Hamsters: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual

Hamsters - A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Otto Von Frisch Publisher: B.E.S. Publishing, 1998 ISBN is 9780764106545 / 0764106546 Paperback 6.5 x 7.9 inches, 64 pages Children love hamsters, but owners of all ages should know how to keep these animals correctly housed, properly fed, and provided with toys and devices to help keep them active and healthy. -------------- Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as pets. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), the winter white dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus) and the Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii). Hamsters are more crepuscular than nocturnal and, in the wild, remain underground during the day to avoid being caught by predators. They feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects. Physically, they are stout-bodied with distinguishing features that include elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders, which they use to carry food back to their burrows, as well as a short tail and fur-covered feet.