31 replies to this topic

[♥~kitkat7♥]

Do hamsters make good class pets?

Lets look at the facts!

 

 

-1 Classrooms can be Loud!

 

Classrooms can be extremely noisy! Hamsters have amazing hearing and it can really stress them out, when the enviroment is to loud. Escpecially with younger kids. 

 

 

-2 School usually don't want to put tons of money into care.

 

Schools want a cheap pet that needs a small cage. *IDEA*

Hamsters! They only need a small cage, food, dish, wheel, water bottle and substrate!

*FALSE* Hamsters need much more than that! A big cage, enrichment, mixed food, treats, toys, big wheel, lots of substrate.

 

 

-3 Hamsters are Nocturnal/Crepuscular!

 

Lots of kids want a pet they can see/play with during the day. Hamsters don't usually wake up during the day - It is very unhealthy to wake them up. There is no value in having a skool pet you can't see during the day time/school hours!

 

Lets look at cages schools have: https://www.google.com/search?q=school+pet+hamster&safe=active&rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS968US968&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4vYm0uLvzAhXVpXIEHQDfBxEQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&cshid=1633717659892792&biw=1280&bih=577&dpr=1.5&surl=1

 

Most cages we see (all basically) are too small!

 

 

Should hamsters be school pets?

Do they make good pets?

 

 

 

Please vote!

 

-nibbles

[Kikya]

As adorable as hamsters are, I don't think they make good class pets. For many of the reasons listed.

 

Kids like pets they can interact with or at least watch.

[12HamsterLover]

Hey! 

   I love the post that you have made. I do not think that hamsters should be a class pet. In fourth grade we actually had a class/pet hamster.(was a syrian) Thinking abt it now the care was absolutely TERRIBLE!!!!. We had one of these cages:https://www.wayfair.com/Tucker-Murphy-Pet%E2%84%A2--Large-Hamster-Cage-Gerbil-Haven-Habitat-Small-Animal-Cage-X117556419-L1314-K~W006445308.html?refid=FR49-W006445308_1065203362&PiID%5B%5D=1065203362

Just without all of the stuff inside. We hardly EVER cleaned the cage(probably abt every 2-3 months)and seeing how small it is we should have cleaned it more often. We used cedar bedding, it had around a 4 to 6 1/2 inch wheel, bedding didnt even go to the top of the tray, terrible diet, etc. When we had fun fridays we got to play with the hamster. (cant remember the name) I vivdly remember ME BEING A 9-10 YEAR OLD GIRL COMPLETELY DROPPING THE HAMSTER!!!! AND OFC NOBODY THOUGHT ANYTHING OF IT   . Oh that poor hamster. I also remember one of my classmates giving it a bath in the classroom sink and not drying her off and just putting her back in the cage. This just shows that hamsters really are not good classroom pets. Ugh this story always makes me cringe when i think abt it.

[RedPanda]

Class pets should not be a thing. They are too often accidentally abused.
  One of the SCIENCE teachers at my school has two hamsters: a young Syrian hamster in a ten-gallon and a hybrid dwarf in a five gallon. Both have pine bedding and one clear plastic hide and get to be taken out and held by all of the kids in this teacher’s class. This is a science teacher. I would have thought they would do their research, but no. They also have two guinea pigs, housed separately, each in 20-gallon aquariums. The hamsters don’t even have wheels. I don’t know what to do. 

Edited by RedPanda, 13 October 2021 - 08:27 AM.

[PeaThePeanut]

I agree, schools should NOT have class pets!

 

When I was in school, we had a plethora of pets including three chinchillas, two guinea pigs, three lab rats, one snake, one turtle and one other pet that I'm forgetting.

 

They were ALL abused ALL the time. In fact, one kid accidentally KILLED one of the chinchillas by letting it loose, then CHASING it around the classroom and he accidentally STEPPED on it and killed it. I was there when it happened and was traumatized. 

 

This should NEVER have happened, kids are not supposed to be with animals unattended. And we were often left with the animals unattended. Their care was appalling. The poor chinnies were in the tiniest little cage. The rats were in tanks, the guineas in a small cage too. The kids often would go from the guinea pigs to the snakes right away and wouldn't wash their hands so the snakes would smell guinea pig on them and constrict over their arms. It was awful. 

