Introduction
Introduction
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Written Introduction
Hamsters are peculiar little rodents with large cheek pouches and short stubby tails. They have gained popularity as pets and
research animals since the 1930's. The Syrian hamster's (golden hamster) wild habitat extends through the Middle East and
Southeastern Europe. In 1930, a litter of eight baby hamsters was taken to Palestine and raised as research animals. Virtually
all domesticated hamsters sold in the pet trade and research are descendents of three of the survivors of this litter. Hamsters
were introduced first into the United States in 1938.
Since their domestication, several color and hair coat varieties of the Syrian hamster have arisen through selective breeding.
The three basic groups which now exist include the common "golden" hamster, colored short-haired "fancy" hamster, and
long-haired "teddy bear" hamster. All three varieties are popular as pets, while the research community generally employs the
basic golden hamster.
On occasion, one may encounter other species of hamsters, but these are much less common than the Syrian hamster. The
smaller, dark brown Chinese hamster (dwarf hamster) is often used in biomedical research, and they are sometimes acquired
as
pets. These hamsters are recognized for their small size, dark brown color and black stripe down the back. The Armenian
(Grey) hamster and European hamster are two other species occasionally used in research, but seldom kept as pets. The
following information pertains particularly to Syrian or golden hamsters because they are by far the most popular.
