About Hamsters

Hamsters in the Wild

Hamster Information in Bits

Hamster Bits

Hamsters in the wild are desert creatures from Syria and live in burrows. Apparently, almost all the hamsters sold in the US as pets are descended from one family of hamsters captured in the 1930's, but there are other lines of hamsters available known as Siberian, Chinese, European, and American.

Hamsters in the wild are omnivores. Although wild hamsters and pet hamsters eat a variety of different types of food.

Hamsters live in burrows that are like underground tunnels. The tunnels can be very large and have many rooms.

Scientists disagree whether wild hamsters really hibernate. They like to be in 65-80 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. When the temperature goes below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, they go into a temporary hibernation, or torpor. With torpor, their body temperatures drop lower, their heart rate drops to 5-15 beats a minute [instead of 250-500], and they sleep for long periods of time. The difference between hibernation and torpor is how long the sleep times are and how much the animal's bodies slow down.