Why Syrian?

[Gust0o]

Ok, since I'm feeling full of questions this morning - and work is being exceedingly slow...

This forum is for Syrian owners - but what drew you to Syrian hamsters in the first place?

Maybe you liked them because they were easier to handle; maybe that was all the pet shop had when you started owning... but I want to know :)

I'll go first, to give an example:

I first started with Syrians when my partner moved in, and I adopted Hammie - a beatiful creamy-gold, old girl, who was a very large and good natured hammie.

Hammie won me over to pet ownership - she was great free-roaming, very polite (never once bitten!), and the centre of attention whenever we had guests!

I eventually got Dave, the robo - but, when Hammie passed away, really missed the handling time, and the playful personality.

I was thrilled when Al decided she wanted another Syrian - and was delighted to get Bob home. Bob herself couldn't wait, and had begun to shred her transport box in the car!

I don't think I'll own another Robo, after Dave, as they're still a little wild - the boys are fantastic, and would recommend Winter Whites to anyone - but Hammie and Bob have a special place in my heart. They're personalities matched their physical presence.

Thus I've agreed to rehome Hobbs - who'll be my first Syrian, all of my own - and I cannot wait! :)

[Basia]

I have only ever owned Syrians.
I like looking at dwarfs and I love to see the photos on here of everyone's dwarfs and I know their owners really love them but I wouldn't want one myself. I can't really say why but it may be because syrians remind me of teddy bears. I also like them large, which is why I fell in love with the show-type hamsters and wanted some of my own.
Not much help really am I? :roll:

[Holly]

I have to confess that I'm a real Syrian enthusiast - we currently have 14 of the little darlings and I just love everything about them. I love the fact that, as Basia says, they look like miniature teddy bears (or bear cubs as she put in one of my other threads 8) ) and I also often get the impression of little dogs when mine are "asking" to come out! They are wonderful to play with as, with a little gentle handling, they become incredibly tame - I haven't managed the same level of tameness with any other variety of hamster. They are also wonderful from a breeding and showing perspective - there are so many colours and coat types for people to choose from and I find looking at and discussing Syrians never gets dull.

We have two dwarf winter white brothers and, though they are very cute and I love them dearly, they just aren't the same as my Syrians (duh!), it's kind of hard to explain. I don't think I'd have ww's again and Campbells have never appealed to me hugely, don't know why.

I do love robos - we recently got a little rescue robo named Bean and he is an absolute delight! I could spend hours watching him run round in his cage - and we can handle him too though he starts to get faster and faster if we keep him out too long and we always have to handle in a dry bath - just in case, as he's soo fast when he wants to be.

I'd love to have a small colony or pair of robos in the future but, for me, Syrians make superb pets and are my ultimate favourite (if that's allowed :oops: ).

[Gust0o]

That's allowed! No rules, or right answers here - I'm just curious to know!

I appreciate what you mean about the Robos - Dave has a good ten minutes of handling, before she gets over-excited, and you're then at the stage of trying to prevent escape... and not playing :(

14?! How on earth do you find space for them all? Al would like more, and I agree with her, but it's just a case of finding somewhere for them all to live... and how to get them over to my mother's when we go on holiday :roll:

[Yaffle]

I currently have 6 adult syrians and a small litter of 4 pups and although I have had a russian campbell I much prefer syrians!
I like the fact that there are so many more varieties eg colours, coat type and size!
From my experience I've also found that syrians also tend to show more personality and I personally think they show more intelligence in that they know their name/know who I am. I find that dwarves don't seem as responsive.
Then as other people have said there's the taming aspect.
Also, I don't know if anyone else has found this, but I think syrians smell much less than dwarf varieties?! :oops:

[Matty Day]

i love syrians but i also love chinese alot i like them boath the same i just like with syrians the fact that there are loads of coat mutatoins thats why but who knows as soon as more dwarf colour mutatoins aprear there might be a huge shift from syrians to dawrfeis.

[Bunsey]

i started with a pair of robos cos i thought they were beautiful and after a while i was a little disappointed that i couldn't sit with them on my knee and cuddle them. Around the same time, i happened to see a syrian in p@h aged 6 months who'd had a litter and been dumped. She took my heart and i had to buy her. she was the loveliest, smooshiest ham i've ever had. that was my bunsey.

Since then i've gone for syrians more because i like the amount of variance in personality that you get, more than with chinese, WW or robos

[suga]

Ma and Pa got the family a syrian when we were kids and I've just loved them ever since. This first hamster - Fluff - was beautiful, sweet natured, gentle, interesting etc. She started it for me I guess. I had a couple of hamsters in my teens but didn't when I moved out of home - didn't have enough space etc. When my oh and I moved to a house we did have space so Conker came along - she really got back into syrians and I'm glad she did. She was everything I had experienced before as a child and more and really made lots of difficult times easy - its strange how you revert to the inner child in times of hardship and the friendship and love I had for her was huge..

I like a hamster you can handle and interact with - that's why I prefer syrians over the other types - although the others are very cute, just not for me.

:-)

[ami_j]

my love for syrians came from owning a mink girl that i got from pets at home from their "adoption centre" for a pound last year. i had them as a child but it was her that changed my attitude and i now have 9 plus a litter of babys
sadly i lost her to suspected pyometra but have many little characters to enjoy.

[Spuds Mum]

The only pet I was allowed as a child was a syrian hamster, and I had a fair few over the years.

We do have a ww and we love the look of robos, but I dont think we will ever get really into them. I love the look of a good chunky healthy young syrian, and the personality of the older scraggier ones (who end up looking like much loved teddy bears with thinning fur and having lost a bit of stuffing)

I think the nicest thing is the really intense personal relationship you can build with your syrian pet (that sounds pretty bizarre, but I mean it) I am absolutely convinced my Spud knows me and cares for me just as I am caring for him.

He will happily scramble over me for hours and loves to sit happily on my knee while I feed him food and treats. If I'm down a cuddle from Spud will always cheer me up!

All my 16 syrians come out at our voices, and seem to really enjoy interacting with us. They are easy to tame but still show distinct personalities!

Oh and probably a hundred more reasons!

:x

[jayne]

When i was younger, a few friends of mine had hamsters and i had asked my mum for one but she always said no.
Roll on many years later, moved out into my own house and decided i would get the hamster i had always wanted.
Ended up my first hamster(s) were a pair of chinese girls. I loved them to bits, very different personalities, Sweet was the only one who would respond to my voice and would happily come out and run about on me and my hands. Sour was just too timid and would nip quite a lot. Sour passed away towards the end of November and Sweet passed away on Christmas Eve. Just over a week later i went to P@H and fell in love with a male golden banded, who i named Pepsi. Unfortunately a week later he died from wet tail and i was totally gutted, i mean absolutely distraught :cry:
Pepsi started a love for Syrians which i didnt think possible and i searched and searched for rescues but with no luck. I then found an ad on a website and picked up my little Max on the 3rd February this year. I am totally dedicated to him and worry over the slightest change in him.
Syrians are so much easier to handle, have a variety of beautiful coats, can be tamed easier than dwarves, in my short experience, and are so full of personality :)

[Mollz]

I just love the cuddlyness of syrians and the range of different fur types and colours they come in. They have such personalities and after having winter whites, I have found that they just don't compare. Of course I loved my wws and still love little Twinkle our eldery (and only remaining) ww, but they just seem to lack something. Syrians are just adorable and make the perfect pet and friend in my opinion.
Spud's Mum: I love the "much loved teddy bear" comparison and think that it puts them down to a T.

[Gust0o]

We've really hit some high notes with this - thank you so very much for sharing this with everyone; it's very much appreciated :)