Everything You Need to Know About Hamsters

Hamsters are small, desert-dwelling rodents that have hit it big in the pet industry. There are now several types of hamsters available as pets, the most common of which is the Syrian or golden hamster.

  1. Species

    • Growing up to 7 inches long, the largest species of pet hamster is a Syrian. Smaller species that grow up to 4 inches long are called dwarf hamsters and include the Russian, winter white, Chinese and Roborovski, which grows only to about 2 inches long.

    Food

    • Hamsters are primarily vegetarians, preferring seeds and hay as their basic diet. Dwarf hamsters eat the same diet but also eat small insects.

    Active Time

    • All hamster species sleep during the daytime, but are often active around dawn and dusk. Many hamsters are active all night long.

    Temperament

    • Chinese and Syrian hamsters are aggressive with other hamsters and need to be housed alone. The other types prefer to be housed in pairs or small colonies.

    Warning

    • Never disturb a sleeping hamster of any species, except in dire emergencies. Being woken from sleep will cause any species of hamster to bite.

    History

    • According to "Hamster," a book by Betsy Sikorna Siino, all domestic Syrian hamsters descend from a pregnant female captured in the desert in 1930 by zoologist Israel Aheroni.