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Anonymous
Tell me about syrian hamsters, /an/. My friend got one and when i was playing with it, it was the most easy, friendly, fun small mammal i have ever seen. All small mammals i've encountered, including other species of hamsetrs, are very bitey, and afraid of man. This thing felt like a companion.

Is this common amonst syrian hamsters? How good of a pet are they? What should i know/expect if i decide to get one on my own.
>> Anonymous
1) A well socialized Syrian usually takes lots and lots of patience and handling.

2) Males are typically mellower than females.

3) Never keep more than one Syrian in a cage.

There are exceptions to everything (you may get a Syrian friendly right out of the box, you might get a really sweet female or an especially cranky male, you could successfully keep two peacefully in the same cage) but these are pretty standard when it comes to Syrians.

I recommend having your cage set up before you actually buy a hamster, should you decide to. No cedar. Pine is *okay* if the cage is well ventilated. Aspen or Carefresh is better.

Also, don't impulse buy your hamster. Try to go to several different pet stores and see which ones look healthiest and happiest. Check for things like wet tail (read up on it; it's important).
>> Syrian Hamsters Anonymous
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The Syrian or Golden Hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a very well-known member of the rodent subfamily Cricetinae, the hamsters. In the wild they are now considered endangered,[1] but are popular as housepets and scientific research animals. Adults grow from 5 to 7 inches (12.5 to 17.5 cm) in length, and will usually have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years.
Like most members of the subfamily, the Syrian Hamster has expandable cheek pouches, which extend from its cheeks to its shoulders. In the wild, hamsters are larder hoarders; they use their cheek pouches to transport food to their burrows. Their name in the local Arabic dialect where they were found translates to "father of saddlebags" due to the remarkable amount of storage space in their cheek pouches. If food is plentiful, they will store it in large amounts--it has been reported that 25 kg of grain was found in the burrow of a single hamster.
Sable coloured Syrian hamster filling cheek pouches
Sable coloured Syrian hamster filling cheek pouches

Sexually mature female hamsters come into season (oestrus) every four days. Syrian hamsters have the shortest gestation period in any known placental mammal at only 16 to 18 days. They can produce large litters of 20 or more young, although the average litter size is 8. If a mother hamster is inexperienced or feels threatened, she may abandon or even cannibalise her pups.