If you want a playful, friendly rodent as a pet, hamsters aren't really your best choice. They're nocturnal, so they'll be asleep most of the day. If you wake them up, they're likely to be grouchy and could bite. At night, they'll run around inside their little wheels most of the time. They're also extremely solitary creatures, so don't get more than one or you'll have a fight on your hands. On the plus side, hamsters are easy to keep. An aquarium tank, a wheel, a water dish, and some shredded newspaper are all it takes to keep a hamster satisfied. If you start with a young one and carefully handle it regularly, it may abandon its reclusive ways and start to enjoy your company.
