335 replies to this topic

[rose1618]

I’m so surprised people aren’t trying to eat me for my post on here...

Hhehe I shall eat u

Spoiler

jk I actually agree. Long haired hamsters are soooo cute, but it seems sorta annoying for the ham

[ForgetfulBreeze]

I think that dwarfs are cuter than syrians

 

 

 

But ya I agree, I like dwarves because they're smaller and compared to dwarves syrians have bigger ears which makes their eyes look smaller. Oh and when dwarves hunch over to eat they look like a small lil ball! 

 

 

I think dwarves are cuter than syrians

Yes! I agree bc they are so tiny!

[~V1]

You can get a syrian and put them in a cage under 1000sq in. It's completely ok provided the owner understands most syrians will not be happy in a cage that size and are willing to upgrade if need be. Sure, you can't exactly fit a lot in a cage under that size and I don't think I'd feel comfortable with doing it myself, but I think an open mind is really what matters here. Some people just like learning things the hard way through hard-earned experience and if that helps them understand the importance of larger cages more power to them. This could also be applied to dwarfs I suppose--if someone wants to put their dwarf in a 20g, go right ahead, but be prepared for that dwarf potentially becoming aggressive and dedicated solely to escape attempts.
I guess this kind of leads into my point of "minimums should not be heavily used other than to discourage the use of pet shop cages like CritterTrails, you know, the reason why a minimum was created to begin with", but that's for another day lol.

So in your opinion, will it be ok to out a (male) Syrian in a 930in² cage? (With no possibility of upgrading?)

[rose1618]

So in your opinion, will it be ok to out a (male) Syrian in a 930in² cage? (With no possibility of upgrading?)

Im just gonna answer this lol, even tho the question isn’t for me. I think it’s ok to put a male in that size of cage, but not with no possibility of upgrading. I think if your gonna get a hamster, you should be able to upgrade. I mean, if you have a 3000 ^2 cage, and have no possibility of upgrading, that’s fine, but if your hamster is bored, I think that it is your responsibility to upgrade. Obviously, their are special circumstances, but I think in general, you should be able to upgrade if getting a hamster.

[Robin~]

So in your opinion, will it be ok to out a (male) Syrian in a 930in² cage? (With no possibility of upgrading?)

Quite honestly, I wouldn’t get any hamster if you’re completely unable to upgrade. I suppose there’s the example rose gave where if you have a 3000sq in cage it’s pretty reasonable for you to be unable to upgrade (most hamsters would be happy with that, after all), but otherwise I think it’s vitally important to provide your hamster with what they need. Refusing to at least try to better the situation with something simple like adding on a large bin cage just doesn’t feel right. I feel like I can’t exactly go into more detail on my opinion since I know a lot of people are in this situation, but that’s my general idea. I mean it’s “unpopular opinions” but I don’t want to start anything lol.

[♥~Whitewhiskers~♥]

not just hamsters but I think no exotic animals should be pets. Dogs are fine as pets, cats I think should not be pets either. Funny thing is I like cats more than dogs. Cats cause a lot of problems, they get into the wild reproduce and kill tons of natural wildlife. They knock off the balance of nature and ive read they had badly impacted some places. That is also due to owners allowing it and people having "outdoor" cats. thats but another thing.

 

I think no person is really capable of giving "exotic" animals proper care. We may think its good or whatever but at the end of the day even our best care is nothing compared to the wild and how they should be living

(so I agree with the OP's opinion) 

 

 

For the other I don't like drawfs. I think thyer feet looks weird. They are big and look out of place. I have only held a dwarf once irl and it had huge feet. I just like syrains. due to the size. id love a hammy the size of a GP lol

I just wanted to ask - did you mean “exotic” such as like alligators, or exotic as anything thats not a dog or cat? 

[SS710]

I just wanted to ask - did you mean “exotic” such as like alligators, or exotic as anything thats not a dog or cat? 

 

Exotic animals is a term for animals not native to where you live, so owing an animal from another climate/area. I am not sure if you can even legally own an alligator. at least not without some permits. I know now you need permits for a lot of stuff that is deemed not a normal pet. But again there are states that dont have laws against cetiona animals so its free game. 

