Thanks for the input Lilafernim! Looking back on my idea I think you're quite right
Wife raised that as a good point that all the hamsters available now have been bred for long enough that some of their natural instincts have diminished. Though, as mentioned in the thread that I started, I would still like to have him a "ranch" of sorts that he could still visit to play around and explore in
I think that'd be safer than having him live there permanently. Plus, cleaning (which will at some point need to be done) would be traumatic. So, at the least, hopefully he won't be too peeved about getting his stomping grounds rearranged!
If you go to the thread I posted, I linked a study I found during my research that goes in detail about the kind of environment that wild Syrians live in. Specifically, the soil types. At least with this information in hand I can further replicate to some extent what he's evolved and adapted his lil paws to over the years.
Thank you for your kind input, I really appreciate it