what to get

Question
hi my name is morgan and i am aloud to get a hamster! I hope you could tell me about a hamster or other rodent that would be good for a beginner? a rodent that will be good for sitting in your hands and that is easy to take care of!
thanks

Answer
Hello Morgan,

thanks for your question.

For a beginner i would recommend a Syrian Hamster - these are the big hamsters you mostly see in the pet shops.

There are two main types of hamsters and these are Syrians and dwarfs - i wouldnt recommend the dwarfs for a beginner because they are very fast and can be more difficult to tame than the Syrian.

Syrian hamsters are best for beginners because they are easy to tame if you spend time with them each day and they also love to come out - in just a few short weeks a Syrian hamster will learn his name and come to see you each time he hears your voice!  You can also teach syrians to do simple tricks if you have enough time and patience!

It doesnt matter if you get a male or a female - they can both become perfect pets if you treat them right - but please remember that Syrians are Solitary so they can not be kept in pairs or groups - only one Syrian can be kept in one cage!!

There are many different colours and coat lenghts which a Syrian hamster can have - the long haired ones are sometimes sold as "Teddy Bear" Hamsters and the black and white ones are sometimes sold as "Panda Bear" Hamsters - many other colours have different names too!

Please do not be tricked into paying more money for one with a fancy name - they are all syrians and are all worth the same amount of money - so please make sure you take your parents with you to make sure you are not tricked into paying more money than you should!

Good Luck with your choice and please let me know how you get on!

Just let me know if you need any more info.

Kind Regards,

Tammy