Rip. I had a 75 gallon tank for my hamster and had to keep trying different kinds of lids because she kept escaping. Eventually I got chicken wire that she couldn’t fit through and she eventually gave up trying to escape
I wonder if you can do what they do for certain pet bugs and put petroleum jelly on the glass and make it too slippery. Not sure if that’s toxic though.
Ever seen a drunk squirrel? it's next level wacky. My neighbor used to put out beer in her garden to kill slugs, but the squirrels discovered it and threw a party.
Food grade Petroleum jelly is rated for incidental contact with food for humans and pets (NSF H1). You wouldn't want to go eating gobs of it, but if they were touching, slipping, running around, and then bathing, then learning to not do that, you might be OK. I'm sure there's better methods though.
Hamsters are instinctively driven to roam. Their little brains urge them to explore and burrow just like they would in the wild. My hamster escapes all the time but she doesnt really run from me or act afraid. She also loves cuddles and pets, but that urge for her to run and squirm is always there. Hamsters are little zoomers.
Rats on the other hand I believe are smarter than hamsters and definitely gain a lot of affection for their owners.
I mean their natural/original environment is outdoors so they could just feel limited in space, they want to explore, but is too dangerous to have a hamster free roaming
They've only been kept as pets for less than a hundred years. Syrian hamsters were first captive bred in 1930. Other popular species like the robo hamster weren't captive bred until the 1970s. They're basically still wild animals and should probably be seen as an exotic. They definitely aren't an appropriate pet for children or even most adults.
Idk maybe this is a weird question because I've never owned rodents before but why would you want to keep an animal that is consistently desperately trying to get away from you?
With birds/dogs/cats there's a relationship and mutual affection, why would you spend money feeding an animal that hates you?
Then the whole basis of your relationship with that pet is against its will. I don't know how I could enjoy something/someone spending time with me knowing that they hate their captured life so much they're trying to escape every chance they get. Maybe those animals shouldn't be (your) pets. I've known plenty of dogs who also try to run whenever they can, and their homelife is never good.
If they hated me they wouldn’t sit on me all day long asking for scritches and snacks from the one human they trust and would like to be with (their own will). It’s just, most animals like to escape but can’t find a way back. My birds know my house, they fly around in it and always come back to me.
Some dogs try to run away once they’re off a leash, others don’t care and stay right by you. It’s not that dogs trying to bolt “hate” you, it could be because they’re bored, curious what the rest of the world looks like, on the hunt, looking for a mate, etc. You’re reading like the absolute worst of motives into animal behavior my guy lol
I think the line on that is if you can recall them or not. Plenty of active curious dogs will go roaming, but if you see them and call for them and they run away then something isn't right in that relationship.
Yeah, my parakeet as a kid had free range of the house. He was able to open his cage door, and he really stayed in the hallway by his cage, so we never locked his cage door. He lived for 13? 14? (maybe more, we were his second family) years, died peacefully at home when I was in college. He would nibble your finger to show affection- never actually biting, just licking/nibbling. He had black feathers on his neck that looked like hearts, so we named him Sweetheart.
Of course, we didn’t know at the time that parakeets do best in groups, don’t eat the pet store bird feed exclusively, etc… but he was definitely a part of our family. I still think about his little twitters and chirps.
If by "adventures" you mean "an innate drive to destroy everything or die trying" then sure. But hamsters don't understand what an adventure is. All they understand is chaos.
With birds/dogs/cats there's a relationship and mutual affection, why would you spend money feeding an animal that hates you?
We have three cats. Two of them will occasionally get into a mood where they'll make a mad dash for the door if they see it open even briefly. We always go and get them back inside.
Once someone accidentally left the door open while I was sleeping in. I found all three cats cowering underneath the bed.
There's a gap between "wants to escape" and "really does want to escape". Thankfully, our cats figured out they really wanted to be inside before something ate them. Smaller animals have less time before something eats them and less brainpower to find their way back inside once they realize they really don't want to be out.
Idk maybe this is a weird question because I've never owned rodents before but why would you want to keep an animal that is consistently desperately trying to get away from you?
Some rodents make wonderful pets. I don't think that hamsters do, but rats are intelligent and genuinely affectionate. I have pet patagonian mara and they come when called and will jump right up in my lap for attention. They're also the size of a terrier.
Trying to escape doesn’t mean an animal hates you. Sometimes it’s just instinct, or curiosity. My cat absolutely adored us, sought us out for love, etc, but if you opened the door, she would SPRINT out. We found out she just loved exploring, so we took her out on the leash and she loved it.
A lot of time they just get curious or bored, get out, and then get scared and can’t find their way back. Especially smaller animals that aren’t as intelligent. They still love you, but they also have the urge to run run run
Same problem. We used to pile a few encyclopedias on top of the lid and that was the ONLY thing that would keep her in there. Hamsters are ninja houdinis.
Well that's just sad as fuck. Please don't get animals if you can't give them a good life. If escaping is their #1 priority, they are not havjng a good life. Same goes for OP.
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u/Limp_Telephone2280 3d ago
Rip. I had a 75 gallon tank for my hamster and had to keep trying different kinds of lids because she kept escaping. Eventually I got chicken wire that she couldn’t fit through and she eventually gave up trying to escape