Syrian Hamster Behaviour
Syrian Hamsters are often considered a great 'starter' pet for a child. This isn't correct and in fact leads to them often being rehomed when it turns out they need more care than pet shops claim.
Syrian Hamsters can be an excellent pet for a patient child, one that is engaged and interested in researching their needs. They need regular handling to become tame, this can be done initially by simply talking to them at a set time, often just before feeding them as they do adapt to a set routine.
Syrian hamsters will be largely asleep during the day. This can be difficult for a younger child to understand, and if disturbed from sleep they can be grumpy and bite. They also will be very active during the night, especially with wheel running which can get very noisy.
As larger and slower rodents, they are easier to handle once tamed. Handling whilst seated is best, to avoid them jumping to the floor. Whilst this is unlikely to harm them, it can be a shock and lead them to develop a fear of humans.
Female Syrian hamsters are generally a lot more active than the boys, needing more enrichment and cage space. They are more interested in climbing. Female hamsters regularly go into heat, whilst this happens they may smell more than normal. Some are more vocal during and they may have different responses to being handled. Some girls will like to be stroked on their lower back and may vibrate, freeze or lift their tail up.
Male Syrian hamsters are generally calmer than the girls, making them easier to tame and handle, being more content to sit and eat food in a cupped hand.
Syrian hamsters are very active during their waking times and extremely curious. They love tubes to explore and chew upon, ledges and other enrichment items. Although they are good climbers they have poor eyesight, so a cage layout needs to avoid long drops.
Syrian hamsters store a surprising amount of food in their pouches and will hoard this somewhere in their cage. They aren't always sanitary about this, so it's important to keep an eye on their stashes to make sure it isn't becoming damp or mouldy. Occasionally a hamster may have problems emptying their cheek pouches, in which case you need to seek vet treatment to get help with this.
Most hamsters are not nocturnal, as is commonly thought, but actually crepuscular - meaning they are more likely to be awake and active at dawn or dusk. This is due to both them being prey species and having a high metabolism. As pets, this means that their sleeping patterns and activity can be rather variable - and they will still be active at night. Your hamster will learn to adapt to your routine, so it is helpful to feed at the same time.
Hamsters are keen burrowers and will benefit from a decent space for digging. If your cage does not have a deep enough base to allow this, you can add custom digging boxes to enable this. This can be good to add a different substrate than their normal one to give extra variety.
Hamsters can be surprisingly vocal, especially when younger. Vocalisations can be a sign of stress or pain, though occasional squeaking is not a concern. Hamsters can catch colds from their owners so it is important to take great care with hygiene and limit handling if you are ill.
An angry hamster may hiss or scream at you, especially if awoken from sleep or disturbed in their nest. It is important to let your hamster come to you when handling rather than disturbing their nest.
Syrian Hamster Environment
Syrian hamsters are very active, with girls especially loving to climb. Barred cages offer the best source of enrichment for this, although it can lead to bar-biting in cases of boredom so it is important to offer plenty of enrichment and change the cage layout on a regular basis.
Cage Size
80 x 50cm is often considered the minimum cage space, with this being composed of unbroken floor space though many people consider 100 x 50 better for a Syrian. However, although bigger is often better, each hamster's individual circumstances should be taken into account. Some hamsters can become overwhelmed and stressed in larger cages, even if suitably filled with substrate, enrichment and hiding space.
Pet shops woefully underestimate the suitability and size requirements needed for rodents so please do not be conned into buying tiny tanks or modular systems. Rotastak is not suitable for any rodent. For reasons why see our article on Why Modular Systems are Bad for your Pet.
Cage Types
- Wire cages: these give excellent ventilation and are good for climbing. You can hang plenty of toys from various positions and can interact with your animal through the bars. They can be quite difficult to clean. They provide much better opportunities for taming and enrichment. Bar spacing needs to be 1cm or less to prevent escapees and much less for smaller adults and juveniles.
- Glass tanks: - needs work to allow climbing material and are much more difficult to interact with your hamsters as they will consider hands from above very predatory. Very easy to clean but have poor ventilation. Do not use these with the standard heavy lids for fish - a staple gun, some 1mm wide wire mesh and bits of wood can easily make a decent lid to allow more air to pass through. Since most glass tanks are far too small for a Syrian hamster, some people choose to use an IKEA detolf shelf laying on its side to give a large habitat for your hamster.
