We read books, looked up information on the internet, talked to veterinarians, and visited other scientists who work with hamsters. Hamsters can stuff up to 3 times their body bulk into their cheek pouches. Baby hamsters do not open their eyes until they are 15 days old.
Golden hamsters are native to the Middle Eastern country of Syria.
Hamsters have been domesticated as pets since 1930. We wanted to learn about hamster ecology in order to create an ideal living environment for them. We also wanted to design an experiment that would cause as little harm to the animals as possible.