The remaining genera of hamsters formed a third major clade. Two of the three sampled species within Cricetulus represent the earliest split. This clade contains C. barabensis (and presumably the related C. sokolovi) and C. longicaudatus.

The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as pets. There are numerous Syrian hamster variations including long-haired varieties and different colors. British zoologist Leonard Goodwin claimed most hamsters kept in the United Kingdom were descended from the colony he introduced for medical research purposes during the Second World War. [26] Hamsters were domesticated and kept as pets in the United States at least as early as 1942. [27] A spacious hamster cage made from a display cabinet Gattermann, R.; Fritzsche, P.; Neumann, K.; Al-Hussein, I.; Kayser, A.; Abiad, M.; Yakti, R. (2001). "Notes on the current distribution and the ecology of wild golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)". Journal of Zoology. 254 (3): 359–365. doi: 10.1017/S0952836901000851. There are many good quality foods available for your hamsters. Choose one that has a good mixture of grains, seeds, pulses and a meat source such as dried meal worms. Help your hamster forage for food Hamster balls are a fun and entertaining way for your pet to exercise but without proper supervision, they can be dangerous.When you first bring your hamster home, place their cage in a room that has medium levels of movement and noise to help them get used to your sounds and movements.

Species N. migratorius—grey dwarf hamster, Armenian hamster, migratory grey hamster; grey hamster; migratory hamster The genus Phodopus was found to represent the earliest split among hamsters. Their analysis included both species. The results of another study [6] suggest Cricetulus kamensis (and presumably the related C. alticola) might belong to either this Phodopus group or hold a similar basal position.Moreover, Royal users get to enjoy the Ultimate membership and all its perks for life. If a user was paying for the Ultimate membership before becoming Royal, Hamsters are born hairless and blind in a nest the mother will have prepared in advance. [3] After one week, they begin to explore outside the nest. Hamsters are capable of producing litters every month. Hamsters can be bred after they are three weeks old. It may be hard for the babies to not rely on their mother for nursing during this time, so it is important that they are supplied with food to make the transition from nursing to eating on their own easier. After the hamsters reach three weeks of age they are considered mature. [25] Longevity Wear a long-sleeved jumper with some of the bedding smell on the sleeves, and use the sleeves to cover your hands. Allow your hamster to walk on to your covered hands in their own time. After a few sessions of doing this you can slowly reveal your hands and encourage them to walk across and gently stroke your hamster. If your hamster is a baby or has had limited handling, they may be very nervous and have a tendency to rear up and scream at you in defence.