Super Syrian's and how to care for them (Hamsters)

Member Name: perky_penguin

Product:	Hamsters
Date:	16/01/06 (2756 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Almost everything!!

Disadvantages: Short life span

I moved in with my boyfriend last year and we wanted to get a pet. A kitten was just not on the cards at that time and it wouldn't have been fair to get a dog as we both work full time.
We decided to get a hamster, as they are so much fun and easy to care for.

As Homer (my hamster) is such a content and happy little thing I thought I would share my experience of raising a Syrian Hamster with you.

~Syrian Hamsters~

I know quite a lot about hamsters from all the books I’ve read but checked out www.hamsterhideout.com for some factual information to help me write this section. This is a really good website that will help anyone preparing to buy a hammy.

The Syrian or "Golden" hamster as they are most commonly known are thought to have originated from the same litter of Hamsters found in a Syrian Desert in 1930.

Today they are the most common form of domesticated hamster and can grow up to 18cm in length (although my Hamster is no-where near as big as this at around 11cm in length)

Females are generally bigger than Male hamsters and you can tell the sex by looking at the rear end. Males have a sharper rear than Females. Personally I tell the sex by looking for testicles. The testicles on a male hamster (obviously) protrude behind them so you can tell almost immediately if you have a boy or a girl.

Adult Hamsters are solitary animals and are most happy living alone. You must never home two male hamsters together as they will definitely fight each other. The same goes for females as well.
I used to worry that my hamster was lonely all by himself, but bought myself a guide to rearing hamsters that had all the information you could need - I would recommend anyone thinking about buying a pet hamster to purchase themselves a guide, they are usually quite cheap (around £2 - £3) and very useful.

Now I have never even thought about breeding any of my hamsters, primarily because I just don't have the room to do so. Apparently it is fairly easy to do, BUT it is a big job and you should research thoroughly the correct procedures of how to do so before sticking Adam in with Eve and watching to see what happens.

A female hamster can have up to 18 babies in one litter although the average is between 4 and 8. The gestation period (amount of time the female is pregnant for) is 16 - 18 days and they are able to have a new litter every month! That's a lot of hamsters!


Hamsters reach puberty at the tender age of 4 -5 weeks and Males are ready to breed between 10 & 12 weeks. Females however are not ready to breed until 16 - 20 weeks.

There are many different colours and coat types of Syrian hamsters for example, there are short haired, longhaired & banded. There is tortoiseshell coloured, cream, cinnamon, yellow, yellow and black & calico to name but a few.
Homer is a Light Golden Banded hamster - ahh!

Hamster's also have really bad eyesight and can only see a couple of inches in front of them.

Hamsters are nocturnal. This means that they sleep during the day and wake at night. This probably relates back to their ancestors in the Syrian Desert, whether this is to do with the heat of the desert sun or the fact that the hamsters would be easy to prey on by other animals in the day I don't know. In fact I don't know if it is either of these things I am just speculating!
I don't find it a problem with Homer being nocturnal. He is usually still awake when I get up in the morning and gets up at about 9pm at night. You must remember to let them sleep in the day though - no wonder some hamsters have a tenancy to nip when they are poked by chubby little fingers whilst trying to sleep - wouldn't you do the same?!

~Where to Buy and How much~

We bought our hamster from a local pet shop but I am starting to wish that I contacted my local RSPCA, as I am sure there are many unloved adoptable pets there.

Most pet shops will have a large glass container filled with sawdust where the baby hamsters (usually between 5 and 8 weeks old) will be together, usually nestled up in corners. Check that they have a fresh supply of water and food to make sure the pet shop is not mistreating the animals in any way.

I paid £7 for Homer, which is about the right price when compared to other pet shops.

Once you have chosen your hamster the pet shop will provide you with some sort of transportation for the journey to his new home. Homer was put in a tiny cardboard box (that I wasn't happy about) but it had air holes and was dark so it kept him fairly settled. As long as there are air holes and the hamster will not be in any distress any sort of box or will be suitable for a short journey.

You could also look in your local newspaper for adverts, as many people breed them and so there are always people looking to sell them. You will probably find that it is cheaper to buy them this way as well.

~ What will I need? ~

To successfully care for your hamster the following items are essential

* A cage. There are many cages available for your little rodent, Rotastak are very popular although personally I don't like this style as they are completely plastic all the way round and see through - I feel as though this doesn't give the hamster any air and would make him feel a little claustrophobic. I'm sure that’s just me being paranoid but out of preference we bought Homer a large rectangular shaped cage with three floors, so that it is spacious enough for him to run around. It has white bars about 1cm apart so that he cannot escape (as he does try to do!) and cost £19.99. You can get cheaper cages but they are generally much smaller making the exercise your hamster gets restricted.
You can also pick up very cheap second hand cages at car boot sales but before purchasing look at the bottom tray to see if it has been cleaned properly and make sure there are no stains where the cage has not been cleaned properly in the past.
I read somewhere that if your hamster constantly knaws the bars of the cage this is through boredom so if your pet does this it is advisable to purchase some toys or put an empty toilet roll in the cage to keep them occupied.

