im thinking of getting my daughter a hamster for her birthday
is a syrian best for her?

what cage is best? i want plastic and no bars (or only bars at opening at top)
i want a fairly large cage with lots to do but no more than 2 tiers high

thanks

A Syrian would be best as they are bigger and slower (well, they are suposed to be!). I highly encourage you to purchase one from a breeder rather than a pet shop. Pet shop hammys can be agressive, unhealthy critters sadly. Where abouts are you? Someone will be able to point you in the right direction of a good breeder.

Not sure on the cage, I think a ZooZone would probably be your best bet but I know very little about those cages. I have a Savic Hamster Heaven which is a great size and quality but it is a barred cage.

Are you sure that getting a hamster for her is the best idea? Obviously I know nothing of you, your daughter or your situation but there are always horror stories of children getting bored with hamsters and them then getting neglected (the hamster, not the child ).

Also, make sure you do plenty of research re health, diet, enrichment (sp?) etc before getting one (which I assume you are as you are posting here ).

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I think a Syrian would be best as they are easier to handle and tame than a dwarf hamster. As for the cage then most people on here with Syrians, myself included would go for an Hamster Heaven which is quite a large hamster cage but unfortunately has bars which you don't want. Is there a reason you don't want bars?

If you really do want an all plastic one you would need a largeish one for a Syrian hamster, maybe something like a large Zoozone cage. I don't like the all plastic ones though because I think they are very easy to crack when you are washing them.

My 10 year old got a Chinese hamster last week for her birthday and she is in an habritrail ovo loft with two extensions on but unfortunately they aren't big enough for Syrians.

I may or may not be alone in thinking that a hamster is not the best pet for a child (though we are conditioned to believe that hamsters and rabbits are 'ideal' pets for children, it often isn't true).

Have you thought about rats? They are much more interactive and friendly - are much like little dogs in that respect; they will be able to learn their names and commands and will always be scrabbling at the bars of the cage to meet your daughter. In my opinion they are much more dependable tractability-wise.

I do think hamsters are fantastic pets and I love my hamster immensely - but I do not think they are the ideal pet for a child.

If your heart is set on a hamster, though - the cage (for a Syrian) should be no smaller than 60cm in length (I personally would not put my hamster in anything less than 80cm). Height isn't particularly important - a one level cage would be fine. If you wanted a tank-style cage, I would recommend the Duna.

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Kate x
Oscar the dog
Rufus the cat
Manny, Floyd, Boba, Maida, Nilda, George, Tom, Tiny, William & Eugene the rats
Bobby the hamster

The problem with hamsters is that being nocturnal that they only usually come out when children are in bed so they don't get much fun from them.

No they aint They are whatever the name is for animals that come out at dawn and dusk

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That's nocturnal isn't it?

Nope *googles*

Crepuscular! Hamsters are Crepuscular

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Bobby wakes up whenever he thinks there might be food.

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Kate x
Oscar the dog
Rufus the cat
Manny, Floyd, Boba, Maida, Nilda, George, Tom, Tiny, William & Eugene the rats
Bobby the hamster

Hehehe, Luna wakes up to chew the bars as soon as we get into bed

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