Mr. Saddlebags, the Golden Hamster

original NPR article with audio

How The Wild Hamster Was Tamed
by NPR Staff

April 10, 2011

In the spring of 1930, a biologist named Israel Aharoni ventured into Syria on a mission. He was searching for a rare golden mammal.

Its name in Arabic translates roughly as "Mr. Saddlebags." Thanks to Aharoni, the little rodent with the big cheeks can now be found in many grade-school classrooms, running on a little wheel in a little cage.

That's right. Aharoni's big find was the hamster.

Of course, Aharoni didn't set out looking for a schoolchild's pet, biologist Rob Dunn tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. Dunn, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, wrote about the hamster's discovery in a recent article on Smithsonian.com.

One of Aharoni's colleagues, Saul Adler, thought the animal might be similar enough to humans to use for medical research. "Aharoni saw this as a chance to both to discover this organism in the wild and to bring them back to Adler so he could make major discoveries about humans," Dunn says.

Following tips from local farmers, Aharoni tracked down a litter of 11 hamsters in a Syrian wheat field. He put the little family in a box, and trouble started immediately when mama hamster ate one of her babies.

More troubles followed in the lab. There was more hamster cannibalism, and five others escaped from their cage — never to be found. Finally, two of the remaining three hamsters started to breed, an event hailed as a miracle by their frustrated caretakers.

Those Adam-and-Eve hamsters produced 150 offspring, Dunn says, and they started to travel abroad, sent between labs or via the occasional coat pocket. Today, the hamsters you see in pet stores are most likely descendants of Aharoni's litter.

Because these hamsters are so inbred, they typically have heart disease similar to what humans suffer. Dunn says that makes them ideal research models.

"They do matter to us in this unusual way," Dunn says. "In addition to turning those wheels all around the world."

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.:)

It turns out that there was a need for a new hamster because the animals that were currently in use in laboratories, the Chinese Dwarf Hamster, would not reproduce in captivity. So there was a constant supply shortage because new specimens had to continually be imported from China.

Matt: Not only would they not breed outside of China but China was having a lot of issues at the time so it was difficult to get them shipped out. Also just so you know for your blog, Chinese hamsters are not dwarfs at all. I know that you touch on this a bit but I feel that it is important for people to understand this. They are entirely different species in an entirely different genus just like syrian hamsters. They're grouped as dwarf hamsters because of their small size and the dorsal stripe but they aren't technically a dwarf hamster.

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Also since I don't see how to contact you have you ever heard the other side of the argument for hamster balls? I find that people that seem against them take their arguments forme xtreme cases. If used responsibly then I find them to be great toys. I have it posted on here, just scorll down a tiny bit: Click. But in regards to your points I would like you to consider this:
No Water and No Food: Hamsters should only be in their balls for 15-20 minutes. They aren't going to starve nor become dehydrated during this time. At any rate hamsters should also be given time to wake up, get a drink and eat if they wish before being aloud in the ball. Most hams keeps food in their cheek pouches too. So this is not a concern.

There is no designated bathroom area: This is one of the reasons that supervision is key. If your hamsters goes to the washroom in their ball than you should be there to take them out and clean it out. Again letting them wake up and do their business prior to allowing them to go in the ball can also decrease the chances of them urinating in their balls. If watched closely and removed then this is not a concern.

It is Too Easy to Forget that Your Hamster is inside: Supervision! A hamster ball is not a ham-sitter. A travel cage or spare cage should be used when cleaning the cage. There is no reason that the hamster should be forgotten if the hamster is being supervised. Again if used properly this is not a concern.

Interference: Supervision is once again a key. Hamsters should never be around cats or dogs anyways as the presence of predators is highly stressful. Kids need supervision too at any rate. And stairs should be blocked off. If used properly this is not a concern.

Your hamster is trapped.: Another reason why you must supervise your hamster. You can tell if they want out or if they're bored. They chew on the ball, they stop running, they empty out their pouches, they go to sleep. If you supervise them and watch their body language this is also not a concern.

Being inside a dark closet: Hamsters have terrible eyesight so a coloured ball isn't a key factor. How ever there are translucent, clear balls available if you feel that this is a concern. While the ball may muffle sound and smell it does not block it entirely. Hamsters have much better senses then us and they can overcome things like this much easier.

Out of 23 hamsters, everyone has loved it and if used safely they do make excellent toys. My hamsters are given the choice to go into their balls and they are supervised closely. If they want out, go to the washroom or whatever then they are let out. The longest time they spend in their balls is 20 minutes. They don't always want to go in but most of the time they do- I'd say about 99% of the time. You don't have to agree but I wanted to give you the other side of the coin. ;)