The pet hamster species originated in arid areas that include Syria, Russia, China and Mongolia. The Syrian hamster was the first to arrive in the United States in the late 1930s and gained popularity as a pet in the 1950s. Since that time, many people have fallen under the spell of these furry busybodies.

Hamsters have been immortalized in children’s books, television shows, video games and movies (who could forget Rhino the hamster from the movie Bolt?). Hamsters even inspired the famously addictive Hamster Dance and, since 1996, a hamster for president campaign. And the recent Zhu Zhu pet toys are a phenomenon. Pet hamsters are here to stay.

Once a hamster is added to the family, hamster owners soon realize that learning all about hamsters and becoming familiar with hamster facts helps in caring for hamsters. So be sure to check out all the hamster information on SmallAnimalChannel.