Choosing a hamster

Question
Hi there,
I was hoping you could help me out. I have read your profile and you seem as if you are the best person to ask. I have wanted a hamster for about 1 or 2 years now, so I have decided to get one. Before I actually purchase a hamster I wanted some advice on how to choose one. I have no experience with hamsters at all. Every time I go into a pet shop the golden Syrian hamsters always draw my attention! So I wondered whether this would be a good choice. I would be so grateful if you could help me and I promise to rate you if you do! Anyway I am not a person who would treat my hamster badly. I would love him/her by handling it often, grooming it, feeding it and cleaning out it's cage. It would be in a suitable room and in great hands! So please would you help me out by answering and I will help you out by rating! I hope to hear from you soon,
Katharine

Answer
Syrians are the preferred beginner hamster. Their large size and docile nature makes them excellent pets. To pick one out, choose a store that separates the Syrians by gender. Many stores ignorantly place them in a large communal tank. Syrians will age and fight each other if housed together, so this is a destructive practice. It also encourages inbreeding. Petco usually separates by gender so I would go for them. Handle all the hamsters you can and choose one that's alert and calm. The calmer the better since you will have to hand tame them less. Make sure the bottom isn't wet since this can be a sign of a stress related disease called wet tail.

Next pick either a male or female. There is little difference, females are physically a little larger, and males have large testicles near their tail. Females may also smell musky once every 4 days when they come into heat. In my experience I've also found the males to be slightly less hyper, where as my females seemed more fixated on escaping. I'd pick a nice male. Again, you can only have 1 per cage.

Next pick a home. I 100% encourage owners to use a glass aquarium. Minimum size is 10 gallons, though 20 gallon long is the preferred comfortable size. Get a lid to cover the tank, if they aren't by the hamster supplies the lids are usually in with the fish or reptile supplies. You do not need anything but a simple lid, no heat lamp.

Get some Aspen wood bedding to line the bottom of the tank, it will need to be changed once a week to keep from urine fumes from building up. A water bottle with a little hole at the top is what you should use with an aquarium. They make aquarium bottle holders, but in my experience my hamsters would try to climb the holder and escape. Use a paper clip or wire bent through the top hole to attach it to the top of the cage. You could also get a suction cup water bottle if you can find it. Any little bowl will do as a food dish, pet stores sell plenty of different ones from plastic to ceramic. A heavy plastic one works fine.

To furnish the cage you need at least an exercise wheel and a hiding place. I use metal wheels with a square grid running surface. They also make heavy plastic "silent spinners" but they're a bit pricey. My hamsters seem to break them within a year too. They are indeed quiet if noise becomes an issue so its up to you if you want that type. Any hiding place will do too, I like using plastic igloos, but as long as the hamster can comfortably move around sitting up inside it's fine. Many hiding spots sold in stores aren't quite large enough head room wise, which is why igloos are so perfect. Keep in mind price, hamsters will chew their hiding place so it doesn't have to be expensive. You can also fit some tubes in a 20 gallon long for extra fun.

Anything else feel free to ask.