Are hamsters good pets for children?
Hamsters can be tricky with very young children. Older children will probably be fine with a pet hamster if you train them to handle it gently and respect its needs and wishes, but younger children should be continually supervised with the hamster. One concern is that young children can be impulsive or careless, which could inadvertently scare the hamster and end up with the hamster and/or child being hurt. Hamster bites are like razor cuts, because hamsters have very sharp front teeth. The bites aren’t that deep, but they definitely draw blood and cause significant pain. If a hamster is treated in an ungentle way, it will learn to be more aggressive and possibly become a biter. The child may not be deliberately cruel, but a young child doesn’t always realize, for example, when he/she is squeezing a hamster. That said, I got my first hamster when my boys were 7 and 4 1/2. However, I considered it as much (or more) my pet as theirs. I supervised my boys with the hamster at all times and
