Article: While many hamsters (like Syrians) are solitary animals, they do like companionship, too. Provide your hamster a friend (in yourself) and handle your hamster every couple of days. Handling your hamster often does not have to be a strenuous activity. You can do this simply by holding your hamster gently, allowing him or her to rest in your hand, or allowing them to crawl all over you. Make sure to handle your hamster every day or two. Neglecting your hamster will hurt his or her socialization and affect his or her happiness. If there are days you are unable to handle your hamster, recruit a friend or family member to fill in for you. When handling your hamster, you need to be gentle and handle your friend with care. Being rough with your hamster could injure your friend or cause him or her to be wary of interaction with humans. Do not be rough. Do not handle your hamster in a place where you might drop him or her. Hamsters are very fragile animals and you can easily hurt or kill your friend. Start handling your hamster by introducing your scent to it by putting your hand in his or her cage and cleaning or repositioning toys. Move on to petting your hamster without picking him or her up. When your hamster seems comfortable and does not run away from you, pick him or her up. Always wash your hands before and after you handle your hamster. Your hamster will probably enjoy getting out of his or her cage every so often and explore new places. If you're careful, this can be a fun activity for you and your friend. However, consider: Make sure you secure a location in advance so your friend can't escape. Pay specific attention to making sure your hamster can't slip under a door, into a vent, or any other opening in the room. Remove all other animals from the room. Remove all poisons or anything that could hurt your little friend. Don't leave your friend unattended and watch him or her at all times. Note that your hamster might pee or poop in the room. Be prepared to clean it up. While your hamster might enjoy interacting with you, he or she will probably also enjoy playing with other hamsters. Even if you have two or three of your own, you might consider finding someone else who has hamsters and setting up a play date so the hamsters can play together. Consider: Make sure they play in a neutral location. A good place might be an old and unused cage that is big enough for everyone to play in. Make sure to put toys in the cage. Talk to the owner of the other hamster about health issues. You don't want your hamster playing with another hamster who might be sick or contagious. If you have a Syrian hamster, don't set up a play date. Syrians are very territorial. Never leave your hamster unattended with a new hamster. Female hamsters may be more aggressive than males. As a result, you should be careful when allowing females to interact with each other.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Handle your hamster often. Handle your hamster carefully. Allow your hamster to run around a secure location. Setup a play date for your hamster.