All About Hamsters
Hamsters are mammals and belong to the rodent family. The word rodent comes from a Latin word ‘rodere’ which means ‘to gnaw’.
In the wild, hamsters make underground homes in desert-like areas. The burrows are made up of lots of tunnels and different chambers where they keep their food and sleep. They have big cheek pouches which can expand to carry food and bedding back to the burrow. The word hamster comes from the German word ‘hamstern’ – it means to ‘to hoard’!
Most hamsters prefer to live alone, although some species will live as pairs. They can take time to become tame and need to have peace and quiet during the day because they are nocturnal.
If the temperature becomes too cold, they may go into a deep sleep called hibernation.
There are three types of hamster that are kept most often as pets. They are the Syrian, which is also sometimes called the golden, the Russian and the Chinese. They come in lots of different colours and lengths of coat.
Hamster dos and don'ts
Do take care when handling your hamster. You should pick it up very gently using both hands as a scoop and stay close over a flat surface. Hamsters move very quickly and are likely to jump if they are frightened.
Do feed you hamster a varied diet of hamster mix (a special mixture you can buy in pet shops) seeds, grains, nuts and washed fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables should be introduced to a hamster’s diet gradually as sudden large amounts of fruit or vegetables will give a hamster an upset stomach. If you’d like to see a list of the fruit and vegetables a hamster can eat look at:
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_fruit_vegetables.htm
Do keep a supply of fresh, clean drinking water in a drip-feed bottle with a metal spout.
Do make sure your hamster's home is large - keeping a hamster in a small cage is cruel - and kept in a warm place away from direct sunlight.
Do make sure you give your hamster a nest box inside their home. The hamster needs somewhere it can burrow out of sight to sleep and hoard food.
Do keep a clean layer of sawdust on the floor of their home with soft hay and clean white kitchen paper for bedding.
Do give your hamster an exercise wheel. Hamsters need plenty of exercise and will become ill without it.
Don't give hamsters food mixes meant for other animals as these might make them ill.
Don't use newspaper or cotton wool in your hamster's home as this could harm your hamster.
Don't keep more than one hamster in a cage. Apart from some dwarf hamsters who will live in pairs, hamsters prefer to live alone and may fight if they are together.
Don't let their home become untidy or dirty. You should tidy it every day and give it a thorough clean every week.
For lots more information about looking after your hamster visit the RSPCA's website where you can download a hamster care sheet.
http://www.rspca.org.uk.....&articleId=1154077755713
You can also find out lots more about hamsters at this website: