Hi, and thank you for the additional notes. "They choose us"--I like that.
It's seemed like that with most of the pets I've had.
Anyway, the answer seems to be to get whatever hamster is the most appealing, from among what's available, which is a problem here lately. I've seen no gerbils in the pet stores over the last month, and only a few hamsters, sometimes just Syrians. There have also been no other small furries. (I looked for local breeders with no success.)
What I decided: To get a huge aquarium (40 gallon) with a screened lid, so that I'll be ready for whoever presents himself/herself and seems lively and healthy. They're going to have to come out of their hiding places for at least a few minutes IN THE DAYTIME to get the nice big home. I saw one do that, a really cute dwarf, in the store last week. Maybe, too, the staff can tell me which individual ones are being the most agreeable.