They are also particularly sensitive to high-pitched noises and can hear and communicate in the ultrasonic range. in) long; the largest is the European hamster ( Cricetus cricetus), measuring up to 34 cm (13 in) long, not including a short tail of up to 6 cm (2. Comparative studies of domestic and wild Syrian hamsters have shown reduced genetic variability in the domestic strain. Although pet hamsters can survive on a diet of exclusively commercial hamster food, other items, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be given.

Testimony from Grant C Riddle (born 1929, living in Lake Wildwood, CA) who had a pet hamster in 1942.Effect of Exercise on Photoperiod-Regulated Hypothalamic Gene Expression and Peripheral Hormones in the Seasonal Dwarf Hamster Phodopus sungorus".

Years later, animals of this original breeding colony were exported to the United States, where Syrian hamsters became a common pet and laboratory animal. Hamsters have scent glands on their flanks (and abdomens in Chinese and dwarf hamsters) which they rub against the surface beneath them, leaving a scent trail. They communicate by sending a specific scent using their scent glands and also show body language to express how they are feeling.However, the differences in behavioral, chronobiological, morphometrical, hematological, and biochemical parameters are relatively small and fall into the expected range of interstrain variations in other laboratory animals. This kind of thermoregulation diminishes the metabolic rate to about 5% and helps the animal to considerably reduce the need for food during the winter. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as a pet. The name "hamster" is a loanword from the German, which itself derives from earlier Middle High German hamastra. It is possibly related to Old Church Slavonic khomestoru, which is either a blend of the root of Russian хомяк ( khomyak) "hamster" and a Baltic word (cf.

These littermates were captured and imported in 1930 from Aleppo in Syria by Israel Aharoni, a zoologist of the University of Jerusalem.

They are extremely susceptible to rapid temperature changes and drafts, as well as extreme heat or cold.

By awarding hamsters which match standard hamster types, hamster shows encourage planned and careful hamster breeding.Hamsters tend to love peanut butter but it is important to feed it to them carefully because this sticky food can get stuck in their cheeks. Russian hamsters (Campbell's and Djungarian) live about two to four years in captivity, and Chinese hamsters 2 + 1⁄ 2–3 years. Laboratory hamsters have not lost their ability to dig burrows; in fact, they will do this with great vigor and skill if they are provided with the appropriate substrate. Some activists attempted to intercept owners who were on their way to turn in pet hamsters and encourage them to choose adoption instead, which the government subsequently warned would be subject to police action. The hamster tail can be difficult to see, as it is usually not very long (about 1⁄ 6 the length of the body), with the exception of the Chinese hamster, which has a tail the same length as the body.