[Fluffagrams]

It really is a matter of the hamster's individual personality which is not something you're always able to find out when getting a hamster from a pet shop.

I've had several Chinese Hamsters over the space of four years and all have been different and not all have been skittish or hard to tame. My first two boys were both tame within two weeks despite the fact that they were from a pet shop but yet I've had a girl who took several months to tame. However, once I'd got there she was the loveliest little thing in the world and we had an amazing bond.

At the moment I have two Chineseys and they too are very different. Jessie, my girl is a friendly little thing and will come and say hello if she's out and about in her cage but she's also completely nuts and is too hyper to be held properly. James, my boy is prone to laziness but is an expert digger and loves nothing more than snuggling in my elbow. James was from a breeder so was already tame when I got him.

I have only had experience with one Hybrid and she's had a few difficulties. She literally could not be touched when we first got her and is the only hamster that we've ever had that has drawn blood. She belongs to my sister and it took quite a while to gain her trust and whilst she will be held, she is very territorial when in her cage and that's something we've not been able to break her of.