Bearded dragon vs. Hamster: which is easier to take care of?
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Anonymous
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My 8-year old daughter has been begging to get a bearded dragon or a hamster for months. We already have two cats. She's getting new dresser that would give us room for a cage in her room, so I'm inclined to give and let her get one or the other.
Does anyone have advice on which would be easier to take care of and--most important to me--does not smell bad. I had a hamster when I was a kid and remember that cleaning the cage was disgusting. Any guidance would be very welcome! |
Anonymous
| Hamster is WAY easier. Be super careful about the cat whichever you end up with. |
Anonymous
| Do some research on hamsters or speak to a vet first. I read a very informative AMA on Reddit discussing how many of the things people do for hamsters is completely wrong. Too small enclosures. Many of the common toys are too scary for them. I'll try to find it. |
Anonymous
| Dragon hands down. Now it will take a gross poop which is small and you can scoop it out very easily. We love ours and he is almost cuddly. |
Anonymous
| Hamsters rustle around at night, so I'm not a fan. |
Anonymous
| Consider a gerbil! Very similar to hamsters, but they are desert animals and pee very infrequent. Cage is less smell and can be cleaned way less often. |
Anonymous
Sure, but it needs heat, uv lighting, and an insect colony to feed it. Also, vitamin and calcium supplements. They do need a large cage as adults as well, so that is a consideration as well. |
Anonymous
Nonsense. NP. It needs a cage with lighting true. Sometimes crickets or meal worms, but also eats majority lettuce, carrots, strawberries. Even meal worms and crickets can be dried. They are much more engaging than a hamster and are more hardy. Our dragons are 8 years old and still fun and playful. I never had a hamster live too long. |
Anonymous
| Both seem like undesirable pets. I'd get fish. |
Anonymous
That might be a pro for hamsters. 😂 |
Anonymous
| This entire thread is freaking me out 😩 |
Anonymous
| Will hamsters attract mice into your house? |
Anonymous
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Get a rat. Hamsters are bitey jerks. Bearded dragons are a whole different ballgame, I wouldn't get involved in reptiles if you aren't prepared for that. Rats are generally super friendly, great personalities, and live about as long as a hamster. Excellent pets.
Now the trick is how to get your daughter to come up with the rat idea on her own. Maybe tell her you are open to a furry rodent, but you want her to learn a little about 4 different kinds and tell you about them first. If she does a little reading, rat comes to the top of the list constantly. |
Anonymous
| Rats need to be in pairs, by the way. But that is even better for a caged pet choice. Do a little reading, you will probably be won over. |
Anonymous
+1. I've had my first beardie for 14y+. They are much more difficult and expensive than a hamster. Please don't get one unless you're willing to commit to it. This includes the dubia roaches and crickets, etc, and the expensive bulbs for UVB and heat, specialized vet bills, supplements, etc. They need much larger than the 20 or 40gal a pet store will try to sell you-they need more like a 4x2x2 absolute bare minimum. I love my dragon but my parents said they really regretted letting me get one while living with them because they are SO high maintenance, especially the feeder insects. Trying to find a pet sitter for them is difficult. You can automate a lot of the lights and heat with a Herpstat, etc, though. There are also plenty available through rescues. The adults eat about 80% greens like parsley, arugula, dill which are all inexpensive and easily available. It costs me $150 to walk in to a vet for a basic check-up. Be prepared to give medications including injection, clean teeth, trim nails, etc. If you get one, join the Advancing Herpetological Husbandry group on facebook. They have a specialized group for beardies, too. Or post here and I'll probably see it. Also, realllllllly watch any cats. One of ours knocked a heating lamp onto the carpet while we went grocery shopping and almost started a fire a few months ago. We walked in to a smoking rug. One of SO's coworkers had their cat kill their hamster, too. The best thing to do is have a separate room that is cat-free. The animals can still be stressed by the sounds and smells of the cat, too, so between the fire hazard risk and the rest of it just make life easy for yourself. A dresser is going to be much too small for a beardie tank and their poos can smell really terrible. I would not indulge your 8yo on this. However, there is probably a local herp society where she can see lizards and snakes and touch and hold them. Eight is when I became super interested in reptiles, too. Get her a subscription to NatGeo kids or Ranger Rick instead. You MAY be able to pull off a leopard gecko (all same beardie issues but no teeth to clean and a lot smaller) but they may not tolerate as much handling. One leopard gecko would do okay in a 40gal. Just note they live about 20y so get one from a rescue. They stay super cute as adults and have a cute tail wiggle when they hunt. You also don't need to feed them every day so as long as they have water an adult can tolerate a weekend (assuming automatic UV lights and heat) by themselves. A beardie can't really do that. |