Hamsters
Hamster's have been bred in captivity and kept as pets in the U.S. since the 1930's. The Golden or Syrian Hamster is the most commonly kept Hamster and was originally imported for use as a laboratory research animal. Selective breeding has produced a broad range of color and coat variations of the Syrian Hamster such as the Teddy Bear Hamster. More recently Dwarf Hamsters have been imported from China, Russia, and Siberia. These Dwarf Hamsters are quite different in size, shape, coloration, and temperament than the Syrians.
Diet
Hamsters are seed and grain eaters who like chipmunks stuff cheek pouches with seeds to store in their nest. A typical Hamster mix contains Sunflower seed, milo, millet, peanuts and pelleted and extruded grain products. Special corn cobs and mineral blocks are needed to keep their teeth shaved down and healthy. Do not use the soft wooden blocks in the pet section they are not hard enough to clean and shave the teeth to the proper length. Food should be available at all times.
Occasionally small quantities of fresh vegetables and greens like romaine lettuce should be offered.
We also recommend 1 piece of hard dog food for crude protein and fat once to twice a week. Rolled oats should be offered to babies and nursing mothers for the empty protein they need.
Fresh water should always be available in a drinking tube or water bottle.
Housing
Hamsters are kept in cages, aquariums with wire screen tops, and plastic molded habitat modules. Cages are not commonly used any more because the hamsters scatter their bedding through the wires and out of the cage. Cages with a deep tray and narrowly spaced wires are still useful.
Aquariums with wire screen tops are much more commonly used. These are difficult for the hamster to escape from, keep the bedding in place, and are easy to clean. Many the the new critter cages will desocialize the hamsters. They can not smell you and it can be extremely difficult to get them out. Provide hiding places and other toys to keep them from getting bored and fat from lack of exercise. Closed exercise wheels are great for hamsters.
Dwarf hamsters require closed wheels as not to break their legs on the open wheels. Shredded aspen makes a great bedding and must be used with dwarf hamsters to prevent wet tail or a rash on their butts. It is not necessary to add prevent wet tail to their water when using the proper bedding and keeping it clean. With a proper diet vitamins are not needed.
Handling & Care
Golden Hamsters are not particularly social animals and do better when kept as individual pets. It is a good idea to purchase 2 young ones and ensure they are the same sex and they can be housed together. Putting two hamsters together in one cage invariably leads to fights that can be very fierce. Adult females in particular seem prone to aggressive behavior towards other hamsters when they have already marked their domain. When adding a new hamster to the habitat change all bedding wash all items in cage and rearrange the cage so it seems new to all hamsters.
The dwarf species of hamsters tend to be more social and get along in multiples if they are raised together.
Hamsters that receive regular gentle handling when young generally will continue to manageable. Ones that are not acclimated to regular handling tend to bite. The hamsters have a natural reflex to protect themselves. They are prey for many animals and it is inbred to protect themselves. This can be broken by handling.
Hamsters are primarily nocturnal, so handling them during the day can be a bit of a challenge since you are actually disrupting their natural sleep pattern. Don't try to pick up a sleeping hamster as they are liable to be startled by this and bite in self defense. It's better to wake the hamster first, and then try to pick them up by scooping them up in the palm of the hand.
Teddy Bear Hamsters tend to tolerate handling better than their shorter haired counter parts. Chinese Dwarves on the other hand tend to resist handling. We have found russian dwarf hamsters to be friendlier than any other hamster. They are more fragile than the larger hamsters and have very tiny legs. They reproduce at a quick turn over and when stressed as with all rodents will eat their young. It is always recommended to purchase 2 or more of the same sex, same size and preferably same time.
Traditionally pine shavings have been used as bedding material for this animals, but recent studies indicate that the phenols in pine that cause their aroma, also can lead to health problems in animals that have direct exposure over an extended period of time. Aspen bedding is a much better and safer choice. Never use cedar shavings for hamsters, as the phenols are very strong and cause serious respiratory and liver problems.
CEDAR SHAVINGS CAN KILL YOUR PET NEVER USE THIS WITH ANY SMALL ANIMAL.