 

But pretty much if the animal is not native to where you live You cant really give it a proper life, Sure there may be some exceptions like an ant but even at that point ants travel a ton and being an ant house or even a thing like Ants Canada on youtube has its not the same and in the wild they would have freedom. They may live longer in captivity but that doesn't mean their quality of life if better, just less pray and stuff that can go wrong. 

Edited by SS710, 02 December 2020 - 11:24 AM.

[♥~Whitewhiskers~♥]

Exotic animals is a term for animals not native to where you live, so owing an animal from another climate/area. I am not sure if you can even legally own an alligator. at least not without some permits. I know now you need permits for a lot of stuff that is deemed not a normal pet. But again there are states that dont have laws against cetiona animals so its free game. 

 

But pretty much if the animal is not native to where you live You cant really give it a proper life, Sure there may be some exceptions like an ant but even at that point ants travel a ton and being an ant house or even a thing like Ants Canada on youtube has its not the same and in the wild they would have freedom. They may live longer in captivity but that doesn't mean their quality of life if better, just less pray and stuff that can go wrong. 

Thats what I assumed for the moment, I completely agree. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t saying anything besides a dog or cat shouldn’t be kept as pets! Lol. 
 

I completely agree, actually here in florida you can keep alligators/crocodiles, they sell baby caimans at my local reptile store...
 

I don’t really like the idea of ants as pets, I mean the whole purpose of their life is to make ant hills and collect food, if they are just gonna live in tubes with food handed to them, what enrichment would they get, y’know? *shrug*

[corohamu]

Lighthearted unpopular opinion
Wooden wheels are overrated and they seem like they'd get smelly quick

Actual Unpopular opinion
If you are unable to fully financially support all the necessary aspects of owning a hamster and providing it with humane care, you should not own a hamster.

Cut for length

Spoiler

If you are not financially independent, this means: disclosing to your parents all relevant costs and their level of involvement before actually getting the hamster.

This includes: possible veterinary costs on top of the upfront cost of purchasing the supplies, food, cage, accessories, toys, etc + maintenance purchases of things that require replacement like bedding and sand. Possible costs associated with DIY which may require the use or rental of power tools on top of raw materials.

This also includes: their role in driving to and from pet shops, to the vet, to the hardware store, to the craft store, wielding power tools, assembling furniture, moving furniture, etc etc.

So much of what I see is parents unwilling to buy in to a hamster's need for more space (which requires more money, more time, more involvement) when the need for an upgrade becomes apparent. If you are unable to make the necessary accomodations yourself, it is vital that you get the support of someone who is able and willing to do it for you, preferably before ending up in a tough spot in the first place.

'but if I do that, then my parents won't let me get a hamster!'

Hmm. Perhaps, if you are not able and willing to accommodate your pet's needs, you should not own that pet?

[willa]

Second unpopular opinion: 

Cage cleaning is not that stressful. People talk it up as being the most stressful thing in the world, but in my experience (at least with my two russian dwarves) they hardly notice as long as I have some of their old bedding and toys incorporated. The concept of keeping all of that bedding is for the sake of you wallet more than your hamster, especially in massive enclosures (which is totally fine and legitimate-- but I don't think the idea of near full-cage cleans should be portrayed as stressful/agitating, but rather a money saving tip). 

I'm going to have to disagree :-)

My hamster, remy, always got extremely stressed whenever I put him back in his enclosure- This includes wall scaling, pacing, and other stress related behaviors.

I noticed he never displayed these behaviors until after he was put back in his enclosure after I did full cleans.

 

When I was told that full cleans were unnecessary, I was released, and surprised.

Afterwards, I only did burrow cleans, where remy mainly peed, and he hardly noticed and never showed stress behaviors afterwards.

 

I understand how all hamsters are different, meaning that we've all had different experience with full cleans, but I just wanted to add this. <3

In addition, I think when people mention that it's a big money saver, its more of an additional benefit than a reason to not do full cleans, if that makes sense. ●‿●

[Pippapotamus]

I'm going to have to disagree :-)

My hamster, remy, always got extremely stressed whenever I put him back in his enclosure- This includes wall scaling, pacing, and other stress related behaviors.

I noticed he never displayed these behaviors until after he was put back in his enclosure after I did full cleans.

