10 Things You Need To Know Before Having A Hamster

Here's are 10 things that you should know before getting a hamster:

1. There are several breeds of hamsters and the most common found in Malaysia are Syrian, Roborovski and Winter. 
2. Syrians are the largest of 3 while Roboroski being the smallest. 
3. Most hamsters have the maximum lifespan of 3 years but Syrians have a shorter lifespan at around 2 years. 
4. Syrians are larger therefore need a larger enclosure. At least 2sqft for an individual syrian. While the each roborovski and winter would need at least 1.5sqft. Of course larger is better. Everyone needs more space in their life.
5. Syrian being the slowest of the bunch means that they are easier to tame and train while the super fast roborovski is very hard to handle and I would suggest to just leave them in the cage and not carry them out as it’s almost impossible to hold them in your hands. 
6. Roborovski is highly social and at least 2 should be kept together. Syrians can be kept together or be single but male syrian can be territorial therefore if you’re going to keep 2 together, pick the female. Winter doesn’t like to be with each other and almost 100% will kill their mate. Please keep them separated from each other. 
7. Like all rodents, hamsters reproduce very fast and don’t go through menstrual cycle. This means they can get pregnant right after giving birth. Please be responsible to take that into consideration before wanting to get a pair or you will end up with hundred of hamsters in no time. 
8. Bedding that’s made out of wood or recycled paper is used as absorbent for urine to reduce odor and prevent germs so that you don’t need to clean the cage as often. Using less bedding or less absorbing material would mean that you’ll need to change them more often. 
9. Don’t keep topping up hamster food before they are finished. Hamsters don't eat much. They pick up all your foods and store them at their house and the 2 cheeks pockets. Like how you would act when you go to an all you can eat buffet, you pick the delicious food first not the healthy one. Therefore it is very important to make sure your hamster finish their food before topping. 
10. As all true rodents, hamster teeth grow non stop like your nails. It is very important to provide chewing toys for them so that their teeth don’t over grow. Also take note that they don’t finish chewing up all their toys. They just love to chew up the outer part. So provide chew toys from time to time and don’t wait for the old one to disappear first. It won’t. Speaking of nails, unlike your nails, their nails are like your teeth. Doesn’t need to be trimmed.