Choosing A Hamster
You should buy your hamster from a reputable pet shop. Note how the store keeps its animals. Hamsters should be kept in clean cages, about the size of a 10 gallon fish tank. Note that the bedding is not soiled all over because this could indicate sick hamsters and bad maintenance.
Although your pet has a very short tail, it sould be clean and dry. A bent tail indicates bad breeding stock. Other things to keep an eye out are:
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Dark, bright eyes(unless it's a red eye hamster). There should not be any tears or smear marks near the eyes.
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If the hamster is up and running, its ears should be erect and strait. The ears(two of them!) should be set well apart. The ears also indicate age. Young hamsters still have fur on their ears. Older haves have a little shine on their ears because it's bald.
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Try petting it in its cage. It should be responsive, but not jittery. It's body should be sleek with no bumps or lumps.
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Fur should be clean and a bit shiny. No bald spots and no guard hairs on the side.
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Nose? A clean one, not drippy.
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BE CUTE
Kinds of hamsters
Golden Hamsters
Probably the most common and well known type of hamster. They are clean, friendly, and easy to tame. Get one! Only one hamster in a cage only.
Fancy Hamsters
They're about the same size as golden hamsters, but they come in more than just one color. They're not as easy to tame as golden hamster I think, but they're still friendly anyways.
Dwarf Hamsters
They're smaller than the other two kinds. They are mostly grey, with a black stripe running lenth wise. Warning: If you don't get them while they're still about five weeks old, it's quite a challenge to tame them.
