Hamsters - Which type would you recommend?

[sirithfin]

I may not have much hamster experience but I did have a long haired Syrian a few years ago and he was the sweetest thing ever! Don't know if it actually has anything to do with anything but I got him from a dedicated breeder and not a pet store, so he was properly handled and pampered from the start. ^-^

[Irkencat]

Hi,
I have a golden Syrian hamster, he is very tame and curious.
I've had 3 dwarf hamsters in the past, 2 of them russian and one siberian.
One of the russian dwarf hamsters got as tame as it can be I think, while the second one was
less social but tame, and the siberian was more aggressiv.
The best expirience I've had so far is my lovely golden.
Good luck finding you're perfect hamster

[starrypawz]

Hmmm...
I'm not that cluey on Hamsters as the only ones I really know are Syrians, Winter Whites, and Russian hamsters.
We had winter whites at college and I remember the ones we had in our first year were lovely as they had been handled a lot but ones we had in subsequent years werent because they never seemed to get tamed properly.

Syrians, I owned them as a kid (I had like four hamsters over the years of me growing up) and we had some at college, I like them but I think it's because they're fairly big so I find them easier to handle but some people have said they can be nasty.

[Lightninglover]

I currently have just the one Syrian, but over the years I've owned Robos, Winter Whites & Russian dwarfs. I absolutely *adore* Robos, I love their teeny tinyness & those super cute white eyebrows! I've never had much luck taming them though, although it can be done if you persevere! I've always found WWs to be really friendly & easy to handle, but I love the size of Syrians. The only breed I've never owned is Chinese, but I wouldn't be surprised if one found its way here one day

I guess I love them all!

[Crafty_Camel]

You've gotten a lot of advice so far but I'll go ahead and throw my 2 cents in as well   The best hamster I have ever had was a long haired male Syrian hamster that I named Kevin.  I got him from a Pet Smart after getting 2 hamsters whose eyeballs popped out of their heads.    Anyway... Kevin was the best hamster / pocket pet I've ever had.  He was the sweetest most friendly little guy ever.  He lived for almost 4.5 years!! I'd let him out of his cage, put him on my bed with some food or sunflower seeds and he'd just hang out next to me while I studied or whatever. He'd even sit still while I gave him hair cuts!! (Their hair gets reaaaallllyyy long towards their butts)

I also had really good experiences with short haired female Syrian hamsters.

Anyway.... I'd go with a Syrian whether short or long hair.  One of my ex boyfriends worked at a Pet SuperMarket and the only animals that ever bit him were the Chinese Dwarf and Russian Dwarf hamsters... lol

Good luck choosing your next little buddy!!

[wystearya]

Aww, thank you all!!   I don't feel well now (sick with the flu still) but I will read through all this soon.

I appreciate it all!

[wystearya]

I'm finally feeling better, so I have had time to read your replies in full!

I'm now seriously considering the Winter Whites. 

And I appreciate the recommendations of rats and mice, but I don't think either is good for me.  I had a male mouse when I was a child, and the smell was bad!!!  At least, I found the smell to be very offensive.  And yes, that cage was cleaned almost daily due to the odor.   Rats are too big for my space.  I don't have room for a cage that is large enough. 

Thank you all again!

[Kiwi]

I hope you can find one that fits what you're looking for.

We had hammies years back - the regular dwarf ones in the pet stores. Most were grumpy and anti-social, but we had the rare one that was more friendly. One was my absolute baby.

[cuddlebuggy]

We have a Syrian who is super sweet. But, I would suggest looking for breeders in your area. No matter what kind you choose, finding a hammie who is young and has been handled from a young age will be easier to tame than a pet store one.  We got ours from Craigslist because the pet store didn't properly sex the hamsters and this woman ended up with surprise babies.