# whats the point in owning a rodent?



## redroses2106 (Aug 21, 2011)

it really bugs me when people say this! 
i have a guinea pig and have owned other piggys and hamsters in the past 
they all have little personalities of thier own but when i try to explain that people look at me like im mad

my gp for example will squeek whenever she hears a bag rustling as she knows this is the sound of her veges she also used to when i lived in my old house with the loud front door would run around her cage squeeking when i opened it coz she knew i was home with some tasty treats

i had a hamster who loved hot dogs, he used to get the ends, he would curl up and sleep in your hand, before anyone says anything negative about the hot dog thing that hamster lived for almost 5 years i kid you not! i reacon hes one of the oldest ever hamsters, i was devistated when he died. my first pet. 

this is just an example of how these pets shouldnt be scoffed at. i refer to my gp as a puppy in a cage, shes full of personality as all guinea pigs imo are they all have unique little characters that people just cant seem to see unless they have owned them 

so at that what little quirks do your rodents have? what do they do that makes them so loveable and do people ever ask you whats the point in that as a pet?


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2011)

I constantly get "What's the point in keeping rabbits, all they do is sit there" (I know rabbits are lagamorphs and not rodents lol), I just tend to just roll my eyes now it used to really bug me but then I started to think they are the ones missing out not me 

Oh and just to say your hammy wasn't the oldest hamster, one of my old boy's made it to 5 and a half


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

people who say things like that are just very deprived people, you should pity them for they dont know the joy that they are missing!

also just to add, i have had quite a few hamsters reach 5 and almost 5, my oldest was 5 and a half, followed closely by one at 5 and 2 months 
but no i really wouldnt recomend feeding hot dogs :lol:


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## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

hamster are amazing! and they are meant to have some meat, chicken ect, they do eat meat in the wild


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## xkimxo (Jan 4, 2010)

I too really hate that question, im not sure where my love of rodents (or animals in general) came from as my family arent really 'pet people'. My friends dont understand either. But theres lots of reason i love having them, they are great fun to watch, i believe they give you unconditional love, you can tell them anything , they often make me laugh and one of the greatest feelings is when they really get to know you and as soon as you open that cage door or come into a room they come straight over. Also having taken in lots of unwanted rodents i love the change in them when they finally get the attention and space they need and ones that used to be scared of people become trusting. I think rodents are fascinating and wouldnt/couldnt have my life without them


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

foxxy cleopatra said:


> hamster are amazing! and they are meant to have some meat, chicken ect, they do eat meat in the wild


meat and processed junk "meat" are very different things :lol: hot dogs are bad for us. 
the best meats you can feed hamsters are plain chicken or ham, or even better you can feed them insects like they would get in the wild
or you can mix some cat food in with their food mix


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## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

m&s do 100% chicken hot dogs, the other person didnt say they were junk? i give my hammy little bits of chicken, wouldnt know where to get the insects...? that would be amazing! but hmmm wouldnt give them cat food, isnt there dodgy stuff in there? not sure though...i know hedgehogs love cat food  or thats what my mum says hahaaa


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## Chihuahua-Rocky (May 10, 2011)

I find that all animals have their own personality!!! But I guess some people just wont understand that, especially if they never had a rodent on their own.
I had 5 guinea pigs while I was younger, and they all had different personalities. 
We build them their own crate wich had a little door that could be opened so that they could go outside in summer. If we called them, they all came running inside, like a dog would do if you called him. And one of them used to snuggle with me on the sofa until it fell asleep on me:001_wub:
My sister had a hamster some years ago, who used to empty the content of his cheek pouches whenever he was on her hands . Nice lil gift of him . If that isn't love then I don't know what is


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2011)

foxxy cleopatra said:


> m&s do 100% chicken hot dogs, the other person didnt say they were junk? i give my hammy little bits of chicken, wouldnt know where to get the insects...? that would be amazing! but hmmm wouldnt give them cat food, isnt there dodgy stuff in there? not sure though...i know hedgehogs love cat food  or thats what my mum says hahaaa


I doubt very much if the OP fed M&S hotdogs to her hammy 

But thats not the point, although it didn't do this hammy any harm it isn't advisable to feed hot dogs, which is what Lil Miss was saying, no digs she just mentioned it.

Cat biscuits are fine for hammies and hogs have cat food as their main diet so no one has a choice there lol. 
You can get cans of insects anywhere just google can a crickets or dried mealworms (the list goes on.) In fact Tesco's sell tubs of meal worms :lol:


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## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

i have actually seen them?! although they are fattening if your hammy has too much? is this right? id have to take it to self service.....


