INTRODUCTION
In comparison to the rat and guinea pig, the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) has only recently been domesticated (Derrell Clark 1987). The first wild Syrian hamsters were collected only 75 years ago from the north-west Syrian desert.
Our current pet and laboratory hamsters have since been bred from a limited gene pool of 3 littermates captured in 1930, 11 more captured in 1971 and 3 more in 1978 (Derrell Clark 1987; Fulton 1968; Nowak 1999). The original ones were a reddish brown color and hence were originally called Golden hamsters. The development of a vast variety of different colors since then means that they are now more correctly called the Syrian hamster.The Syrian hamster is unique among pet rodents in that they are not gregarious and best kept singly because the female will attack the male except when in estrus. They are also nocturnal. As they can be quite aggressive when disturbed from sleep they have earned an unfair reputation for being pugnacious (Lipman & Foltz 1996).
Hamsters and gerbils are from the family Cricetidae and differ from rats and mice in having a haired tail and molar teeth with cusps arranged in two parallel rows instead of three (Derrell Clark 1987).