by 
The Curious Bag
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Hamsters are healthy pets provided the caretaker is willing to feed and house them correctly and take them to the vet at the first sign of illness. Syrian hamsters can live up to four years, but dwarf hamsters only live half that.
Feeding
According to "Training Your Pet Hamster" (Gerry Buscis & Barbara Somerville, 2002), hamsters thrive on variety of vegetables, grains, nuts and hay. They should never eat candy, cakes or chocolate.
Prevention
Some hamster health problems can be avoided by always having hard items for the hamster to gnaw to keep the teeth from growing too long.
Environment
Prolonged exposure to ammonia fumes from urine and drafts can lead to hamster illnesses. When in warm, clean environments at a steady room temperature, hamsters do well.
Breeding
According to website Hamsterific, hamsters rarely have problems breeding. But they can cannibalize newborn babies and have up to 24 at a time.
Expert Advice
Find a veterinarian that is experienced with hamsters before bringing a hamster home as a pet. See whether the vet makes house calls, because traveling in cars can stress a hamster and make it ill.
Source:
Training Your Pet Hamster (Gerry Buscis & Barbara Somerville, 2002)
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