Is anyone else paranoid about watching videos of hamsters on Youtube?

[Teddybearhamster420]

I only watch the videos of people on HC. The people I trust! x

[Skeekers]

I'm so paranoid about ANY animal video on Youtube. I NEVER look up any animals, just stupid "paranormal" and "scary" videos.....

[obscura]

Originally Posted by Teddybearhamster420

I only watch the videos of people on HC. The people I trust! x

Yeah I like watching videos posted by HC members, but I'm always cautious about what videos to watch on YouTube. My brother owned a snake and I watch so many animal documentaries that it doesn't really bother me to see one animal eat another. When I was little it would make me cry, but as an adult I understand and respect the circle of life as heartbreaking and cruel as it may be.

<start rant>

Don't hate me for this rant you guys, I know how much we all love animals.

As an animal lover and a member on many furry animal forums (hamsters, rats, hedgehogs, dogs), I've noticed that there are a lot of people afraid to see things like cute little critters being eaten by a snake. I've always supported feeding frozen rats and mice to snakes, but after I thought about it... Somewhere out there, there is a reptile forum a lot like these forums for hamsters, rats, gerbils, and hedgehogs and those people genuinely love reptiles the way we all love our furry critters. We want to do the best for our pets - so do people with reptiles. With that said, I understand why they feed live animals to their snakes and lizards. It might eat at my heart, but I accept mother nature. Rodents are eaten by snakes in the wild every day, and birds eat snakes every day. It's just the circle of life. How God intended it to be. The food chain. Somewhere out there I bet there is a person who is obsessed with insects and LOVES crickets or mealworms, and they might even have a thread on a bug forum discussing their fears of watching another video of a mealworm being eaten or a person stomping on a helpless cricket... If people can love butterflies and lady bugs, why not mealworms too?

<end rant>

With that said, the videos I hate the most are the ones where animals are being downright neglected. Like the idiots who put their hamsters in a kid's pool and video them swimming. They get a kick out of it, like it's some fun, amusing thing to watch... It only makes me angry and wish I could drown the people laughing at that poor hamster who is scared to death. It's the people who make .gifs of their hamster being dropped because he was afraid to be held, and people who think it's funny that their dogs are chasing the hamster ball, etc. Some people are just sick, and they make me incredibly angry. It's those kinds of videos I hate to find on YouTube... People not handling their animals correctly. Just the other day I watched a video of a full growl, plump-looking Syrian hamster trying to move around in his Habitrail Ovo. He had the dwarf hamster Habitrail tunnels and could barely fit through them... The owner had put a cardboard Habitrail maze in the main part of the cage so the Syrian had no room to move around and it really made me upset that the poor thing has to live like that... Ugh...

[Lynternette]

I'm not saying anything. If I did my laptop and everyone else's would set on fire. I saw a video advert on Amazon for the WSPA. I cried for a good hour. I give to them by direct debit every month now. How could I not. They say mans inhumanity to man. It should be mans inhumanity to all creatures.

[p_anda]

Yeah I know it's part of the food chain, but it's still not something I want to see, but what I find off putting is that the person/people making the vid find it entertaining to watch, like as if the hamster didn't have feelings.

To me it seems that most knowledgeable reptile owners encourage the feeding of frozen mice rather than live anyway.

[racinghamster]

I kept pet mice for more than ten years (and pet rats previous to that) so I know all too well the practices that go on with feeder animals. I don`t like it. Reptiles need to eat, we know that, but if they were not kept as `exotics` and many die of neglect as a result, there wouldn`t be such a demand for frozen or live food. I love lizards and geckos and little grass snakes, but I would rather they were kept in their natural state, in the wild or zooz.

YouTube is just an oportunity for this type of manipulation. I`m surprised that anyone allowed to upload a private video can only do so if they state their details in order to be traced if their footage is seen as being cruel or unsuitable behaviour? I can`t believe a swimming hamster for example isn`t cruelty? Why is this acceptible? Why were the RSPCA not knocking on their door? Probably because they hide behind privacy laws and if that`s the case, it needs changing.

[TraceyH]

No, I don't watch any animal videos on there since accidently watching one of a twit feeding his cockatiel to his cat 3 years ago.

[obscura]

Originally Posted by p_anda

Yeah I know it's part of the food chain, but it's still not something I want to see, but what I find off putting is that the person/people making the vid find it entertaining to watch, like as if the hamster didn't have feelings.

To me it seems that most knowledgeable reptile owners encourage the feeding of frozen mice rather than live anyway.

I agree, I'm not saying I LIKE to watch these videos, but that I'm okay with the idea of them being eaten (well not exactly OKAY with it... cause I don't want any rodents to be eaten) but I respect nature. xD I agree, though, the videos where the people find it amusing is just wrong.

Speaking of this topic, I blog on Tumblr and recently came across an entry (YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ FURTHER) where someone is boasting about how their hamster is being kept alive by weed (they put him in a ball or jar and blow smoke at him to get him high). They were told by the pet store that the hamster would only live a few months, and since it's been 7 months they think marijuana is a miracle for keeping the hamster alive. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was so infuriated to read this. WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THIS IS OKAY? I've even seen pictures of... well I won't continue because then that defeats the purpose of this thread. None of you want to know these things because it will only upset you.

I just get so angry with people. I wish there were strict laws against who can adopt pets. I know this wouldn't work because the bad people would find a way around it, and the good people would be the ones getting harassed by the strict laws... but... uuughhhhhh!!! that post ruined my morning... I want to steal that hamster and give him a healthier environment.

[CoolcatNatNat44]

I dont usually watch hamster videos on youtube unless its someone like on here e.g