If you’ve ever had a hamster, you know how cute and affectionate they can be. But did you know that there are several species of hamsters, and that some of them are more companionable than others with humans? In this article, we present the different species of hamsters and provide some tips on how to choose the gentlest hamster for you.
Companion, playful, cuddly: better-chosen words
It’s difficult to talk about kindness in animals: by default, we can consider all hamsters (and all animals in general, I believe) as “kind”. This word doesn’t seem appropriate because the reference point we take is us, humans, the owners.
What we are looking to find out is “which hamster will be the most companionable with me?” or “which hamster species will be the most playful with my children?”
It is therefore a matter of defining with exhaustive and rational criteria, which species is best suited to a particular owner, so that they can find the species that is most likely to meet their needs.
Note: these animals have their own will and personality. The breed or species provides indications about the general character of a hamster, but each animal will be different, mainly based on the education, food, and care you provide.
In our article on how to choose the right hamster, we presented a complete table summarizing the characteristics of each species, from which it is possible to deduce some information.
The easiest to tame?
In the “training” category, Russian hamsters and golden hamsters stand out.
Hamster Russe | Hamster Syrien ou doré | Hamster de Campbell | Hamster Roborovski | Hamster Chinois | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dressage | A apprivoiser jeune | Facile à tenir Facile à apprivoiser | Assez difficile à tenir | Difficile car très vif Fragile | aime s'accrocher aux mains |
We could also add the Chinese hamster and the Roborovski hamster, whose complexity lies not so much in training but in making them stay still! They always seem to be in motion. However, the Campbell hamster is less inclined to be close to its owner.
Which hamster is the funniest?
We will assume that the word “funny” corresponds to “playful”, meaning we want to know which hamster is most likely to make you laugh, to be the hero of your photos or videos, either due to its too-cute attitude or its tireless behavior.
In this regard, the liveliest ones, those that need to expel energy and play, make the best impression, namely the Chinese hamster and the Roborovski hamster, closely followed by the Russian hamster!
Hamster Russe | Hamster Syrien ou doré | Hamster de Campbell | Hamster Roborovski | Hamster Chinois | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caractère | Timide Très amical Actif Aime les caresses | Très amical Peu agressif Calme Joueur | Neutre Peut être agressif Peut mordre | Timide Sujet au stress Très actif Très énergique | Timide Bonne humeur Actif et vif Agile et grimpeur |
Which species loves pets the most?
Without much hesitation, the Syrian and Russian hamsters! This is somewhat similar to the question of training your little companion, and thus relates to the first table presented on this page. We cannot consider that (except perhaps for the Campbell) the other hamsters do not like pets, but rather that they always have too much desire to play to spend time without moving under your finger or in your hand!