Hamsters

species is regarded as critically endangered. It has rather an aggressive nature and is not kept as a pet. The Syrian hamster’s official Latin name is Mesocricetus auratus , a very long name for such a little creature. It is more correct to call them Syrian rather than Golden hamsters because there is now a wide variation in coat colors available, not just the original wild type golden coat. They belong to a family of rodents called the Myomorpha, which also includes mice, rats, gerbils, lemmings, and voles. The word hamster comes from the German word hamstern meaning to hoard. This very accurately describes a key behavior of these animals. The hamster’s natural environment is the dry rocky areas and scrubby slopes of the mountains around Aleppo. They live in deep burrows which each individual constructs as its own home. These burrows are about 80 inches (200 cm) long and 30 inches (65 cm) deep and have several tunnels and chambers. They stay in these cool burrows during the day, thus avoiding the heat and dryness of the surface. Hamsters quickly overheat and will die at temperatures of 97˚F (36˚C). Hamsters are very tidy creatures and will use different parts of their burrow system for different activities. One part will be used as a latrine (toilet), another for their food and another for their sleeping and resting area,

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Hamsters