Syrian Hamster

Coat and looks how to spot one

short-haired, long-haired, satin or rex coat on a stocky body

The largest of the common pet hamsters, with a sturdy, rounded body, a blunt nose, small dark eyes, fairly big ears and a very short tail. The wild colour is a warm golden-brown on top shading to grey or white underneath, sometimes with a darker forehead mark and dark cheek stripes. Pet lines come in several coat types: standard short hair, long hair (nicknamed 'teddy bear'), glossy satin and curly rex. Roomy cheek pouches stretch back as far as the shoulders.123

Personality what they are like

An independent, curious hamster that likes its own space. Syrians handled gently from a young age usually settle well with people and are easy to hold thanks to their size. They are most lively in the evening and at night, when they love to dig, climb, forage and fill their cheek pouches to stash food.3142

Daily activity how busy a day looks

High during evening and night; in the wild a single hamster may cover around 8 miles in a night of foraging. Provide a solid-surface wheel of about 27-32 cm, deep bedding for burrowing, tunnels, chews and scattered food for foraging.2567

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Syrians groom themselves; a sand dish can be offered as enrichment. Spot-clean every few days and deep-clean once or twice a month. Lift by scooping a hand under the whole body, staying close to the floor.856

Home where they are happiest

Blue Cross recommends at least 100 x 50 cm of floor and 50 cm height with at least 20 cm of diggable bedding; Wikipedia notes some guidelines suggest a minimum of 4,000 sq cm or more. Solid floor, paper or dust-free bedding (not cedar or pine), hay or shredded paper for nesting, several hides. Keep at about 18-26 °C.5186

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A good hamster pellet or seed mix as the base (Merck suggests a rodent pellet of 15-20% protein), small portions of greens, root vegetables and a little fruit such as apple, and occasional protein like insects. Treats should stay under about 10% of the diet. Always provide fresh water, and avoid grapes and rhubarb.6752

Company who they like around

Naturally solitary and territorial, so Syrians should always live on their own. They enjoy gentle interaction with their owner and plenty of enrichment in their enclosure.4215

The story where it all began

Scottish physicians living in Aleppo first described the animal in the 1797 edition of The Natural History of Aleppo, and in 1839 zoologist George Robert Waterhouse named it as its own species, Cricetus auratus. In 1930 Israel Aharoni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem captured a mother and her litter near Aleppo, and the few that survived were bred in Jerusalem as laboratory animals. Offspring reached Britain in 1931, more pairs went to the Zoological Society of London in 1932, and from 1937 the descendants passed to private breeders. In 1946 Albert Marsh opened Gulf Hamstery, the first commercial hamster business, promoting them as pets. Genetic work shows domestic Syrians trace back to that 1930 capture, even though a separate batch left Syria for the US in 1971. Wild populations still live in a small area and are listed as threatened by the IUCN (Vulnerable per Animal Diversity Web; Wikipedia lists Endangered).123

Recognised by the official bits

National Hamster Council (UK)

Governing body of the UK hamster fancy, founded 1949 and described as the oldest such organisation in the world; covers keeping, exhibiting and breeding hamsters. Species-specific standard text was not retrieved.9

Scientific description

Recognised as a distinct species in 1839 by George Robert Waterhouse, who named it Cricetus auratus, the 'golden hamster'.1