Syrian (commonly referred to as "teddybear") hamsters are great "starter-hamsters" for pet owners who are willing to stay up late (past 10pm) to give them the attention they need. They are fairly easy to bond with, and slow down gradually with age.
Article of interest: General Health (by Doran Jones)
Syrians must be housed alone- no matter what sex, age (after 8 weeks), color, or situation. A small cage is fine during hand-training/bonding, but syrians flourish best in "multi-compartment" housing. Before you bring him home, and while bonding with him, it would be beneficial to start buying tubes/attachments, and extra compartments (rubbermaid bins are wonderful cage add-ons) in preparation to add on as he grows.
Article of interest: (by Jane Landis) Syrians are Solitary
Syrians only come together briefly for mating. After the 16 day gestation period, mother syrians give birth and raise their young alone. Syrian pups will live with their littermates up to the age of eight weeks. After four weeks, they must be seperated by sex, to prevent possible breeding.
Article of interest:
Petwebsite's article on Sexing your hamster
Syrians wake 2-3 times per day for a short period to get water and to munch on whatever they have stashed the night before. You may not see him come out before dark, but there will most likely be an occasional munching/crunching sound coming from the nest.
Be sure to feed your syrian his diet mix later in the day- just an hour or so before his usual wake time. When he does wake up, one of the first things he will want to do is "stuff'em." If you have never watched a hamster stuff his cheeks, you are in for a laugh or two.
