Hamster Information For Children

Hamsters are nocturnal animals, which mean that they are awake during night times and can snooze during the day. Children basically love to handle pets by carrying them, holding them, or even playing with them.

Hamsters can look really cute to little children - almost like a soft toy, and their immediate wish would be to carry it. But the danger is, if the hamster happens to be sleepy, scared, or feels threatened, it could nip the child. Hamsters are loners, and they are also shy creatures. They need to get used to people, and over time, they could feel safe with a child and not react. However, in the meantime, there are strong chances that the hamster might read a child's enthusiasm as danger and react by nipping. Since they have sharp teeth, a nip can result in a nasty wound. In such cases, immediate medical attention is required. Keeping this in mind, it is a good idea to not let children below six years handle hamsters.

The above paragraph is about the people getting hurt. The other extreme is the hamster getting injured. A child could inadvertently drop the hamster resulting in injuries to the hamster. Children do have a tendency to drop things, and in this case, they could do it because they feel frightened, ticklish, or just by accident. The result can be fatal for a dwarf hamster. It could also end up with injuries which may go unnoticed till it becomes serious.

What children really love is eating, and for them, anything they enjoy is good enough for those they love. Hence, it is likely that a child in a demonstration of love might give the hamster a lot of wrong food, or it could even give large quantities of the right food. Hamster feeding is extremely important for its overall health and well being. Therefore, a child needs to be coached on the right food, right time, and right kind of feeding for hamsters.

Hamsters are fragile animals with a life span of 1 - 3 years. Dwarf hamsters are especially small and can thus get injured easily. Children need to be taught how to carry, nuzzle, or hold a hamster. The best way to teach a child is by demonstration. By carrying it carefully and placing it in the center of your palm, you ensure that the hamster feels safe and cuddled. However, small children have very small hands and tender palms, and to them, the nails of the hamster can seem threatening. An alternative is to place the hamster on a soft surface and allow the child to look at it and maybe softly stroke it without actually carrying or handling it.

Hamster care is dependent on how much you care for the hamster. The best way to ensure that the child is happy is by supervision and coaching.