Adult Syrian hamsters are generally between 6 and 7 inches in length and adult Dwarf hamsters are between 3 and 5 inches in length.

In warm conditions or when he is asleep, a male hamster will let his balls drop out. These can look very big and sometimes alarm a hamster owner. He will pull them back when he is active, or if you lightly touch one. As a hamster becomes old, he is less active and you are more likely to see this.

The female syrian hamster can become pregnant as early as 3 weeks old. The gestation period is only 16 days. So if she is old enough and has been with a male within the last 16 days, she may be pregnant. For more information go to

Males usually range between 29" and 34"at the shoulder with a weight range between 110 and 160 pounds. Bitches must be at least 27.5", but can reach the height of 32 inches, and have a weight range between 88 and 120 pounds.

Leave her alone, provide her with more bedding and extra food. When she has pups, do not touch or disturb the pups for a couple of weeks. So avoid cage cleaning and do not vac around the cage. You do need to clean the toilet area of the cage and you can provide fresh bedding for the mother to exchange for old bedding. You might also want to remove the wheel to prevent the pups being injured if they are playing around the wheel when the mother runs on it.

No matter what you have heard, water is dangerous to hamsters. Even if they do not drown trying to stay out of the water, chances are they will catch pneumonia.

It is not safe to feed hamsters with food that contains bugs as these bugs are from an unknown origin. Since the food was most likely harvested from a farming environment, there is no way to tell if these bugs ingested pesticides or carry diseases/parasites. Do buy reliable brands of hamster mixes which come with an expiry date and are vacuum packed to ensure the freshness of the food.

During the day, you could try looking behind and inside all the furniture, inside cupboards, and under freezers or cookers where the hamster may have decided to sleep for the day. Try not to leave doors open and let it into more rooms. Ask people to help so that watches can be kept in multiple rooms. The hamster will be easier to find at the time of day or night when he is normally active as you may spot him running around the rooms, or he may just run over your foot.

Hamsters do not like being wet and will try desperately to avoid water if, for instance, in a bath tub with a puddle of water. A hamster can survive being wet unless he is cold, then he may become ill with flu and possibly die. Finally, hamsters have their own natural oils to maintain the condition of their fur and will spend a long time grooming. So I would not recommend bathing as they will not enjoy it and it may make the fur look worse.

Although hamsters do hibernate off and on during the winter in the wild, they will not do this in captivity when kept in a warmer climate.

Hamsters are omnivores so they will eat both plants and meat. Different hamsters may like different things but in general, you can give a prepared hamster mix available at pet stores. These usually contain nuts, seeds and other plant materials. You can add fresh foods to the hamster mix, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Do not give too much fruit or vegetables at one go or your hamster may have diarrhea.

The mother should be allowed at least six weeks between litters to regain her strength. She should not have more than six litters altogether during her life. That was according to a book, but I think two or three litters are plenty for any mother.

I think the one in the pet store that seems special to you is best. Each time I buy a new hamster, I choose one with a new, unique look, or at least one that I haven’t had in a while. I’m partial to the teddy bears, the fluffier the better. I have never had a dwarf hamster. They are very cute and can live in pairs, unlike other hamsters, but I’ve heard they sometimes are not as friendly and they have a very slight odor (kind of like mice).

My hamsters have enjoyed bread products (bread, pancakes, muffins, etc.), pasta, and rice. On rare occasions, they can have a little bit of cooked egg or cheese.

You can create a “play area,” using either a store-bought pen or make-shift enclosed area. Inside, you could place food treats, hiding places, tunnels, things to run around and under, etc. Or put her on the stairs and give her a chance to climb up. Let her run around an entire room, supervised of course and hamster-proofed. Another idea is to create mazes out of toilet paper tubes and/or cardboard, and then put a treat at the end.

That's a naughty word in the hamster world; hamsters don't like water sports. Nature has provided hamsters with a natural oil to maintain the condition of their fur. That's why they spend so much time grooming. Although they can swim, water baths are not recommended. If a wet hamster becomes cold, it can lead to flu and possibly death.

Hamsters can be regular little escape artists, but don't fret, hamsterama has the perfect solution. The first thing you should do is close all the doors, and get any other animals such as cats or dogs out of the house if possible. Put piles of your hamsters usual food mix in the corner of each room. Observe which pile of food gets eaten to determine which room your hamster is in. Once you know which room he is in, you can trap him.

Yes. Hamsters have a different digestive system than humans. Hamsters produce two types of excrement - one that's partially digested containing lots of nutrients, and one that's just garbage. Hamsters practice coprophagy, eating the nutrient-filled excrement to get the nutrients from it and digest it fully.

Defensive raising of both front paws can be observed in males that have been unexpectedly attacked by females and have no way of escaping. This gesture prevents or at least delays an even more serious attack. Puffing up the cheeks and showing the abdominal regions are to be construed as a threat. Lying motionless on the back shows resistance and fear.

Often these little pocket pets develop allergic reactions to the shavings used as bedding in their cage. Cedar shavings are the more irritating than pine, and dusty shavings of any kind make for poor bedding. Try eliminating all shavings and providing cotton batton for a bed with only paper towel as a substrate. You can shred some paper towel to provide privacy and softness.