Can a 10 year old girl take care of a hamster on her own?

Question

Can a 10 year old keep a hamster in her room and take care of it on her own?

Answer 1

yeah im 12 i got 3 mice when i was 11. but the only problem for me is i got 3 girl mice then 1 ran away then i got another 1 but it died then i got a boy now two of the first ones i got are preg and i found the 1 i lost oh and i have to pay for every thing myself ive spent like $100 on them.

Answer 2

ya im 10 and really reaspondsable im almost getting a hamster i need to convince my parents really good my mom doesnt care buut my dad a little bit

Answer 3

definitely! as long as she knows how to handle it, take care of it and know that she has to live with that smell in her bedroom! it is a lot of responsibility tho. i recommend her reading some books on it just to know the basics

Answer 4

It depends if she is responsible. Sure if she knows what to do. I had my first rats [which I took care of on my own] when I was 10. So yes.

And Durgi, please stop spamming people. Your blog has NOTHING to do with people's questions.

Answer 5

I would like to promote pet rats over hamsters for pets.  They are smarter, cuter, friendlier, cleaner and love people. They come when called, are happy to see you, love to be petted... Be sure to find two(they should always be kept in same s*x pairs) from a breeder or adopt. I think you will fall in love with them once you see what lovely creatures they are. Please research them and see what you think.

Answer 6

I think that some 10 year olds are responsible enough to take care of a hamster on their own, but I don't think parents should EVER just buy their child a hamster and then leave them to their own devices. They should always be supervised, just in case, and the parents need to be willing to pay a vet bill on the hamster if it's needed, and be willing to take over caring for the hamster if the child stops properly caring for it..  It's an animal's life, and I've always been opposed to parents using animals to teach their children responsibility. Responsibility needs to be taught BEFORE kids are allowed to have animals.

But as long as the parents are checking up, then yes, 10 year olds can usually handle caring for hamsters. The pitfalls are that may tire of cleaning the cage each week. They may also get tired of the hamster itself after the novelty of a new pet wears off.

Answer 7

Depending on what type of cage...glass tanks are hard to clean for kids....even scrubbing the plastic ones....and getting all the tubes back into place may need some assistance.  However, a 10 year old that is responsible for doing so....should be fine

Answer 8

Sure if they know everything that they will need to know. They could do research on the internet about general care for hamsters. I don't see why they couldn't.  

Answer 9

yes she can. it is a lot of work and it can be really tough to clean some types of cages though. i think as long as she is responsible and actually plays with it EVERYDAY and cleans up the bedding around the cage and in the room, sure. especially if they use small shavings (not pine or cedar) cause they get EVERYWHERE and sometime a sweeper can't pick them up. it is a lot of work for someone so young but it can be done. I do reccomend waiting a few years. when i got my first hamster i was ten and i got bored with it really quickly. then i had to do the work with no benefits. i would wait until your 13. i really got into it and was actually up to cleaning cages and food bowls and litter boxes and buying new bedding and food and chewsticks. i think it is actually fun.  

Answer 10

Yes I think a 10 year old could just do it fine.   Keep it simple.   Hamsters are simple.   My 13 year old just got a female dwarf hamster at a yard sale, and one week later we had 6 babies, much to my surprise. They are less than a month old and they are almost as big as the mama.  The females are "ready" at 2 months old, and The female only carries the babies for 15-18 days.   Wow..The female is "in season" every 4-5 days!!!!  just to let you know.

Answer 11

Yes, but sometimes, you'll need to help out a bit. I'm 11 and i have 2 pet rats that i care for by myself.

Answer 12

A friends 5 and 7 year old kids had their own hamsters and took care of them on their own.  Of course Mom had given them instruction on how to take care of the hamster.

Answer 13

Hamsters are easy compared to other rodents, but a 10 year old should always have a parent helping them to own an animal. She'll need the parents to pitch in money for food, bedding, and vet care. She'll need a parent to be able to drive her to the vet if her hamster gets ill. She'll need someone to feed the hamster if she's away on vacation or over at a friends house for the night. Someone to check in on the hamster when she's at school, etc.

Answer 14

no you will end up taking care of it and cleaning its cage and yea she might want it now but she will lose interest and it will be a lonely hammie.

Answer 15

I'm 11 and I'm currently taking care of 3 Syrian hamsters by myself. I'm sure you can do it to, the only advice i have for you is 1.) Get a Syrian (or teddy bear) hamster and 2.) Do TONS of research.

Answer 16

as long as they do research and know exactly how to take care of it then yes     and have a good environment

Answer 17

YEAH FER SHIIZLLE

AHA sorry, yes she can. i recommend a syrian hamster easy to take care of/

Answer 18

When I was 4 we kept one in the livinig room but now I'm 10 with my second guinea and I don't see why not! But I am considered a very responsible kid

Answer 19

Yes, but you might need to tell her some tips on taking care of the hamster.

Like..dont let it crawl on the floor unattended, or it can escape quikly.

Make sure you dont squeeze the hamster when you put it up.

Make sure it has food every day, and water.

and just the obvious things. :)

Great luck!

Answer 20

Maybe. Check on it about once a week. If she isn't taking care of it, give it away. She'll learn her lesson.

Answer 21

Having a hamster is a fairly easy thing to take care of. As longs as you are responsible, meaning you will remember when to change the water, refill the food, etc. Then you are good to go. Depending on the kind of cage you may need an adult to help you clean the cage, whether it is for the first few times or not. If you do lot's of research BEFORE you get your hamster, you should be all set! Good luck!=)