There are over 50 species and sub-species of hamster
in the world. The Syrian or Golden hamster has some
close cousins that you may also see in the pet shop.
These are Dwarf hamsters, most commonly the
Russian and Roborovski species. However, there is a
major difference between them. While dwarf ham-
sters enjoy each other’s company, Syrian hamsters
are purely solitary animals, true loners. This means
they must be kept on their own. Keeping two Syrian
hamsters together, even if they are from the same
litter, or the opposite sex, will most certainly cause
a lot of stress and fighting. They will fight mostly at
night, and can cause serious injury to each other and
even death.
Syrian hamsters, as their name suggests come from
a small part of Northwest Syria, in the Middle East.
Unfortunately there are very few left in the wild. This
sad state of affairs is also the case for their much
larger European cousin. The European hamster (Cri-
cetus cricetus) is the size of a Guinea pig and is native
to Western Europe, where it used to be regarded as
an agricultural pest. Due to extensive pest control
measures and changes in the crops we grow, there is
little habitat left that is suitable for these impressive
creatures. They are now so rare in the wild that the
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Hamsters