The golden hamster, Mesocrietus auratus , is a small, short-tailed, stocky rodent which was first captured in Syria in 1930. All hamsters sold as pets are descended from the one male and two female siblings that survived that capture and domestication. Wild hamsters still live in a very limited range in the Middle East.
Hamsters are nocturnal but do have short periods of activity in the day.
They are known for their cheek pouches where they store food for transport for storage in their burrows. These cheek pouches are quite large and can extend to their shoulders. They use their front legs to move food out of the pouches by using a forward pushing motion. There are several color variations and a long-haired hamster known as teddy bears. This may contribute to their tendency to bite if startled, injured, awakened or roughly handled.