Personal experience on syrian hamsters?

I have 2 male syrians and I love my boys to death!! It's true they're much sweeter than dwarfs (I've had 2 robos previously) and both my guys are completely confortable with me and actually beg me for attention. If I take them out to play and I'm ignoring them they will actually crawl onto my lap and up my body to say "hey play with me!"

Keep in mind that syrians can only be housed alone so make sure you only have 1 per cage. At first they'll be very timid and scared of you but it takes patience and persistance to tame them. I would talk and sing around them, even read out loud so they got used to my voice. Put him in your room so he gets used to your scent, offer him food from your hand. At first he'll be nervous and just grab it and run but you have to be persistant, don't make any sudden moves to frighten him. Let him sniff your hand, even pet his back while he's eating to show him you're not a threat. A good way of getting him used to you is to pick him up and put one hand in front of the other, a little lower so you make a sort of starcase for him to walk down. When you pick him up try to scoop him from underneath with both hands instead of grabbing him around the middle. That's how predators grab them and he'll most likely freak out.

If he chatters when you try to touch him that means that he wants to be left alone and might even bite. I've been bitten a few times by my younger syrian and yes it really hurts.

They need lots of "out of the cage" time, so you'll need a hamster ball so he can run around in it freely. If you have a spare room with nothing in it let him run around in it under your supervision so he can explore.

You can potty train a syrian, I have with both my boys. They catch on fairly quickly, I didn't even have to teach them, they just figured it out on their own. Helps tremendously with the clean up.

Clean his cage at least once a week, make sure you dry it out completely before putting his bedding and stuff in it to prevent any fungal growth.

Syrians can get what's called wet tail, which is pretty much an unhealthy amount of bacteria in the interstines and it looks a lot like diharea. It can be treated at home if caught early enough (you can buy wet tail drops at any local pet store- just follow the instructions on the package if you even need to use it).

The bigger the cage the better! They love lots of space. They're awesome escape artists, so make sure your cage is super super secure! Also keep in mind that they're nocturnal (moreso than dwarfs who tend to be awake during the day more) so if his cage is in your room it might get annoying listening to him run and dig all night long while you try to sleep. I reccomend "silent spinners," they're super super quiet wheels.

Read up on human food as treats, make sure you research it though! Some people food is really really bad for them. My younger syrian loves carrots and the older one loves pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Good luck with your new little friend!

Hi there I have had syrian hamsters in the past and it's true to say they are very sweet but will be shy and unsure of being handled at first. The first day you have one let it get used to its surroundings. Then the second day, put your hand in and gently stroke the hamster. Then the next step you could try to handle it but if it's scared let it take food from your hand first. It will come to trust you. A bit of advice though, don't over handle the hamster. They are nocturnal and it will want its sleep mainly in the day so let it sleep. Maybe wait til it wakes up and pops out for a drink of water or some food and then handle it. Best of luck :)

I loved mine to death. She was so sweet and never bite unless she felt like she was threaten. At first, she was afraid and shy. Every time I opened her cage, she'll run and hide from me. But after awhile she got used to me. She got used to my family. She esp loved my dad because my dad aways let her out. She's also smart. She escaped from her cage. She never likes to be in her cage and is always wanting out. She loves to roam around. Which was fine with us. My hamster would climb on anybody and anywhere. Shes a sweet, active hamster. She recently passed away which broke my heart and my brother brought another hamster. It's a dwarf hamster and I found it that I prefer teddy bears.

These hamsters are sweet and smart. They are friendly. I always held fresh fruits and vegetables in my hands and she would lean in and eat it. To gain her trust. After a couple months, she would grab it, and walk to her little Corner and eat. She gets fussy if her cage isn't clean. She had toys to chew, fresh food and water. You can wake her up and she wont growl at you like some hamster. Keep it's cage clean, fresh food and check up on her water. Give them plenty of attention.