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Captain Corea

Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:50 pm Post subject: Pets... |
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My wife, much to my chagrin, got a couple of hamsters for my daughter for Christmas. I've owned hamsters in the past and found them to be fairly annoying pets. They smell (a bit), they make messes, they chatter and rummage all night, and they rarely "play" with you.
In a sense, they suck as pets. They seem to have a whole bunch of negatives, and very few positives.... And I'm very tempted to find a way to get rid of them.
But what I'm wondering is this - does anybody else look at pets in the same way? Do you look at the burden vs possible return?
I mean, I love owning animals, and have had many pets in my life, but I've also come to realize that some just seem to be more bother than they're worth.
Thoughts? |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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I had a hamster once and had the exact same feelings you are having.
Not really cool pets at all; smelly, just want to eat or rummage and escape from the cage and don't really bond well with humans. I've had fish that were more interactive than hamsters. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't particularly care for hamsters myself but I do think a pet can be good for a young child if they are able to take care of it themselves (or with just a little help). |
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bekinseki
Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Location: Korea
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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My sister always had hamsters, and I pretty well agree with you.
And like Mix1, I have had a few siamese fighting fish that bonded more closely with me, even getting excited when I entered the room. |
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KNet229
Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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you should get rats. they're way better than hamsters (might be cheaper too)
I look as pets as a responsibility, but I've only had dogs. dogs are worth it because there's a sense of companionship with them. hamsters? ehhhh.... |
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NYC_Gal 2.0

Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| KNet229 wrote: |
you should get rats. they're way better than hamsters (might be cheaper too)
I look as pets as a responsibility, but I've only had dogs. dogs are worth it because there's a sense of companionship with them. hamsters? ehhhh.... |
The supplies for rats (ferret stuff mainly) can be pricey in Korea, but yes, rats are much better pets. Totally interactive and often really friendly. I used to have 2. One was kind of a ****, but the other one thought he was a dog. |
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Captain Corea

Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm surprised by how many ppl have suggested rats to me. Never thought of them before, but now I'm thinking they might be a possibility. |
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darkjedidave

Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Location: Shanghai/Seoul
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I feel the same way about cats. If I feed, provide litter and take care medically, it better let me pet or hold it. I had a cat that would hide in the closet and only come out to eat and crap, and try to bite when you'd pet or pick it up. While deal with that? It went to another home within a month. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:45 am Post subject: |
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| darkjedidave wrote: |
| I feel the same way about cats. If I feed, provide litter and take care medically, it better let me pet or hold it. I had a cat that would hide in the closet and only come out to eat and crap, and try to bite when you'd pet or pick it up. While deal with that? It went to another home within a month. |
And probably did the same thing with the new owner. Some cats just have issues i.e. aren't very tame or were abused earlier in life. Most house cats that don't have issues are very friendly.
Cats generally choose and accept the owner but if they don't then you're pretty much screwed and are now living with a borderline psycho animal that doesn't really want to be around you. A pretty sad situation and not good for either party. My sister's cat was like this for two years, then finally accepted things and mellowed out, but we had a massive yard and back alley so he had freedom and space to roam, but in an apartment forget about it...
As for rats, my neighbors had one and swore it was the coolest pet ever. They seemed like fairly normal people (i.e. not black leather clad goth tweakers or whatever rat owner stereotype you want to conjure up) so maybe there's something to rats. They said it was really friendly, playful and cuddly, but on the other hand, do you really want to look at that bald tail? Yuck. Unless it pooped out gold pellets I wouldn't want a rat in the house for anything.  |
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