How Many Types Of Hamsters Are There?

How many different types of hamsters are there?

• Syrian — The largest and most popular of all hamster breeds is also known to live the longest. Syrians can be long haired (also called "Teddy hamsters") or short haired, and their coat is often a golden color. Some of the short-haired Syrian colorations have specific names, like "panda" or "panda bear," and are traditionally black and white. Syrians are known to have a friendly personality and can be easily trained.
• Roborovski dwarf — These hamsters are the smallest of all the species and also the most recently domesticated. The Roborovski hamster tends to take more work to socialize, in Flynn’s opinion, but every hamster’s different.
• Campbell's Russian dwarf and Russian winter white dwarf — White ones are called winter white, and if darker colored, they’re generally called Russian dwarfs. These two species are similar enough that they can interbreed, so there’s a tendency to just refer to this group collectively as dwarfs. While both species can be timid at first, they have sweet personalities if given the time and attention to be socialized.
• Chinese — This breed of hamsters has a distinct body shape (long and thin) and color (often striped!) compared to both dwarf and Roborovski hamsters, and they have the longest tail. While this breed can be very friendly, it’s also known to require more activity than other hamster breeds.

What to know before selecting a hamster to adopt

• Space — Although tiny, hamsters need space to roam. A proper sized habitat that’s over 800 square inches of floor space will require at least 2 by 4 feet of real estate in your home.
• Hamsters are night owls — A very important detail, especially if you have small children at home. Hamsters are nocturnal, which means they're awake in the evening and early morning, and when they're sleeping, it's not a great idea to wake them up if you don't have to (an exception would be waking your hamster up to bring him to the vet).
• Nibble nibble — A reminder that hamsters have teeth, and any animal who has teeth has the ability to bite when they feel scared, threatened or unhappy. If there are children in the home, it’s important for them to learn proper handling to prevent biting from happening (for example, not waking up the hamster when he’s sleeping and how to hold the hamster without squeezing him).
• Exotic vet visits — Hamsters should see a vet when they're sick. Hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and guinea pigs fall into the exotic vet category in the United States, so you’ll need to find a veterinarian who specializes in exotics (not small animals). This is important to do before bringing a hamster home. Once you bring your hamster home, bring him to the vet so he can be established as a patient there before he gets sick.
• One is the magic number — Because hamsters are known to be territorial, it’s best to only have one hamster at a time.