Hamsters

Hamsters are small, adorable, and cheap pets. Many people want a hamster after seeing just how cute they are.

This is a Syrian, or Golden hamster.

Hamsters can become rather tame, but if they are handled roughly they will bite. Of course, hamster bites aren't dangerous.

Hamsters, like all caged mammals, need regular time outside of their cage. Do not let a hamster run free in your house! They will get lost! Instead, put your hamster in a large plastic tub or a small pet playpen. Also, if you do not handle a tame hamster regularly, it will lose its tameness.

The most expensive item you'll buy when you get a hamster is its cage. This can be an aquarium (ten gallons for a Syrian or two dwarf hamsters) or a wire cage. They can also be kept in a plastic tub, if it has high enough sides. They really don't need too much space, though some people give them lots of cage space anyway.

This true hamster lover has some plastic and wire "Habitrail" cages as well as bin cages.

The most expensive part of hamster care is the bedding in its cage. If you want to save lots of money on hamster keeping, my blog has instructions for making your own small animal bedding. It looks like this:

Homemade paper bedding for your hamster!

Do not keep more that one Syrian hamster in one cage! They will fight to the death! Most of the time Dwarf hamsters can live together, with the notable exception of the Chinese Dwarf hamster.

If you go on vacation, regardless of what people on the Internet say, your hamster can be left alone for up to a week. My cousin's dwarf hamster did just fine home alone for a week.

If you are willing to dedicate the time to care for a hamster and give it regular exercise, (as well as making sure it cannot escape) you probably can keep a hamster. But especially young children should not keep hamsters, since they are likely to drop a hamster or let it escape.