Which Pet Hamster Would Suit Me Best?

Active and lively or calm and peaceful? Single or multicolored? For beginners or advanced? There are many beautiful types of hamsters and each of them has special characteristics that make them unique: their coat, their color, their character. They also have special preferences such as climbing or running.

This test will help you find out which type of hamster would be best for you. Below the test you will find some more helpful information!

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Our Pet Hamster Section

In our hamster check you find detailed hamster profiles for the most popular species as well as useful tips for keeping and for the hamster cage.

Hamsters for Beginners

If you’ve never had a hamster, you should start with a calm, low-maintenance hamster breed. These include most Syrian hamsters, even if these can be quite stubborn. Constantly flitting about, nimble dwarf hamsters are more difficult for beginners, especially as the animals will have to be picked up and moved to clean the cage.

Which Hamsters Are Hand-Tame?

None. Hamsters are not hand-tame - even if this is a common “promise”. Hamsters are great to watch, but they don’t want to be touched or pet.

Which Hamsters Can Be Kept Together?

None. Hamsters are solitary so like to keep to themselves.

What Kinds of Hamster Are There?

Pet hamsters are usually dwarf hamsters or Syrian hamsters. Dwarf hamsters include the Campbell, Chinese, Roborovski and winter white. Syrian hamster breeds are satin, cream, dominant spot, teddy and banded. There are hamsters with short and long fur, with special fur markings (like a dorsal stripe along the back) or unusual shimmery, shiny fur. Some hamsters like to climb, others needs lots of floor space as they love to run around. Some are friendly, others headstrong, some even-tempered and calm, while others are so lively that they’re bursting with energy.

Hamsters Are Nocturnal Animals

A common question is “which hamsters aren’t nocturnal?” After all, you don’t really want to just watch your pet take nap after nap. Before making a purchase, you should know that hamsters are definitely active at night and during twilight hours. They like to sleep during the day without being woken up. So they shouldn’t be kept in your living room or bedroom. They make really loud noises as they scrabble, climb and run, so they would just keep waking you up if they were in your bedroom.

It would be too loud for the animals in the living room, and they would struggle to doze through the day. If you’re thinking you could simply move the cage around every day, this would be incredibly stressful for the animal. A quiet, separate room for the animals would be perfect.

Which Hamsters Live the Longest?

Hamsters are among the shortest-living hamsters: just 1.5 to 3 years. The Chinese dwarf hamster lives the longest: for 3 years. Syrian hamsters and cultivated Syrian hamster breeds (e.g. satin, teddy, cream) only make it to 2 years old. This can’t be predicted exactly, as each hamster is different and illnesses can really impact the lifespan of such small animals.