Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species in six or seven genera.[1] They have become established as popular small house pets.[2] They are a bit like a mouse. Wild hamsters live in the desert, but people all over the world keep domesticated hamsters as pets.HamsterTemporal range: Middle Miocene–CurrentHamster Ruso.jpgCampbell’s dwarf hamsterScientific classification eKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:RodentiaFamily:CricetidaeSubfamily:CricetinaeFischer de Waldheim, 1817GeneraMesocricetusPhodopusCricetusCricetulusAllocricetulusCansumysTscherskiaIn the wild, hamsters are crepuscular and stay underground during the day. They feed on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and occasionally eat burrowing insects. Hamsters are distinguished by their large cheek pouches, and relatively short tail. They use their long cheek pouches (extending to their shoulders) to carry food back to their burrows.[3]