Burrowing for answers: Investigating Syrian hamster welfare through owner surveys.

Abstract

Syrian hamsters are a relatively common pet species in the UK. However, we know very little about how they are kept. The aim of this study was to identify areas of good and poor practices among Syrian hamster owners using owner surveys. A survey of pet hamster owners was conducted with questions on husbandry, behaviour and health. There were 548 survey responses. Over 95% of the owners provided a wheel, hideaway or chew toy, and over 90% housed their hamster alone. However, 18.4% of the owners used hamster balls, hamsters may have been fed a diet that was not entirely appropriate, and over 45% of respondents reported that their hamsters were housed in close proximity to predator species. Most (65.9%) hamsters had never been taken to a veterinarian. Hamster ball use, shallower substrate depth and more frequent handling were significantly associated with greater owner observations of bar biting. A key limitation is that the respondents may not be representative of the average pet hamster owner, so this research does not provide a complete picture of the current state of hamster welfare. There are some welfare concerns regarding the way Syrian hamsters are currently kept in the UK.Therefore, attempts to better distribute information about hamster care to owners should be made.