Hamster fact file
- Hamsters usually live for up to two years, although some may live for longer.
- There are 24 species of hamster and they belong to the family Cricetidae. The Syrian, Chinese, Campbell's Russian dwarf, winter white dwarf and Roborovski's dwarf are the five breeds most most commonly kept as pets.
- Hamsters enjoy exploring and use their whiskers to help them sense objects in their environment. Hamster whiskers vibrate backwards and forwards at rates of up to 30 whisks per second during many different behaviours. These movements are known as ‘whisking’, and enable the hamster to gather information about objects in its vicinity.
- Hamsters like to dig – they are terrestrial, burrow-digging rodents. Their natural habitat is dry, rocky plains or lightly-vegetated slopes and they build nests within their burrows. Some species have well-developed ear flaps that prevent soil entering the ear during digging.
- Hamsters hoard their food. Even the word ‘hamster’ comes from the German word hamstern, which means ‘to hoard’! The Syrian hamster can hoard in its cheek pouches up to half its body weight in food and collects it to store in its nest, as a survival strategy in the wild.
- A hamster’s teeth never stop growing! All rodents have teeth that are specialised for gnawing and this gives them their name, from the Latin rodere (‘to gnaw’) and dentis (‘tooth’). Their incisors have a ‘self-sharpening’ system where the teeth grind against each other while gnawing, which wears them down.
- As prey animals, hamsters are generally nervous of new sights, sounds and smells and return to their burrow if they’re feeling afraid. Most wild hamsters have a complete covering of brown or grey fur, in which the coat might show light or dark bands for camouflage.
- As well as touch being an important sense, hamsters have well-developed senses of smell and hearing which helps in detecting predators. Hamsters looking for a mate, or pups that have fallen out of the nest, may emit ultrasonic calls. Smell is also really important for social communication.
- Because hamsters are nocturnal, they have large eyes and a retina dominated by rods – the part of the eye that can function in less intense light. They are also capable of UV vision, which is thought to be involved in social communication and improved twilight vision in other rodents (although this trait is little understood in the hamster).
- Hamsters are intelligent and learn quickly; they can be trained to come when food is presented or to perform simple tricks.
- Not all hamsters are sociable. In the wild, Syrian hamster adults generally inhabit lone burrows. Other species, such as the Roborovski dwarf hamster, naturally live in groups. When hamsters first meet, they immediately start to establish a hierarchy, in which one animal becomes dominant over the others and can become very aggressive.
- Pet hamsters also prefer to live on their own which is what makes them different from other rodents.
Hamsters can catch colds from humans and vice versa! Hamsters are highly susceptible to strains of the human cold virus.
Understanding your hamster's needs
Hamsters are often a child’s first pet because they are small animals with a great deal of character – but their needs are quite complex and they can be easily injured as a result of rough or careless handling.
An adult should always be responsible for ensuring hamsters are properly handled and cared for – looking after a hamster is too much responsibility for a child. If you own or are responsible for a hamster, even on a temporary basis, you are required by law to care for them properly.
Find out everything you need to know about keeping hamsters as pets in our series of handy guides to hamsters, including their:
