Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Hamsters are common household pets and are oftentimes good pets for young children who need to learn about taking care of another creature. Hamsters vary in size but do not typically exceed 7 inches in length. Choosing the right size hamster breed depends upon the type of environment in which the hamster will live.
Hamsters are small, furry animals that are often chosen as a child's first pet. Children enjoy watching the hamster inside it's cage and learning the responsibility of feeding, watering and cleaning the living space of an animal. Nocturnal and solitary in nature, hamsters typically live between one and three years. Of the many types of hamsters, only five are suitable to keep as pets.
The hamster is a common first pet for kids and even adults. These small, fast-moving rodents are commonly found in pet stores. They are known for a variety of behavior patterns, which exist among all species.
Popular in many countries as family pets, hamster domestication is relatively recent: only since 1930, when a zoologist found a mother and her young in the desert outside Aleppo, Syria, were hamsters household companions. The pocket-sized rodents are friendly and require easy care.
Pet hamsters generally fall under two catagories: dwarf breeds (such as Campbell's, Roborovski, and Winter White hamsters) or the much larger Syrian hamsters, which are among the largest hamsters in the world. However, there are also a dozen other species of hamster which live only in the wild, two of which grow even larger than the Syrian.
Learn how to tell the difference between breeds like Syrian, dwarf and Chinese hamsters in this free video series and guide.
Color, breed and play habits are things to consider in selecting a hamster. Learn more in this free video series and guide.