 

Looking back at it, I'm glad that I was able to interact with animals on a regular basis at school because my parents didn't allow me to have animals until I was much older, at the same time, I am so sad for those animals we had in school. They were treated so poorly. The point of animals in school is to teach kids how to be respectful of them, not to allow them to abuse them! 

 

I don't believe animals should be in schools unless it's a one time thing and they get to go home to their owners at the end of the day. To think that our school pets stayed at the school overnight is... it's terrifying.

[Lillias]

I'm going to disagree, slightly. There is a way to have class pets ethically (although in most cases that doesn't happen).

 

To do this properly, there would need to be a teacher who enforces proper care (this will inevitably mean that the teacher is buying supplies out of their own pocket), creates strict rules for the children (do not wake a sleeping hamster, wash hands before/after, etc.), and takes the hamster home during school holidays. None of this letting children run amuck unsupervised with an animal. If the rules are not followed, the children lose hamster privileges, and the hamster goes to live at home with the teacher.

 

I'm sorry you all had poor class pet experiences. It should be an opportunity to learn how to treat animals with respect. But it sounds like there was a total lack of guidance. The children shouldn't be the ones deciding the cleaning schedule, and they shouldn't be wandering around with the hamster.

[♥️fluffy♥️]

It can be done, most people won't take the steps to make it happen. Fish can be a good class pet, a 10 gallon aquarium could have a few fish in it, but some people put goldfish in bowls and small tanks which isn't okay.

[ajuniceu~]

I agree with Lillias. 

 

If the school and teacher is willing to provide the proper care and keep the kids in check (which could be done by only having school pets for older grades: perhaps fourth grade and higher), then I don't see a problem.

 

I'm not quite sure on the channel name but I do remember seeing a guinea pig channel on youtube with a good following (50,000+ subs) that was run by a teacher, and they had a nice, large size guinea pig cage (If I recall correctly it was a 2x8 c&c) for 3 guinea pigs.

[lil BIG dwarf]

I'm going to disagree, slightly. There is a way to have class pets ethically (although in most cases that doesn't happen).
 
To do this properly, there would need to be a teacher who enforces proper care (this will inevitably mean that the teacher is buying supplies out of their own pocket), creates strict rules for the children (do not wake a sleeping hamster, wash hands before/after, etc.), and takes the hamster home during school holidays. None of this letting children run amuck unsupervised with an animal. If the rules are not followed, the children lose hamster privileges, and the hamster goes to live at home with the teacher.
 
I'm sorry you all had poor class pet experiences. It should be an opportunity to learn how to treat animals with respect. But it sounds like there was a total lack of guidance. The children shouldn't be the ones deciding the cleaning schedule, and they shouldn't be wandering around with the hamster.

I definitely agree-overall it mostly won’t work, but I did have one teacher with a dwarf hamster. She was super sociable but was only handled if she woke up on her own. Her cage was about 700 sq inches and tucked away in a corner of the room. She took it home over weekends in its bin cage. I think overall it was quite a good setup, though all the students were at least 12.

[♥️fluffy♥️]

I definitely agree-overall it mostly won’t work, but I did have one teacher with a dwarf hamster. She was super sociable but was only handled if she woke up on her own. Her cage was about 700 sq inches and tucked away in a corner of the room. She took it home over weekends in its bin cage. I think overall it was quite a good setup, though all the students were at least 12.

Was it your class? Just wondering, it's great to hear hamsters with good care!

[lil BIG dwarf]

Was it your class? Just wondering, it's great to hear hamsters with good care!

 

Her hamster passed before I had her as a teacher (before I was 12, if this is the reason for your inquiry). She did end up getting another with good care as well.

[♥️fluffy♥️]

Her hamster passed before I had her as a teacher (before I was 12, if this is the reason for your inquiry). She did end up getting another with good care as well.

I'm confused now, you said before you were 12, but I thought you said you were under 12. Sorry if I'm being stupid.

[lil BIG dwarf]

I'm confused now, you said before you were 12, but I thought you said you were under 12. Sorry if I'm being stupid.

I had her as a teacher before I was 12, but when she had the hamsters everyone in her class was 12 or 13. Around the end of the year she got another hamster, when I was in her class.

[♥️fluffy♥️]

I had her as a teacher before I was 12, but when she had the hamsters everyone in her class was 12 or 13. Around the end of the year she got another hamster, when I was in her class.

But you said before I was 12 which means you're over 12, but you said you're under 12.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

But you said before I was 12 which means you're over 12, but you said you're under 12.

...this..sounds...quite confusing...