i had never heard of these robot hamsters before this past sunday. my SIL's niece just turned 5 and this was ALL she wanted. Her mom was already fighting in the aisles for this thing. She went to 6 different Toys R Us locations to find it, and its only Septober™( ^.^ ).

This robohamster shortage prediction is spot on.

Pouches are, indeed, funny.

Actual hamster wins in my book, inopportune pregnancies and all.

"One of" our leading hamster experts? There are others?

Hrm...I have no kids but my cat would absolutely LOVE one of those things...

@Chris Walters: Moneycat. Duh.

@hunter3742: Y'know, I hadn't thought of them as a very, very sophisticated cat toy. I like it.

@hunter3742: You are sooo right. I will go to ToysRUs to get my cat one.

@dpfizzle: what about sudden eye rot, nasty dirty looking testes, smell.....

@Laura Northrup: Moneycat sounds like more of a food critic expert on hamsters.

My daughter asked for a Zhu Zhu hamster last week. I had no idea what it was but figured I had plenty of time until Xmas shopping season. Guess I figured wrong. Meh.

Can you operate a Zhu Zhu Pet with Zhu Zhu pedals?

What are the age ranges for the Zhu Zhu hamsters? Maybe my cousins will get one for Christmas if they're only $10 each. That's a good price for a toy.

These things are just too. darn. cute. I want one.

Fortunately, even though she is only 6, I've already conditioned my daughter to expect that I will disapprove of anything that is popular (High School Musical, Hannah Montana, etc.) and/or expensive. Tightwad Mom FTW!

We need a "Provides Superlative Rectal Stimulation" row added to the chart.
Oh, wait. Did I share too much?

I can't be the only one who finds their unblinking beady eyes really terrifying, right?

They're watching you sleep!

@dpfizzle: I once saw my friend's hamster try to stuff a carrot in its pouch. Totally the most hilarious thing I've ever seen.

@mechteach: If I had children I would disapprove of HSM and Hannah Montana just because of the stupid messages.

@pecan 3.14159265: 4 to 8 years.

*sigh* Children of this generation are going to have absolutely NO responsibility. Half of taking care of something like a fish or a hamster is learning responsibility and seeing that it (unfortunately) will die if you care for it improperly.
These are the kids that are going to grow up trying to feed batteries to their children and washing it down with mountain dew.

In college we had a real hamster named Fatass. He escaped from his cage by chewing through it, but he usually stayed in the cage despite the gaping hole because that's where the food was. PROTIP: Hamsters can also get through the hole they created originally through more chewing, even if you, a poor college student who can hardly afford new hamster cages, duct tape it closed.

On the occasions when he would disappear, we knew he was either under a bed, the fridge, or the oven. We'd shine a flashlight under each of those spaces, and for whatever reason, he would run straight up to the flashlight and freeze when we shone it on him. Weird. He was an awesome pet though.

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli:

For next year, Zhu Zhu needs to come out with a model that poops and pees extravagantly, and bites with wild abandon. And randomly leaps in a six foot, pinwheeling arc, while doing all three.
After all, boys like robotic hamsters too; they just rate attributes a bit differently than girls.

Year Three: Laser Cannon Eyes. 'Nuff said.

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli:

These are the kids that are going to grow up trying to feed batteries to their children and washing it down with mountain dew.

So you're saying that I'm not supposed to be doing that with my cocker spaniel? Uh oh.

So, while we're talking Hamsters, what's the difference between them an Guinea Pigs?

No, this wasn't a set up for a joke. I'd really like to know, and since we have resident Hamster Experts...

This comment was pulled directly from my "comments I never ever would expect to post on Consumerist" file. So THERE is my joke quota for the day. Way to phone it in, self.

@Laura Northrup: I see your Dreamsicle and raise you a Mocha and his broccoli.

