Syrian hamster
Rodent · from Syria
- Size
- 13 to 18cm long
- Lives for
- 2 to 3 years
- Suits
- Older children and adults who are up in the evening
A round, golden-brown hamster with a white belly, big dark eyes, small ears and hardly any tail.
The hamster that follows you
This page is the floor of a very large cage, deep in clean bedding. Move your pointer and your pet will scurry after you. Choose a different one at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
01 · PouchPockets in its cheeks
Its cheek pouches reach back to its shoulders. It can carry half its own weight in food in them.
02 · AloneIt must live alone
Adult Syrian hamsters fight if kept together, sometimes to the death. One hamster to a cage.
03 · RunMiles every night
A hamster may run five miles or more on its wheel in a single night.
04 · StartAll from one family
Nearly every pet Syrian hamster descends from a mother and her litter found near Aleppo in 1930.
05 · NameNamed for hoarding
The word hamster comes from a German word meaning to hoard.
06 · NightAwake at night
It sleeps through the day and gets up at dusk.
The playpen
Bring your hamster into the playpen to play
Move your pointer into the playpen and wait for your pet to arrive.
Meet them all
Six pet rodents
Guinea pig
Rodent · from the Andes of South America
- Size
- 20 to 30cm long; about 1kg
- Lives for
- 5 to 8 years
- Suits
- Families: gentle, and awake in the daytime
A plump, tail-less animal with a blunt face and petal-shaped ears, in patches of white, ginger and black.
Fancy rat
Rodent · tamed from the brown rat
- Size
- 20 to 28cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 2 to 3 years
- Suits
- Anyone who wants a small pet that knows them
A sleek rat, white with a black hood over its head and shoulders, big ears and a long bare tail.
Fancy mouse
Rodent · tamed from the house mouse
- Size
- 7 to 10cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 1.5 to 2.5 years
- Suits
- People who enjoy watching more than holding
A tiny white mouse with large pink ears, bright ruby eyes and a long thin tail.
Mongolian gerbil
Rodent · from the deserts of Mongolia
- Size
- About 12cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 3 to 5 years
- Suits
- Families who would like to watch them dig
A slim, sandy-brown rodent with a white belly, large dark eyes and a long furry tail ending in a dark tuft.
Chinchilla
Rodent · from the Andes of South America
- Size
- 25 to 35cm long, plus the tail
- Lives for
- 10 to 20 years
- Suits
- Adults and teenagers: a long-lived, evening pet
A round, silver-grey animal with the softest fur imaginable, very large ears and a bushy tail.
Good to know
Six things about pet rodents
Teeth that never stop growing
A rodent's front teeth grow all its life. It must have things to gnaw, or they overgrow.
Bigger is better
Most cages sold for small pets are too small. Buy the largest you have room for.
Night owls
Hamsters and chinchillas sleep by day and wake in the evening. Waking them makes them grumpy.
Alone or together?
Syrian hamsters must live alone. Guinea pigs, rats, mice and gerbils need company of their own kind.
Scoop, do not grab
Pick up a small animal with two cupped hands, low over a soft surface, in case it jumps.
A grown-up in charge
A child can help, but an adult needs to be responsible for any pet's care.
Small pets: 1 more group
Where next?
Photo gallery
Real photos of the pets on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Syrian hamster
Guinea pig
Fancy rat
Fancy mouse
Mongolian gerbil
Chinchilla
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews. Open a photo to see who took it.
Small does not mean simple
Small pets are often a child's first, but each has needs of its own. Some must live alone, some must never be alone, and several are only awake after bedtime.
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