When I had Graham in my town I gave him the hamster cage. Even though he was grateful and said how much he liked it, the cage ended up in Re-Tail that same week so I guess he didn't like it after all.
A few times when I had Paula, she asked me what kind of pet she should get if she decided to get one, since she was thinking about it; and one of the choices (which I picked) was a bear. XD