First rodent? - Paw Talk

**Sasami** · #1 07-15-2007, 02:39 PM

I thought it would be fun for everyone to post about their very first pet rodent

.

Mine was Ginger, a Syrian hamster. I think I got her when I was in fourth grade. She was really sweet and acted like a little dog

. Once she escaped and I didn't know until I was in my room getting dressed and felt something licking my foot

.

I don't know exactly how long she lived but it was at least over a year. I remember because I made her a little birthday cake with seeds and yogurt.

I do have one very blurry picture of her but since we just wiped the hard drive I don't have it saved.

mtmaughan · #2 07-15-2007, 04:46 PM

Mine was a hamster that they were giving away at Petsmart. My brother had just gotten one and so he and his girlfriend brought that one home for me. He was an orange teddy-bear and I named him Pumpkin. He was obviously quite old when I got him, and very well socialized. He would just sit in my lap and go to sleep. I had him only a few months before he passed, but I know that he was happy with me.

Kendalle · #3 07-15-2007, 05:00 PM

mine was a hamster that i got when i was really little.. i was maybe 6 or 7 she was $3 at the petstore and named her zippatee

Rodie61 · #4 07-15-2007, 05:15 PM

There always were animals in the house when I was little. First rodent...this isn't easy. I'm thinking back 40 yrs!

I had two hamsters together in one cage when I was six. It's so vague now. They must have been dwarves because syrians can't be caged together.

Mousey · #5 07-16-2007, 12:12 AM

I don't remember my first hamsters but after that I got mice and I rememer who my first mice were. my boyfriend got a satin black girl named mini and I got a white and grey girly named Karma.

Southpaw · #6 07-16-2007, 01:35 AM

A cream banded long-haired syrian hamster named Snickers...I got him about 2 months after I turned 10, so almost 6 years ago (wow)!

I only had him about 9 months though; one day he got out of the cage (and I swear up and down to this day I did have it closed), and long story short: my dog Molly found him before anyone in my family did. This is all occurred within 30 minutes of me leaving for school, the vet tried all day to save him but it was just not working so my mom opted to have him euthanized. I'm glad she made that decision even though I wasn't there.

And then started my rodent obsession...

Amethystbelle · #7 07-16-2007, 08:40 AM

Mine was a hamster too, i had her for nearly 3 years and she was called Pepper

She was closely followed by rats, mice, more hamsters before being taken over by degus

Padfoot · #8 07-16-2007, 09:41 AM

Mine was also a syrian hamster. I was around 14 and my parents let me have a hamster at last after being begging for one for years My parents are not really fans of animals and always wanted the animals in the backyard, so the hamster became the first pet that was all her life inside the house, and even though it was in the garage that I kept her. Her name was Chiquitin, was a golden syrian hamster and she was so clever! I had her leash trained so I could give her play time in the garage. She would walk around putting into her pouches everything that she found, and then, when I was going to take off the leash I would say "empty your cheeks" and she would, so I could take off the leash and check what she had and take off anything that might be dangerous (there was always food leftovers at the garage cause that's were my nieces, who were 4-5 at the time, watched tv and had snacks. I have a pic of her, but it's in my external hard drive and I'm at my sister's house right now, so I'll post it when I get home. 8)

Vanilla_Rat · #9 07-16-2007, 09:46 AM

My very first rodent was a hamster named Carmel when I was about 5-6.I don't remember much about her unfortunatly.

My first mice were Shadow and Pokey.They were both females,but Shadow happened to be pregnant when I got her.I was about 12.And she had 7 babies,all which I kept!

That started my mouse obsession.

And my very first rats were Adriene and Glenda.The funny thing was there was a lady selling them for $5 on the side of the road.I knew NOTHING about rats (this was 2001),but there were about 15 rats in a hamster cage and I felt bad,so I bought Adriene.The woman then gave me Glenda for free.It was on impulse and I had NOTHING for them,but I brought them home.Mom wasn't impressed (altho she likes rats,it was just because I wasn't prepared).But ayway we went and got stuff for them and I started researching and well I became ADDICTED to rats! Now I can't imagine life without a rat.

Skratikans · #10 07-16-2007, 12:23 PM

my very first type of rodent i had was mice...it was in 2001 and i was in a pet shop looking at feeder mice...i saw them and i had this sudden urge to get them...it just seemed like the stars aligned and it was the time to get them bc since then i have had mice then hamsters, rats and most currently guinea pigs....

mice will always be my first and best rodent pets bc they introduced me into the world of rodents and how misunderstood they really are

Jess · #11 07-17-2007, 03:24 PM

Mine was a teddy bears hammy named Honey. She was sick from the petstore, so she only lived a week ao 2.

Ive had over 20 hammies since her tho!

mulder · #12 07-17-2007, 04:09 PM

mine was my mousey girl, Muffy (from that show Today's Special). She was awesome, and a neato purpley grey colour. at the time i didn't know much about rodents so i'd never gotten her a friend, but boy did we have a great time. i'd take her our everday and she loved it. she'd go all in my sweater, around the couch. lick my hands, i could give her kisses on her back and she'd lick my hand back. she'd go nuts in her cage if i had a party, she'd insist on coming out and she'd go from person to person, via their hands lol. if no one held out their hands to pass her on, she'd jump from shoulder to shoulder, crazy girl. she lived 3.5 years with me, through 3 different locations, through many hard times. i loved that kiddo

Sarahha · #13 07-21-2007, 09:48 PM

Mine were two gerbils named Timber and Dale. I got them when I was 8 or 9 I belive. We were at the petstore geting things for my sisters frogs (I think it was her birthday or somthing) and my dad saw the gerbils and convinced my mom that I should get some. We bought a book on gerbils and brought them home along with a 10 gal. tank that soon expanded to a large wire hampster home, then two, and finaly all three linked together. When Timber was around two he excaped one night, shimmed under the door and my Jack Russle Terrier Scooter got him

A few months later, we got Dale a new friend and the gerbil saga continues from there... lol Dale died at the admeral age of four, hardy little fela. I belive it was a URI that finally got him. I still remember those little guys, gotta love 'em!

halfwaynowhere · #14 07-22-2007, 01:17 AM

I don't count the first hamsters, but I'll tell you all anyways... I was little at the time, so I don't remember all the details... Someone gave two boys to my mom, I think they were syrians, but honestly, I can't remember all that well. They fought, so we gave the mean one away, and kept the nicer one. my dad didn't know about him, so we kept him in the garage. My little brother went out to play with him and left the cage door open, and he got out, never to be seen again. We only had him for a few days, and I had very little contact, so I don't count him.
Guinea pigs are technically rodents, aren't they? I guess Squeakers was my first real rodent, then. He belonged to a friend of mine, they moved, and we took Squeakers (and Snowball, their rabbit). I don't have many memories of him, except of his death, and I'll spare the details.

**Dragonrain** · #15 07-22-2007, 01:56 PM

My first pet rodent was a grey and white teddy bear hamster that I named "Peeka". I don't remember how old I was when I got her, maybe around 7 or 8? She was cute - she had these two strands of hair near her butt that would always stick way out, it was funny. She lived 4 years.