 

When I was told that full cleans were unnecessary, I was released, and surprised.

Afterwards, I only did burrow cleans, where remy mainly peed, and he hardly noticed and never showed stress behaviors afterwards.

 

I understand how all hamsters are different, meaning that we've all had different experience with full cleans, but I just wanted to add this. <3

In addition, I think when people mention that it's a big money saver, its more of an additional benefit than a reason to not do full cleans, if that makes sense. ●‿●

You're welcome to disagree. Kind of the point of unpopular opinions, lol. 

[docteurshepherd]

Actual Unpopular opinion
If you are unable to fully financially support all the necessary aspects of owning a hamster and providing it with humane care, you should not own a hamster.

 

 

 

Only the hottest takes here ;)

 

I'm actually not really sure if I have an unpopular opinion. I guess I could reiterate what was already said about not always being able to adopt. I'm very rural and that's just not a realistic option for me. Also wow at the original posters dislike for syrians lol. I don't really like dwarfs but man, you REALLY don't like them.

 

Actually I just thought of one. This is really going to be unpopular. When people say if you can't afford a vet, don't have a hamster or animals in general. I think blanket statements like that are really unhelpful, and aren't realistic. Some folks are way out in the country like myself and may not have a vet that cares for their type of animal, or, here's the biggest thing. Animals are a commitment, hamsters less so as their lifespans are so short, but still a commitment. For example, I got Francis before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit. Lots of folks lost jobs, went out of business, are struggling financially in so many ways and this was completely unexpected. You can't always prepare for this, so again, saying hey you shouldn't have a pet is so unhelpful. Honestly that's one thing I despise about pet or animal keeping communities in general, there's so much judgement.

 

As for non serious, I don't know. I guess just not liking dwarfs. I don't really find them that cute, and they seem like they'd be way more squirrely.

[Alis]

Only the hottest takes here ;)
 
I'm actually not really sure if I have an unpopular opinion. I guess I could reiterate what was already said about not always being able to adopt. I'm very rural and that's just not a realistic option for me. Also wow at the original posters dislike for syrians lol. I don't really like dwarfs but man, you REALLY don't like them.
 
Actually I just thought of one. This is really going to be unpopular. When people say if you can't afford a vet, don't have a hamster or animals in general. I think blanket statements like that are really unhelpful, and aren't realistic. Some folks are way out in the country like myself and may not have a vet that cares for their type of animal, or, here's the biggest thing. Animals are a commitment, hamsters less so as their lifespans are so short, but still a commitment. For example, I got Francis before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit. Lots of folks lost jobs, went out of business, are struggling financially in so many ways and this was completely unexpected. You can't always prepare for this, so again, saying hey you shouldn't have a pet is so unhelpful. Honestly that's one thing I despise about pet or animal keeping communities in general, there's so much judgement.
 
As for non serious, I don't know. I guess just not liking dwarfs. I don't really find them that cute, and they seem like they'd be way more squirrely.

I don’t know if this is disagreeeing, but I think you shouldn’t get an animal if you know it’s not going to get the necessary care.

I own a dwarf, and he’s adorable and cuddly. I guess it depends on the dwarf

[docteurshepherd]

I don’t know if this is disagreeeing, but I think you shouldn’t get an animal if you know it’s not going to get the necessary care.

I own a dwarf, and he’s adorable and cuddly. I guess it depends on the dwarf

Not really disagreeing but you didn't really address anything I said either, just kinda threw on a blanket statement again.

[willa]

 

I agree with alis, what she was saying is that if you know you can't upgrade/provide the necessary care for an animals, why get it? What you said about the pandemic is obviously an exception since you could not have expected that many people would lose their jobs and such.

 

Again, people are saying if you are aware that you can't properly care for an animal, you shouldn't get it, which is kind of obvious.

And how are, as you said, "blanket statements" like how if you can't afford a pet you shouldn't have it, they supposed to be helpful? It's being realistic, honestly.

 

However, when saying that, it isn't referring to your situation, how the pandemic came. It's referring to people who go and buy a pet while knowing they can't afford a vet, or knowing that they can't afford a decently sized enclosure, which IMO is wrong and should be considered something like an impulse buy.

 

I'm assuming what you're saying is that's okay?