There are several different types of hamsters kept as pets. Syrian, Campbells Russian Dwarf, Siberian Winter White Dwarf, Roborvski and Chinese. The largest of these is the Syrian and the smallest is the Roborvski. All hamsters have cheek pouches in which they carry their food to their nest for storage.

Lifespan ranges from 2-3 for Syrians to 1-2 for most of the dwarfs.

Syrian hamsters are solitary creatures that are best kept singly once they are fully mature. In particular mature females will fight for territory and could kill each other.

Russians, winter whites and roborovski are much happier in pairs or small family groups. So when getting these it is best to get 2 of the same sex from the same litter. It is possible to introduce 2 older ones to each other but can take time to let them get used to each other and they should not be left alone together until you are sure they have bonded.

Hamsters are nocturnal animals, which means they sleep during the day and are active in the evening and at night time. They should be allowed to sleep during the day, if they are constantly aroused when they are sleeping it can affect their health detrimentally.

Housing

There are several options for housing hamsters:

Wire cages - Must be of an adequate size. For a Syrian hamster I find the Warsaw or the Gimmy cage are 2 of the best to meet their needs. Plastic cages are a bad idea for Syrians in my experience as some of them will chew through the plastic. For dwarf hamsters the tall cage is not so good as they cannot climb as much.

Glass aquarium - Should be at least 60cmx40cmx40cm, better if it is bigger still and should be filled with toys to climb and chew. Must be covered with wire mesh to prevent escape and keep the hamster safe from predators.

Display unit - such as the arena play station. This type of cage provides an easy to clean state of the art hamster home, complete with nest boxes and plenty of ramps and platforms for climbing.

Whatever style of caging you use you must provide a nest box for the hamster to sleap in and store it's food, also a wheel is a must. Some of the cages come with a wheel in the deal, not all of these wheels are very pleasing to the hamsters though, if you find your hamster isn't using the wheel then check if it runs easily, is large enough for the animal and doesn't have rungs that their feet can get caught in. The closed mesh wheel is safe, a good size and runs well.

It is a good idea to vary the toys that the hamster has in their cage to provide interest and prevent boredom.

The cage should be placed somewhere reasonably quiet in the household so they don't get disturbed during the day too much. It should be away from draughts or strong heat sources such as a window in the sun or on top of a heater. They should not be allowed to get too cold in the winter or they may hibernate.

Bedding

Traditionally pine shavings have been used for a cage substrate, but recent studies have shown that the phenols released can be harmful to the hamsters health. Cedar shavings should never be used as the phenols from these are highly toxic.

Safer beddings are Hemp bedding such as Carefresh, paper litter, aspen or newspaper. Obviously the newspaper can be a little smelly with the carefresh probably having the best absorption and being the least smelly.

They should also be provided with nesting material, toilet paper or some similar material formaking a cosy nest for sleeping. There are wooly beddings available, but care needs to be taken with these to make sure they are safe and there have been cases of hamsters getting them stuck in their pouches or wrapped around their feet.

Feeding

Hamsters are seed and grain eaters, they should be provided with a good quality hamster mix, I recommend the Prestige Hamster Nature. They can also be given small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. I find they particularly like broccoli, cucumber, lettuce and very small amounts of berries.

As their teeth grow constantly they must be provided with things to chew to keep them worn down. Fruit branches can be good for this, but they must not be sprayed. If you have no acces to suitable fruit trees things like the Parsley Bell or the Carrot Wood Roll can be good alternatives.

Handling

Hamsters that receive regular and gentle handling from when they are young will usually be remain manageable. If they are not used to handling they will often bite.

As they are nocturnal it is best to limit handling to the evening and night time until you are sure of them, they should be left to sleep during the day, sometimes they will be up for short periods but they will still be sleepy and could be grumpy.

When you bring your new hamster home it is best not to force them to be picked up at the start, remember everything around them is new and you will smell strange to them. Let them get used to their new surroundings and your smell. You can put your hand in the cage from time to time but don't try to pick them up for the first few days. When they have settled in the best approach to take at first is to put the tube from a roll of kitchen paper into the cage and encourage them to crawl into it, then take the tube out and allow them to crawl into your hand.

Health

As mentioned before their teeth grow constantly, occasionally, if they are not chewing hard things enough, this can lead to the teeth getting overgrown. It is important to keep an eye on your hamsters teeth and if you are worried take them to a vet.

There aren't many health problems to worry about in hamsters normally. One thing that must be seen by a vet as soon as possible is wet tail. It is called this because it gives the hamster extremely bad diarrhoea and there rear end including the tail will be very wet and nasty. Any diarrhoea in hamsters should be seen by a vet immediately.