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli: It's not about kids learning responsibility, it's that I hate the idea that an animal's life is being used to teach responsibility, and I would feel really bad if the kid were to accidentally kill his or her pet. It would teach responsibility, but a pet would have died because of irresponsibility. At the same time, sometimes kids don't learn responsibility if the parent takes care of the hamster because the kids are simply incompetent, but the hamster lives at least.

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli:

"...trying to feed batteries to their children and washing it down with mountain dew."

Wait, is that wrong?

@Laura Northrup: AWWWinneecyoooote!!

I wish I could have rodents, preferably rats, but my cats would kill them :( Will have to get rats and then get kittens so they get pwnt by the rodents and know not to eat them.

@ArcanaJ: He's like SQUEEE BROCCOLI!!

@Applekid: They're both rodents, but hamsters are much, much smaller than guinea pigs. Hamsters are more akin to mice, except they have short stubby tails instead of long ones. Guinea pigs don't really have tails at all.

Hamster: [3.bp.blogspot.com]

Guinea pig: [api.ning.com]

@pecan 3.14159265: I definately understand that sentiment. I wouldn't want them to make a cat or even a hamster suffer. Fish, eh thats kinda questionable in my book.

The point is the kid learns BEFORE its too late, hopefully. I mean, I know people who have had hamsters and fish and what not and they've ALL DIED. And they want children. And I'm like.. um what now?

If you can't manage a dog, you shouldn't have a kid - either because you lack time or motivation or you just suck at being a parent or your apartment isn't big enough, whatever reason - a dog is a good starting point. If you can't have a dog, don't have a kid.

@Applekid: I believe they are technically a different species, though they're both rodents. Guinea pigs are larger. And they go "eee eee eee"

@ArcanaJ: Mocha's feet thing reminds me of that hot dog eater Kobayashi doing his little shake thing to get the hot dogs to go down. Funny stuff, although I think the Dreamsicle video is better.

@Trai_Dep: Richard Gere, is that you?

@ArcanaJ: ZOMG MOCHAAAAA!!!

He's, like, a great-great-great-great grandfather now. And/or dead of old age. Hard to believe.

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli: I thought guinea pigs all sounded like Chris Rock...

@Oranges w/ Cheese ontopofBrocolli: That reminds of a much older relative of mine. She liked parakeets, but she was disappointed that they rarely lived more than two weeks. Uh... Luckily, her poodle lasted much longer.

Hamsters are WAY cuter - these things can't touch that.

@Applekid: Guinea pigs are much larger than your standard pet hamster, make "eep" noises, and don't have eyelids or something, which can kind of freak you out if you're not used to it because they don't close their eyes to sleep.

There are actually many different species of hamsters in the world. They range in size to mouse-sized and tiny to big enough to intimidate a housecat. The most popular ones kept as pets are Syrian or golden hamsters (also "teddy bear," "black bear," "panda bear" - these are all the same species with different coat lengths and coloring, sort of like dog or cat breeds.) Russian (Campbell's) dwarf hamsters are also common pets. Two other species that are becoming more common are Chinese dwarf hamsters (bigger than the Russian ones and pretty cute) and Roborovski dwarfs, which are tiny, smaller than a mouse, and FAST. Totally cute though.

Laura, you forgot allergies on your chart. I doubt I'd be allergic to this robotic critter, but the real ones give me a runny nose. +1 to Zhu Zhu.

@Applekid: Guinea pigs tend to be less aggressive and more trainable, too. Hamsters are wicked little bastards.

@Laura Northrup: We need to arrange a Stare Down contest between a snake and a Guinea Pig. Separated by a pane of plastic, of course.

I refuse to buy anything with such awful grammar. Should be "so much fun" instead of "so fun.

Add, "Choking Hazard for Pet Burmese Rock Python Pets?" column?

@Pink Puppet: Siberians tend to bite the most, in my experience. Angry little things.

@hunter3742: Just what I was thinking while watching the broccoli and the bone shaped treat videos above.

@Trai_Dep: uhh... can we have Roz on Aisle Dep? Roz on Aisle Dep...