Hamster

Hamsters Temporal range: Middle Miocene - Recent
Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Myomorpha
Superfamily:	Muroidea
Family:	Cricetidae

A hamster is a small furry animal (a rodent) that is a bit like a mouse or a ferret. Wild hamsters live in the desert, but people all over the world keep domesticated hamsters as pets. There are six main types of hamsters: the Syrian hamster (the kind most people have as pets, winter whites, campbells, the Russian dwarf hamster (a hybrid of winter white and campbell hamsters, winter whites and campbells are two type of Russian despite what many pet shops say), the Chinese hamster, and the Roborovski hamster. All Syrian hamsters are the descendants of 12 baby hamsters found in Syria in 1930.

Pet hamsters like to live in cages with wood shavings or recycled newspaper (only if non-toxic). Fluffy bedding is dangerous for hamsters. Plain toilet paper is also a cheap, safe option, so is straw. Hamsters eat mostly hamster food sold at a pet store, but they also eat almost any vegetables and fruits in very tiny portions. Hamsters store food in the sides of their mouths. They cannot eat chcolates, lemons, watermelons, grapes, candy, or garlic(butcheck borfore giving you hamster a new food that it is safe.) They need a water bottle with fresh water to drink from, and something to chew on to trim their teeth. Hamster teeth grow constantly. If they do not like chewing you will have to cut their top teeth. Wooden blocks and some hard foods (they do not do a better job than an chewing block) can be used for this. Toilet paper rolls and pieces of cardboard are not advised, as the hamster may choke or try to eat it. Most hamsters also have a wheel to run on for exercise. ( if a hamster has to bend its back to use the wheel it may get back problems, so a 6inch (Syrian) wheel is recommended for most dwarfs and at least an eight inch wheel for Syrians) Some people get other kinds of exercise equipment for their hamsters, like an empty ball that the hamster can roll around the floor or a long network of tubes with air holes for it to crawl through. When using the hamster ball, let the hamster roll in it for 15 to 20 minutes. If they roll too long, they might get too tired and over heat. They should live in an aquarium or cage. When letting your hamster out always keep an eye on it. Hamsters may look slow, but are truly very fast. Keep your hamster away from any electric wires, since they like to chew on them. Hamster are not recommended for young children.