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2011)

foxxy cleopatra said:


> i have actually seen them?! although they are fattening if your hammy has too much? is this right? id have to take it to self service.....


The dried mealies aren't too bad tbh, although it is best to just give them as a treat, mario worms and wax worms are the proper fattening ones which need to be fed in moderation.


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## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

I say this a lot to my OH (well I did before he joined up) he has rabbits - yet he's allergic to them, hardly interacts with them, doesn't clean them out and will only go near them if he doesn't have to drive as the tablets make him drowsy. And who gets left to all the mucky jobs - ME! 

I'd love another hamster because I've grown up with them but because he's allergic I can't have one - so I don't and I don't mind the rabbits, but they are his too, he'll feed them and water them and have a go if their cage is a little messy - but he won't do anything. So he's been told no more after this lot. I'm having no excuses - I am not putting up with it for years like his Mum has. 

He had a go at me for saying he couldn't have another rabbit - his reasons for having them was because he liked them - I like a lot of things I don't have..

Sorry a bit of a rant there :scared: and I know a rabbit isn't a rodent too 

I owned Hamsters for 6 years, had 1 "accidental" litter and one true accidental litter. All mine were cared for and have passed the love onto my brothers GF who is a member on here (xxgemma86xx) hope she won't mind me mentioning her. I lost my last hamster, Ringo, last year in May and I was devastated. I do hope to have another hamster sometime in the future as I miss their whiskers on my face 

Ignore those people, they lead silly lives


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

I know several people who seem to think that if its not a cat or dog then there's no point to keeping it as a pet. they dont seem to understand that their personality can be just as big, they are just as entertaining and that some of us prefer rodents to a cat or dog. plus not everyones lifestyle is suited to keeping a cat or dog - I personally would never be able to guarentee being able to take a dog for walkies and I would long hours. I wouldnt swap my guinea pigs and rats for anything. I hate it when people say that they dont do anything. not quite sure what they are expecting them to do! rats can be taught little tricks and are definitely more active than my cat Holly who likes to spend large parts of the day curled up on the end of the bed or in her favourite chair. my guinea pigs are constantly talking to each other and scampering about in their cage. A lot of people dont see the point as they have shortish life spans but I would rather give them a good life whilst I have them and enjoy what time I do get with them


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

This really pee's me off.

Rats might be rodents, vermin even, but they are my pets and I love them!  I hate it when people say things like that


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## sailor (Feb 5, 2010)

As a little girl I used to love Mice! I remember my first ever pet was a little black Mouse called Bubbles. I cant remember how old I was exactly, but I think I was about 5 at the time. 
I then went on to owning Rats and I took my first ever pet Rat named Virus (named by previous owner into my School (Primary/Infants) and again, no one liked her  most were scared, some disgusted, teacher mortified :lol:

Anyhow there was always rodents in my Childhood, but now as an adult, Im not keen on them  dont even know why :confused1: I got bit by a Hamster and a Gerbil, which I think put me off and now I have got old and grumpy, I prefer to look at their cuteness and funny antics from a distance 

My Daughter has a Hamster for a pet, which were having a drama with, I swear Rosie (Hamster) has ADHD :lol: always on the go, completely mad! I can totally understand the happiness Rodents can bring to people as a pet and anyone to ask such a daft question, clearly has a narrow mind 

Ive never been asked "whats the point in pet Rodents?" I tend to get "Whats the point having pets (as in any species!)?" :confused1:


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## CanIgoHome (Oct 25, 2008)

I love rodents my first was a black and white hamster called peeper (I was about 10) but I have had rats and gerbils too but now I'm back with hamsters I have 6 hamsters now  but I do miss having rats

each rodent I have had have all had a different personalities no 2 are the same like us


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2011)

my answer? because they give me the loyalty and companionship that no other person ever has done, I love looking at Dora and seeing how she has grown, some people don't understand what we animal lover's get out of having pets, however they are the one's I feel sorry for.


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

Carmez said:


> @manic rose I notice one of your piggies name...Pixie...I also had a guinea with that name, he died 2months ago...oh how I miss my Pixie poo poo


(((hugs)))

had someone ask me today if I was scared of my rats as they couldnt understand why someone would keep them as pets. why would I keep something I was scared of? :confused1:

when I got home from work today, after a sh*tty day, the rats where all up the cage doors, so excited to see me and clambering to come out when I opened the door. there were just as excited and affectionate as any dog and just one of the reasons why I love having them as pets.


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## t0nic760 (Oct 8, 2011)

Many people say that hamsters are boring because they're nocturnal... This is stupid.

I do not keep pets for the entertainment, but to help them and give them a good life. Although, I do enjoy them.

In fact, I don't really understand why people dislike keeping animals, they're awesome.


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