Top 10 Facts About Hamsters
Hamsters are small rodents and popular pets in the trade. They are cute, cuddly, and maybe a little bitty! They bring us joy and inspire compassion as we take care of them.
Most rodents, including hamsters, are not nocturnal as many believe. This means they are most active at dawn and dusk (twilight hours). Most of the time, they are foraging and finding food.
Yes! Hamsters are omnivores, eating food ranging from seeds, fruits, vegetables, insects, and other small foods. It's best to provide a good mixture of foods so your hamster can have a variety in its diet.
About the size of a guinea pig, the European hamster is three times the size of a Syrian hamster.
Hamsters belong to the family Cricetidae, which includes voles, lemmings, rats, and mice. There are about 20 species of hamsters, offering quite a variety.
The species are the Syrian hamster, Roborovski dwarf hamster, Campbell's Russian dwarf, Chinese hamster, and Winter White. The Syrian hamster is the most common as they are calmer.
The Roborovski, also known as the robo hamster or the desert hamster, is the smallest breed of pet hamster. As adults, they reach 1-2 inches in length.
Hamsters' teeth grow continuously throughout their lives, meaning they need to be trimmed. Some pet nail clippers can work, and it doesn't even hurt them.
If a hamster is feeling overstressed, it may tend to eat its young. They also tend to eat their babies when they feel that taking care of them is too much to handle. This often happens with newer hamster mothers, especially if you are bothering her too much, so please give her space.