Need a little hamster help!

[Ally has U's]

I do not own hamsters but I am trying to rustle up some information on them because I would love to rescue one or two. Some of my questions are:

Are they good alone or do they need a friend?
Are they good pets?
What type of cage can they live in?
What type of hamster is the best?
How big do Syrians get?
How big do Dawrfs get?
What do they eat?
How much does it cost to keep a hamster (I figure about the same a amount as my piggies)?
Any other information to help me make my decision would be great too. I am fully ready to take on everything needed to for a hamster and money wise is fine too i am just wondering on information.

[Mommy Of One]

Syrians are strictly solitary, while dwarfs can be housed together.
They are good pets once tamed and you can make a bin cage for them to live in, as much like with guinea pigs, pet store cages are much too small.
Syrians are more for taking out and handling while dwarfs are more on the side of watching pets. It depends on the hamster of how big they get, their diet, ammount of excersize, etc. They only get around 3-8 cm, depending on breed. A propper diet would be a seed/pellet mix with the occasional fruit/veggie. Hamsters are generally very cheap. They can't be on fleece though, and you need to consider everything you may give to them as they can get impacted. Hay is a big no-no for them, and their are many breeds of dwarfs, Robrowvski's, being the smallest, cambells and winter whites. Then their are syrians. Pet stores will make up names so many people think different but these are the only breed hamsters available as the others are much too aggresive to be put for sale as pets. I personally like Syrians, but it is all preference. I have had two syrians and five dwarf's, this is just me though.

[deathnotronic]

I have a Syrian hamster right now. He lives in a huge bin cage. He's never been one for being held. All he wants to do is play in his ball and if he's not in the ball, he's either sleeping or running on his wheel.

Make sure you have a good lid too, with air holes. Hamtaro is a bit of an escape artist and ended up stuck in the heating vent one morning. It was NOT a good day, let me just say.

Mommy of One said that hamsters don't use fleece, that's because they love to bury things and dig. They sleep during the day and wake up occasionally to stuff a LOT of food into their cheeks to take back to their hidey and save it for later.

I love my hamster, he's so cool. He knows that when I put my hand in his ball, it's time to come out and he just climbs onto my hand and out we go! I even let him meet some of his piggy roommates.

Hamsters are way fun.

[Jenni_Feathers]

I have a Syrian Hamster named Goldie and she is alot of fun.

Now for the answers to your questions...
Syrians MUST be housed alone, they will fight to the death, dwarfs will enhoy a friend though
I think they make good pets, they are nocturnal so they sleep all day.
I think that bin cages are the best, they are sorta like c&c's of the hammy world, they are huge, cheap and so much better than petstore cages. My hamster has a huge bin cage and it only cost $9 at Walmart.
It depends on what you would like in a hamster for choosing between breeds, as said before syrains are more social and best for 1st time hammy owners becuase they are easier to tame and handle, opposed to dwarfs which are more of to watch and can be harder to tame and keep tame.
They eat a seeded high quality hamster food, such as Harry Hamster, they can have small ammounts of fresh foods a few times a week but should be slowly weaned into them.
Hamsters cost alot less than my piggys, ecpsecailly because I already have the piggys.
Here are some good links that will answer your question in more deatail and just other good links.
Hamster Nutrition and food info
Hamster Handling hamsters
Safe & Unsafe Food List
Bin Cages
Buying, Taming and Handling
hamster wheels
What type of hamster should I get?

[wickedrodent]

Are they good alone or do they need a friend?

Syrians (often called panda or teddy bear by petstores) MUST be housed alone. Cambells dwarfs and Winter Whites can sometimes be housed together. It depends on personality.

Are they good pets?

It depends in what you are looking for in a pet. Do you want an animal you can cuddle? One that you can watch? How many hours are you able to spend with your new animal?

What type of cage can they live in?

I recommend a Martins cage. Martin's Cages Inc. - The source for all your pet cage needs.

What type of hamster is the best?

Again- It depends on what you are looking for. Personally, I like Syrians.

How big do Syrians get?

About hand size

How big do Dawrfs get?

About 1/2 the size of a Syrian.

What do they eat?

I second Harry Hamster food.

How much does it cost to keep a hamster (I figure about the same a amount as my piggies)?

Not as much as pigs, but still, they have many upfront needs. Cage, Assesories, Adoption Fee, Bedding, (remember, Hamsters can't be housed on fleece. I recommend carefresh), Food, Initial Vet Visit.

[Ally has U's]

thanks for all of the help I appreciate it!

I think I will do further research before I decide right away. I think I may go for dwarf hamsters because they are so cute and I have yet to see a Syrian hamster in person yet so I am not sure what they look like besides what I can imagine.