* A water Bottle. Some people use a shallow bowl filled with water but I find the bottles that you can attach to the side of the cage much easier and more accessible for the hamster. I also read somewhere that a little slightly soured milk in a shallow dish is a nice treat and good for you hamster.

* Food and Bowl. Hamsters are serial hoarders and have pouches in each cheek that they will fill with as much food as possible to take back to their house and store. I made the mistake of buying a rather large food bowl and filling it right up. This meant that little Homer was emptying the bowl and I thought he had run out so was filling it up again. He would then repeat this again causing the original food to go off, when I cleaned his house at the end of the week some of the food had even gone mouldy - errgh. The best thing to do is to give just a little food at a time and if you are not sure how much he has, just have a little check in his house.

Hamsters, given the chance will eat more or less anything, but their diet should primarily be a specifically designed hamster food that will be available from all pet shops and more recently supermarkets as well. This mix is a combination of nuts and roughage to keep your pet healthy.

I sometimes give Homer a little bit of apple, some dry cold toast or a little bit of raw carrot.

There are many treats available from pet shops for your pet, such as yoghurt or chocolate treats however, use these sparingly as Homer became a little bit porky.

I have now taken to treating my hamster to a honey stick. You dangle it from the top of the cage making your hamster have to exercise to get his treat - I feel at least he is doing something to earn his treat!

Hamster's teeth also have to be controlled as they grow at quite a fast rate. I find that if you provide them with something like a knaw block or a toilet roll this will control the rate in which they grow.

*Housing. We bought Homer a little house with a roof, door and window for about £1.50. This style is more of a luxury and not essential. All the hamster needs is somewhere dark and enclosed to store his food with ample bedding - I use the cheaper variety of bedding which is like shredded J-cloths as apposed to the cotton wool like bedding as I read somewhere that this can be dangerous for the hamster.

*A wheel. Your hamster needs somewhere to exercise so having a wheel inside the cage is the perfect way for your pet to work out. Try to get a plastic wheel without spokes as it has been known for little feet to become tangled up in the holes between the spokes. It is also recommended to purchase a ball for your hamster so that they can run around outside of his cage and you are safe in the knowledge that he will not get lost.

*Sawdust & kitchen towel roll. Any fine sawdust for hamsters available from any pet shop is fine. Make sure you leave plenty on the bottom of the cage, as your hamster will use any excess to try and cover where he has been to the toilet.
You may want to line the cage with kitchen towel roll before laying the sawdust as it soaks up any urine from the hamster and keeps the cage cleaner. Many people use newspaper to line the cage. Please do not do this, as the ink in the print can be poisonous.
It sounds disgusting but if you save a few of your hamsters poo's when you clean him out you can train him to use the toilet in a specific area.

*Cage cleaner. You should clean your hamster once a week giving him fresh bedding and sawdust (water and food should be daily) I use a specialist hamster cage disinfectant when cleaning my cage but many people just use water, I’m sure this is fine but I find that this manages to take away any foul smells. Never put disinfectant on the actual pet!

~ Conclusion ~

It took Homer a good few weeks to become fully settled and he did have a couple of nips at me in the beginning. Once your hamster is content and settled these little nips will cease.
If your hamster is happy with his surroundings and is familiar with you he can become very tame. Homer is exceptionally tame and even knows his name now. When my partner and I get home from work and Homer hears us he comes out to say hello. It's amazing just how intelligent they really are.

Would I recommend Syrian Hamsters as a pet? Of course! They are so easy to look after, all you need to do is ensure they have fresh food and water daily with clean bedding and sawdust once a week and they more or less look after themselves. This makes them perfect pets for children as it gives them the responsibility to look after something of their own. It can be a good life lesson for them as well.

The only downside of raising a pet hamster is the short lifespan. On average they do not live much longer than 2 years, However Males are said to have a slightly longer lifespan than females.
It can be really distressing for young children to go through the death of a pet after such a short time.

It has also been said (GMTV Monday 28th Nov 05) that pets can relieve stress and in some cases cure mild forms of depression. I'm not entirely sure about the depression bit but I know that Homer always cheers me up if I’ve had a hard day at work.

All in all fantastic little animals and I know for a fact I wouldn't be without mine!

Thanks for Reading
Vicki :o)

**NOTE** I originally posted this review on www.ciao.co.uk under the name yeahbutnobut.

Summary: Excellent pets for children, low maintanence and cost, intelligent, fun creatures