Owning a Syrian Hamster

    How To Care For Syrian Hamsters

     There are lots of breeds of hamster you can choose from. The dwarves are made up of the Russian Campbell, Winter White, Roborovskii's, and Chinese. In addition, there is the Syrian hamster. Syrian Hamsters are larger and tend to be calmer than the dwarf species.
     This makes them better pets for young children, or first time/inexperienced owners.

1. Always make sure your hamster is living in a clean and comfortable environment. It should be housed in a large cage -- the more room there is, the better.

2. Remember to include a Nest Box in the cage. This will serve as a "bedroom", as well as a pantry.

3. Syrian Hamster cages should be cleaned out weekly and "spot cleaned" (removing fresh foods, cleaning toilet area's etc) each day. Make sure its cage has been correctly disinfected and bedding has been changed before putting your hamster back in. While you clean the cage, you can put your pet in a hamster ball and have someone supervise it. Or, put the hamster, in its next box, into the bathtub, so it cannot escape.

4. Syrian hamsters are the most friendly and sociable of the hamster family. They should receive lots of attention everyday.

5. Make sure its cage is housed in a quiet place. Loud noises can prevent the hamster from sleeping and make it angry.

6. Hamsters are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. Wake up your hamster politely and slowly, to prevent a grumpy nip on your fingers. Allow them at least 30 minutes to wake up properly, eat and drink before taking them out of their cage.

7. Be aware that Syrian hamsters can grow to be 6 inches long, so as they get older they may need to be housed in a larger cage. It's best to avoid "starter cages" which are too small and purchase a cage suitable for it's entire lifespan at the start, not only does that save you money, it means that the hamster will not have to go through the stress of a cage change. A cage should be at least 80cm x 50cm x 40cm in size.


8. Syrian Hamsters can live up until 2-3 years.
 The average age is about 1 and a half - 2 years. Let them sleep as they get older, and be prepared, as they are more prone to illness.

Remember, owning a pet needs great responbility and a lot of effort :D