Friday, July 31, 2009

Our hamster died. How do I explain to a 3 yr old?

Worst day ever. Our landlord said we could have a dog, so we gave away Tito, a jack russell to a co-worker and my son was crushed. So he deceied to go play with Sally the hamster... but she was... uh so tired n sleepy. We were going to go replace her, but not sure if we should? Is that ok to lie to him? Also we just replaced her cage a few nights ago. Could change in her enviroment cause her death? Weve taken her out tons of times.
Answers:
It might of been a natural death. I think you do need to sit down and try your best to explain very simply about death. Tell him it wasn't his fault. Perhaps, you could have a funeral for the hamster (with a little box) you could say prayers or have some brief observation. Let your child say something or draw a picture to include with it, and bury it together. I've heard of parents doing this. It seems to work. Then go out and get a new hamster together, so he feels a little more empowered.
Good luck and take care.
I'd suggest telling him that his hamster had to go away, but that it's to a happy place where all the hamsters are free to run around and have fun. I'm not really sure...
3 years is an unusually long life 4 a hamster... and hamsters are generally vicious things, i iadvise a dwarf breed of rabbit.
well, just explain to your son that hamster went to a better place where all his friends and family is.
and get a new one.
Hi.
My hamster, Molly, just died two nights ago. It's hard to lose pets. It may be hard for your son to deal with it, but most people agree that telling him the truth would be your best bet. If your hamster was sick, it might be a comfort to know that she will never be uncomfortable again.
I wouldn't suggest getting another hamster. Their life span is about 100 days, and they get sick a lot before they die. My family has spent probably 500 dollars on our last two hamsters, just to keep them comfortable before they pass. If you're into them, turtles live a very long time. Dogs are good, too, but people get even more attached to them. But if you think you can handle it, maybe it's okay for you to get attached to something with a short lifespan.
Changing her cage could have done it, but don't blame yourself for that. We change our hamsters cages all the time, and they're fine. They need the change in environment- it's good to stimulate your animals with that sort of thing. There are tons of things that can kill our pets that don't occur to us to worry about (some types of dyes and some herbs which we eat frequently). Most likely, your hamster was just getting old. They can die very unexpectedly if they don't get sick before they die.
I'll try to find a website that mentions foods you shouldn't feed your pets, but it's not a huge concern most of the time.
Certainly don't blame yourself! Sorry about your hamster. She's playing in the sky with mine, now :)
i would go out and find a same one that looks like your hamster , My parents did that for me when I had a hamster , they still do .I hope this helps . good luck .-B-
say our hampster is in a vacation to a nice place
well...u could tell him that it "ran away"
You Should Set him on the couch and talk to him like a adult.
Tell him the hamster went to a better place and is happy the and he will see him when he dies in about 80-90 years.
Don't lie to your kid. If you lie to your kid then you are telling him that it is OK to lie. That is not Ok. It is bad for your child's overall behavior. Just be honest about it. He will deal with it the way he deals with it. And that is good for him. Tough love. He needs it so he won't become a baby. Not to be mean. Tell him the truth.
i would get rid of your hamster get another one like it in better condition, and no it is not ok to lie to your 3 year old sun.

matt

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