by a hammy and wasn't quite sure what to do . All of my family and friends know about my rodents and expect them all to show up on facebook now and then...and they do. When I was young my mother used to call them my "rats". She hated them, but, since I was my father's pet, if I asked, I got. LOL Therefore, years later, I am a Crazy Hamster Lady...and proud of it.

Thats so lovely. That is something I would love to do, sometimes people don't understand the impact an animal can have on a life. They aren't just decorations in a cage just to entertain children, they can really really change you! I would love to take in my pets to work.

I get called crazy hamster lady too. I work in a pet shop, and when a customer asks me for some hamster advice I just go in hyperactive-I-love-hamsters mode. They end up walking out of the shop with way more than they planned on buying, and confused from having everything they knew about hamsters contradicted. One hamster sale will end up going on for an hour. xD

[SquishyHelium]

DexterChloe, yes I know what you mean! I am 24 also and have three hams (syrians). I feel as though people judge when I say I have hamsters, as though I am too old for them or something. However I actually strongly believe that they are not an appropriate pet for young children at all - so that stereotype is quite unreasonable. Hams are delicate animals which require a mature eye to ensure all of their health and welfare needs are met. Not saying children can't do it - but I think it is a misconception that they are regarded exclusively as being a children's pet. Besides the cuteness appeals to everyone my mum for instance, goes all gooey when the hammies come out :P

[Mrshamsterfan]

I'm in my 40s. Everyone I have told about my hamster has replied: Why didn't you get a dog or a cat instead?

My OH has also had this reaction from people as well!

But my mum and one of my friends now always ask after little Leon and ask for photos. They are starting to find him as fascinating as we do.

I can't understand either why hamsters are marketed as children's pets.

LOL at the hamsters rolling down the street in their hamster balls!

[Pilgrim77]

Also being 24 and having 4 hamsters - yep! A grown woman with hamsters seems a tad odd to some. That and the fact I keep putting photos of them on Facebook as if they were my children or something. At the same time people do ask after them all the time and I often find my mum cradling Vincent after she gets in from work or something. Can't resist his charm!

Love DrKMcK's post about therapy animals - can definitely see how they would be!

[Clairealex]

I'm 25 with two hams. I've never had a negative reaction - if anything people seem really interested in them and I now have people in work who have hamsters for their kids asking me about them if they have any worries! I think it's a good thing. People I know view me as a (relatively :P) 'normal' person, so to see someone who has done everything normally (uni, bought home, car, decent job, holidays, friends etc), have and love hamsters, they tend to take it more seriously, If that makes any sense? Like, they don't view me as an animal person, even though I am. Not sure how to explain what I mean haha!

My oh had to take a half day from work once when we were taking Chub to the vet. He's 27 and when he told them it was to take my hamster to the vet he said the guys in his office (computer programmers - mostly men in their 20s and 30s) all gave a couple of chuckles and gave a genuine 'awwwww'! As long as people are decent, they tend to understand.

I love how you used animals to get through to kids DrKMcK. What a wonderful way to combine the things you're passionate about