LIFE SPAN: 1 to 3 years
SIZE: 2 ounces COST: $4-$8 DIET: commercial hamster food plus fresh fruits and vegis as treats HOUSING: commercial hamster cage or 10 gallon aquarium with tight fitting lid

All hamsters in captivity today are believed to be descended from one brother and his two sisters found in the wild in 1830.

In my opinion, the best home for a hamster is a 10-gallon aquarium with a tight fitting screen lid. Aquariums are easy to clean and the hamster cannot chew through the glass. The tank should be lined with a 2 to 3 inch layer of pine shavings. Cedar may irritate the hamster's sensitive nose. Hamsters are very tidy animals and usually pick one corner of their cage for a toilet. If the potty corner is cleaned daily, the cage will not stink. The whole cage should be thoroughly cleaned once a week.

Water should be available at all times in water bottle. If the water is in a bowl, the hamster will fill it full of shavings and make a terrible mess. There is no need to put food in a bowl, because hamsters love to hide their food. If you give the hamster fresh fruit or vegetables, be sure to find and remove the leftovers the next day.

Hamsters have the shortest gestation period of any mammal (except marsupials). An average of 6 to 7 babies are born after only 16 days. Their eyes open when they are 10 to 12 days old and they are weaned at 21 days. At this time they should be divided up according to sex, because they may produce their own babies at 2 months of age. By maturity each animal should have its own cage to avoid fighting.

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