Many parents allow their children to have hamsters as a pet because they’re a relatively simple pet to care for. There are a variety of hamsters available to purchase at a pet store, from a breeder, or at a small animal shelter. The Syrian hamster tends to be the most social and friendliest breed of hamster out there, but many families enjoy the smaller teddy bear hamsters as pets.
Today we’re sharing some fun facts about hamsters to help you see why so many families with younger children opt to enjoy these fluffy pets.
Hamster Means Hoard
This word, hamster, comes from the German word hamstern which means hoarder. This is interesting because hamsters do enjoy hoarding. They will shove their food into their pouches inside their mouth and run away to hide their food for later enjoyment. Don’t believe us? Just watch your pet hamster the next time he or she wakes up to eat their feed.
Nocturnal Pets
Sadly, hamsters are nocturnal pets which can make it difficult for younger children to enjoy their pet hamsters. It’s best to not wake them to play during sleepy time as they’ll be upset, may nip, and won’t be awake enough to do anything interested. Adjust your day around their day so that you can get a little active playtime with your hamster in the evening, instead.
Teeth Constantly Grow
Hamsters’ teeth constantly grow and this causes an issue with their teeth growing into their chin. Your hamster will need plenty of chew toys and things to chew on. They make habitats for hamsters called hideaways that are safe for your pet to chew on. They also have plenty of cage-hanging toys made of safe wood that your beloved fluff ball can chew on to keep its teeth down.
First Hamsters from Syria
The first hamsters came from Syria, however, they’ve been most seen to live in Greece, Belgium, and northern China. This means your little pet hamster once originated in these countries as a native species that lives and thrives in the wild. The largest wild species of hamsters are the black-bellied hamster residing in Europe that grows to be around 12 inches long.
Lifespan is 2-3 Years
A hamster lives a very short life. Your child’s pet hamster is set to live as long as two to three years. Typically hamsters will pass away by the time they reach the third year of age. The oldest pet hamster ever recorded lived to be 4 ½ years and resided in the United Kingdom with its human owners.
Clean Pets
Hamsters keep their cage pretty clean. They’ll soil in one area of the cage, leaving the rest of their “home” free of poop or pee. They will use that one area forever, unless you don’t clean their cage regularly then some pet hamsters have been known to switch the spots they soil in.
Hamster Can Learn Their Name
Lastly, on our list of fun facts about hamsters is the amazingness that your pet hamster can learn its name. If you use your pet hamster’s name often enough, they will recognize this is their name. The Syrian hamsters tend to be more unique with picking up on this quicker, but other hamster breeds are capable of learning their name.
That’s all we have for you today for fun hamsters facts, but we hope you enjoyed reading all of these little tidbits of info about hamsters today.