- a RUB: - if you are taking in rescues or money is an issue a plastic storage box can be converted into a RUB container for rodents. You must mesh top and all sides to allow adequate ventilation and ensure you go for a size that meets minimum unbroken floorspace requirements. It is very difficult to find a RUB large enough for a Syrian although these can be useful as carrriers, or as temporary accomodation such as a play cage to put your pet in during cleanouts.
Substrate and bedding
Sawdust, or anything pine or cedar based should not be used since it can affect the lungs of mice and cause respiratory problems. Items such as Carefresh are quite good and absorbent, whilst still allowing space for burrowing. A cheaper alternative for this is to get a horse bedding such as MegaZorb.Other suitable substrates include Ectopetbed, Bedmax, bedexcel and finacard.
Timothy hay can be given to hamsters as it is soft enough to be safe for cheek pouches and contains high fibre. Do not offer other types of hay or straw as these can damage cheek pouches.
Fluffy bedding is extremely dangerous for hamsters as it can tangle in limbs and causes problems if eaten. Recycled shreds of paper or strings are good for nesting.
Toys and Nests
Wooden and plastic toys are suitable for hamsters, providing you don't have an obsessed chewer. Wooden items retain scent more and do need more frequent cleaning but they will provide better enrichment as they are safer to chew than plastic.
Bendy bridges, ladders, cardboard and plastic tubes are all good additions. Watch out for tube sizes as Syrian hamsters need more space than dwarf hamsters or mice and do not find toilet rolls as useful.
Some commercially available toys are not suitable for pets as they are composed entirely of sawdust which is dangerous for your pet to digest.
Your hamster must have multiple nesting sites available, coconut shells, wooden houses and fabric items are also fine. You can also hang fabric ropes and pet-safe hammocks. These must be washed regularly and checked frequently and trimmed of any dangerous loose threads.
Wheels
Wheels must be solid-based and not have spokes. Your Syrian hamster needs to be able to run easily without an arched back, with 11 inches being a good size for this. Hamsters benefit greatly from wheels and can also enjoy flying saucer type wheels. Occasionally, a hamster can develop an obsession and run on the wheel so much that it loses weight - if your pet develops this habit it may be a sign that they do not have other alternatives for enrichment. It would be important to reduce the time that the wheel is located in the cage and add interesting alternatives until the habit is broken.
Handling & Taming Syrian Hamsters
As the largest of the pet hamster species, Syrians are sometimes considered the best pet species for a child or adult new to rodents. It is true that they are generally slower and more robust than the smaller species. They can however, be more quick to nip when startled.
If your hamster has come from an ethical breeder or rescue, then they will have begun work on the taming process. Although this is easier if they have been handled from a younger age, with patience older hamsters can become excellent companion animals with regular work on building confidence through positive handling experiences.
Leave a new hamster to settle in before beginning this, as there will be many new sounds and smells for them to get used to - as well as their brand new cage and toys. When you feed them at a set time in the evening, you can start by talking to them in a calm voice to get them used to you. More confident hamsters may approach you at this point, and you can open a front-opening cage and let them climb into your hand.
Shyer animals, or those in a cage that opens from the top, may benefit from toilet-tube training. It is not helpful to approach a hamster from above, since this is what a predator would do and so does scare them. In these instances a toilet tube or box can be placed in their cage and then picked up, whilst blocking exit points. You can then open one side and let them walk onto a flat palm. Some hamsters like to walk across palms if you keep alternating them, others may like hands that are cupped together forming more of a tunnel. You may also find your hamster wants to snuggle into the crook of your arm, or climbers may decide that the very back of your neck under long hair is the most interesting place. As you hold them, make sure you are somewhere safe such as seated or over a surface to avoid risk of long falls.
If a hamster does nip you, you can gently blow on their nose and say 'no' in a firm but calm voice. It is important not to place them back in the cage at this point, otherwise they may learn to associate biting with you doing what they may want and returning them to their cage. Short but regular sessions are more important and try and finish on a positive note both for you and your hamster. See the kid-friendly guide to handling rodents referenced below for more ideas.
Syrian Hamster Colours and Coat Types
Their natural wild colour is a golden brown with a pale, grey belly however pet Syrians now come in over 40 different colours and markings. Coat variations include short-haired, long-haired, satin and rex/astrex (curly). Coat patterns include banded, dominant spot (piedbald), Tortoiseshell and White, Tortoiseshell and Roan.