Definition of hamster Hamster

/hæˈmstɚ/ - [hatmster] - ham•ster

We found 7 definitions of hamster from 7 different sources.

What does hamster mean?

Noun Plural: hamsters
hamster - short-tailed Old World burrowing rodent with large cheek pouches
		gnawer, rodent relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing
		cricetus, genus cricetus type genus of the Cricetidae: Old World hamsters
		cricetus cricetus, eurasian hamster a variety of hamster common to Europe and Asia

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hamster (Noun)
A small, short-tailed Euroasian rodent, , often kept as a pet. It is remarkable for having a pouch on each side of the jaw, under the skin, and for its migrations.

hamster (n.)
A small European rodent (Cricetus frumentarius). It is remarkable for having a pouch on each side of the jaw, under the skin, and for its migrations.

hamster
ham′stėr, n. a genus of rodent mammals of the family Muridæ, having cheek-pouches reaching back almost to the shoulders. [Ger.]

A hamster is a small furry animal (a rodent) that is a bit like a mouse or a ferret. Wild hamsters live in the desert, but people all over the world keep domesticated hamsters as pets. There are four main types of them: the Syrian hamster (the kind most people have as pets), the Russian dwarf hamster, the Chinese hamster, and the Roborovski hamster. One kind of Syrian hamster is called the "golden hamster". All golden hamsters are the descendants of 12 baby hamsters found in Syria in 1930.

Pet hamsters like to live in cages with wood shavings or sawdust, recycled newspaper, straw on the bottom, and eat mostly hamster food sold at a pet store, but they also eat almost any vegetables. Hamsters store food in the sides of their mouths. They cannot eat citrus, watermelon, grapes, or garlic. They need a water bottle to drink from and something to chew on to trim their teeth, because they grow constantly. If they don't like chewing you'll have to cut their top teeth. Wooden blocks can be used for this, but toilet paper rolls and pieces of cardboard also work. Most hamsters also have a wheel to run on for exercise, although some people get other kinds of exercise equipment for their hamsters, like an empty ball that the hamster can roll around the floor or a long network of tubes for it to crawl through. They live in an aquarium or cage meant for rodents.