Selecting a Chinese Hamster

Unfortunately, Chinese hamsters are the least commonly available species of hamster available today, so not all pet shops may carry them. You may have to ask a few local pet shops before you find one that stocks them. I know Pets At Home carry them in their shops usually, but please note that they have tried to sell me two on every occassion I purchased from them and THESE ARE NOT SOCIAL ANIMALS. When I attempted to keep two in one cage, the result was bloodshed, although thankfully, I seperated them before any serious injury was inflicted. ALWAYS KEEP ONLY ONE HAMSTER PER CAGE, EVEN IF ATTEMPTING TO BREED (breeding is not covered on this site, so look elsewhere for info).

When you arrive at the pet shop, take a look around. Do all the animals they stock look healthy, alert and bright-eyed? Note that most commonly available rodents, including Chinese hamsters, are nocturnal and will be asleep during the daytime. Are the cages clean, with fresh, unsoiled substrate and some places to hide? If the answer to these questions is yes, then ask one of the employees to take out the hamster that piques your interest. It should not have any bold patches, scars, missing toes, etc, and the fur should be relatively even. The eyes should be bright and the fur should feel smooth, almost silky, if you stroke the hamster in the direction the fur is lying.

^A healthy, bright-eyed hamster.

The gender of the hamster is a matter of personal preference as you will only be keeping one per cage. Also, there are two colour morphs available. They are shown below and again, just pick the one you like the most; the colouration has no effect on the hamster's personality.

Normal
Brown or greyish brown with white underside and dark brown to almost black stripe running down back that is often broken or imperfect.

Dominant Spot
Patches of white and brown, those with the most white are considered more desirable. The stripe down the back is usually broken in several places.

Now that you've purchased your favourite hamster from the pet shop of your choice, you need to bring him home to his cage, which should be set up ready and waiting for the new arrival, complete with food and water. You should transport them in rectangular cardboard boxes with ventilation holes in the sides; when you purchase the hamster from a pet shop, these are usually provided. Because it is possible for the hamster to chew his way out (this has never happened to me, although it has happened to one of my friends who found their hamster a month later, still alive, in the car), you can place this box in a plastic pet carrier, often available at shops. Try to keep the box from jostling around as much as possible.

Once you arrive home, open the box and lay it in the hamster cage. Eventually, your new pets should come out to explore their new home, although they may keep the box as a place to sleep for their entire lifetime, unless they find an area they prefer.