what exactly IS a Syrian hamster?

Question

i keep hearing about how amazing they are and i don't know what they are so if you could tell me if Syrian is just another name for something else that would be great, and if you know of a mainstream petstore [petco, petsmart,petland] that has them

thankss :]

Answer 1

Syrian is the name of any large hamster, teddy bear, fancy, golden, panda bear, dalmatian, black bear, etc. They are from the Syrian desert and were discovered north of Israel in 1930. They were originally used for experiments and still are. Through different breeding techniques, there are at least 40 different color varieties. We have 6 different color varieties so far. They love to be held and played with, rarely bite, unless startled from sleeping(there are a few exceptions to the rule however and we have 2). They live for 2-3 years, but have been know to live longer, I had one that was about 6 when she died, her first owner had her for 3 years and I had her for almost 3 also. They are so adorable too and will look you in the eye sometimes when you talk to them.

Those pet stores you mention do carry the Syrians, before choosing any ask to handle them first, we always bought the ones that peed on us or bit us, don't ask why, we just do. We like to tame the wilder ones. For a first time hamster, make sure it is very docile when you pick it up, don't get a jumpy or skittish one. I got my first when I was 7 and my love for them has carried over to 3/4 of my children, my other one likes iguanas. My oldest boy is 21 now and he is the main caregiver for all but 3 of the Syrians and all the Russians. He has 18 total in his room. All we have is a Petland and some say pretty bad things about them in sites, but if they saw the the other pet store I got shut down, they'd think different. The one I go to accepts babies of all kinds of pets when they have room. They were looking for large rats when I was there. I got my "Black bear" Syrian free when someone brought in an entire litter and the dad (mine now), the dad was too old for them to sell at a year old. They had one that they couldn't sell she was dropped and now bit everyone. They said if you can pick her up we'll sell he to you at the "teddy bear" price, She never bit, until I got her home. We don't breed ours and keep most of them with a Russian dwarf cage mate (something I was told can't be done). 4 of our Syrians were raised by a Russian dwarf when their mother died suddenly, babies were only 9 days old and the dwarf had 5 babies of her own born a day after them. They are healthy and huge.

Answer 2

This should help: I copied it from a website. I got my Syrian hamster from Petsmart and my husband got his from Petcetera.

"The Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the 'Golden Hamster' due to its original wild golden colouring although today there are many different colour and coat mutations. The Syrian Hamster is the most common type of hamster kept as a pet and is approximately 6-7 inches in length with a very short tail. It has hairless feet with four toes on the front feet and five on the back feet. The Syrian Hamster makes a good pet and easy enough for small children to handle under supervision. The average lifespan is 2-2½ years although they can live longer and up to 3-4 years is not too unusual."

Answer 3

There are five species of hamsters commonly kept as pets: Syrians, Campbells Russian Dwarf, Winter White Russian Dwarf, Roborovski Dwarf and Chinese. Syrians are the only one suited for beginners. They are the largest of the five species and are notoriously given "fancy" names by the pet stores in order to get more money for them. For example, a customer is more willing to spend $20 on a "Dalmatian" than a Dominant Spot, even though Dominant Spot is the correct term for the pattern.

Here are some examples:

Golden is the only correct color that the pet stores use.
"Honey Bear"- Black Eyed Cream
"Panda Bear"- Black Banded Shorthaired
"Calico"- Black Tortoiseshell and White
"Black Bear"- Black Shorthaired
"Polar Bear"- Dark Eared White, Flesh Eared White, Red Eyed White, or Black Eyed White
"Teddy Bear"- any longhaired Syrian

There is no difference between any of these other than appearance and individual personalities. They are all the same species much like black labs and yellow labs are the same.

There are far more than 40 different color varieties. There are 19 known mutations at this point that cause different colors, patterns, eye colors or coat types. Unfortunately, one of these mutations is extinct and another is believed to be. I have created a database for my breeding program (computer program) and there are well over 40,000 different color, coat type and pattern combinations and I didn't even include the extinct genes.

I am a show breeder of Syrian hamsters and have worked hard to become one of the top breeders in the US. I have 15 of the 17 mutations currently in my hamstery. The only mutations I don't have are Light Grey and Hairless. I have no desire to breed Hairless and if I come across a Light Grey I may purchase one though my real focus is on Dark Grey and Silver Grey. There is only one other breeder in the US working with Dark Grey. Dark Grey, Rust, Rex and Silver Grey were only imported into the US 3 years ago.

If you go to the Pet Website, there's pictures of many of the colors, patterns and coat types found in all species of hamsters. The Pet Website is created and run by a retired British hamster show breeder. Here is the link to the Syrian page, you'll see links to the different colors, patterns and coat types above the text. There is also information about Syrian history, biology and behavior. Just read the history of the Syrians and you will find there is much more extensive than suggested in another answer. http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/syrian_hamsters.htm

Most any pet store, including Petsmart and Petco, sells Syrian hamsters. If you are interested in purchasing one, I would recommend that you find a breeder. A good breeder will be a member of the Internet Hamster Association of North America and uphold the Breeder's Code. They will also selectively breed their animals and be able to provide a pedigree with each pup they sell.

Here are a few links with breeder's lists and hopefully you will be able to find one close to you:

Internet Hamster Association of North America:
http://groups.msn.com/InternetHamsterAssoc/breedernew.msnw

Hamsters Galore:
http://groups.msn.com/Hamstersgalore/breeders.msnw

If you're interested, you can visit my site below. I don't have all my hamsters up yet, but there are many colors, patterns and coat types that you won't find in a pet store.

-Janice
http://www.holmdenhillhaven.com

Answer 4

The Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the 'Golden Hamster' due to its original wild golden colouring although today there are many different colour and coat mutations. It is also sometimes referred to as the Standard or Fancy Hamster and Long Haired Syrian hamsters are sometimes referred to as 'Teddy Bear Hamsters'. In addition the Hairless Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the 'Alien Hamster' and the Black Syrian Hamster is also referred to as the 'Black Bear' or 'European Black Bear' Hamster.

The Syrian Hamster is the most common type of hamster kept as a pet and is approximately 6-7 inches in length with a very short tail. It has hairless feet with four toes on the front feet and five on the back feet. The Syrian Hamster has expandable cheekpouches which it uses to collect and carry food and bedding and it can carry up to half its body weight in grain in its cheekpouches.

The Syrian Hamster is a solitary animal and will not usually live with another past 8-10 weeks of age and so it is important that they are housed separately as serious fighting, even death can occur if more than one are kept in the same cage. The Syrian Hamster is nocturnal, usually waking during the evening.

The Syrian Hamster makes a good pet and easy enough for small children to handle under supervision. The average lifespan is 2-2½ years although they can live longer and up to 3-4 years is not too unusual.

Answer 5

It's probably another dwarf hamster like Chinese and Russian hamsters. I got Chinese dwarf hamster and i got him from a specialty pet store and now Petsmart has them