GainesvilleMoms.com

I found this article on Yahoo...American Acedemy of Pedatrics says families with kids younger than 5 shouldn't have hamsters or other non-traditional pets due to the risk of contracting salmonella and other diseases Link

We bought H a hamster for her 5th birthday, but we keep a bottle of hand sanitizer right next to the cage and the kids know that after they play with Maddie (short for Madison...) they sanitize their hands and arms. And we dont' kiss Maddie...

I think it's all in what you teach your kids. For instance, my kids know not to touch her when I'm not around. In fact, H learned that lesson the hard way when she pulled the aquarium that Maddie lives in down off the shelf and shattered it in her room.

WELL when my first was a baby, I got a cockatiel named boo boo bird and my sister got some birds from the same pet shop and then she developed this strange illness and was hospitalized for a week with a 105 degree fever which ended up being caused from her bird. Now since we had gotten them from the same pet store, I was told I had to put boo boo and his cage outside away from the baby. and a hawk came and swooped down and ate boo boo bird in front of my very eyes. Very traumatic for me.

We have a hamster...but my three year old never holds it. I will have to make sure my older kids wash well after holding him. I knew about the reptiles...but not the hamster!!

I'm with you Karen, I knew about reptiles and the icky things they can transmit but I would have never thought about a furry hamster! Of course, we have multiple cats so a hamster wouldn't be a good choice anyway but still, good to know! I hate all of the good intentioned albeit ignorant advice I was given about not keeping cats once we had kids and how I had to put them outside and keep them away from the kids! Two of our cats in particular slept in the crib at the foot when both kids were very new and when the kids would stir or need something, the cats would come get me if I wasn't there fast enough! I have many pics of the kids laying on the cats, sound asleep and the cats just sit there with them. They have been wonderful pets and as my "first kids" I would NEVER consider shutting them out of our daily life!

Michelle; I have cats too and it is amazing how tolerant they are of my kids!! My 3 year old is very gentle with them but she is also very loud sometimes. My kitties just cringe and look at me like "is she gonna be this loud for a long time?" They also love to climb around in her toys...like getting in the beds she makes for her 'babies'. She will come running to me and tell me one of the kitties is in her babies bed and it is like she is tattling on another sibling, lol

ps...and the hamster....my cats are scared of him.

quote:

Originally posted by klmorg:
Michelle; I have cats too and it is amazing how tolerant they are of my kids!! My 3 year old is very gentle with them but she is also very loud sometimes. My kitties just cringe and look at me like "is she gonna be this loud for a long time?" They also love to climb around in her toys...like getting in the beds she makes for her 'babies'. She will come running to me and tell me one of the kitties is in her babies bed and it is like she is tattling on another sibling, lol

ps...and the hamster....my cats are scared of him.

OMG that is hilarious! Actually just after I posted that entry, Macy called me to come help her, there was something wrong. I walk over to the TV/game area they have and she is sitting in her Dora chair with her back to me and I can see she is playing with the InteracTV thing but it's not changing so I thought it needed to be reset. I go to grab the DVD and she says "No Mommy, nothing is wrong there, its here!" so I look at her and one of the cats has just climbed onto her chair and basically flopped down all the way across her, arms and all, and she cannot get to the controller!! LOL

And yes, she will come and tell me when the kitties fight or knock something over. I am not sure who has more fun, her with the cats or the cats with her! (I also get the "look" when Zane is being loud and fussy, esp from the only Mama kitty)

Oh Kristin...that is HORRIBLE!! I'm so sorry