Does a dwarf hamster make a good pet for a 7 year old child?

Answer 1

Any kind of hamster is good. I personally like teddy bear hamsters the best. Or you could look at some guinea pigs. They make GREAT pets for kids!

But remember that ANY pet is a living thing and must be cared for! Of the two, hamsters are much easier for a child to take care of. They tend to be solitary animals and need simple cleaning and exercise. Feeding is easy; they can eat most commercially-available hamster feed. They like to use exercise balls to run around the floor which is good for them and amusing for their owner.

Guinea pigs are far more complicated to take care of. As a long-time "piggie" owner I would not recommend them for a child under the age of 12.

Guinea pigs prefer to live in groups so you need to have two of them. Their cage has to be large enough for them to get exercise - usually about 1.5 to 2 square meters. Also they have specific dietary needs: lots of fresh water and a special kind of hay called timothy have to be available at all times or they can develop problems with their digestion or kidneys. Some commercial feeds still contain alfalfa although it's now known to cause gut problems. They also need to regularly have fresh vegetables like carrots, squash, etc. in limited amounts. Another factor arguing for an older child is that piggies require regular cleaning, usually two or three times a day. They tend to go to the bathroom wherever they are rather than using a specific place, and can develop foot sores if their flooring isn't kept clean and dry.