The domestication of the Syrian hamster began in the late 1700s when naturalists cataloged the Syrian hamster, also known as Mesocricetus auratus or the golden hamster. In 1930 medical researchers captured Syrian hamster breeding stock for animal testing. Further domestication led this animal to become a popular pet.
The Syrian hamster’s natural habitat is in a small region of Northwest Syria near the city of Aleppo.[1] It was first described by science in the 1797 second edition of The Natural History of Aleppo, a book written and edited by two Scottish physicians living in Syria.[2] The Syrian hamster was first recognized as a distinct species in 1839.[3] In 1930, a scientist seeking animal subjects for medical research had the first Syrian hamsters captured to become laboratory animals.[4] Scientists bred those hamsters and during the 1930s sent their descendants to various other laboratories around the world.[5] By the late 1940s in the United States, a commercial hamster industry had begun to provide hamsters for laboratory use and at the same time to popularize hamsters as pets.[6] In later years, further expeditions back to Syria captured other hamsters to increase genetic diversity among the populations of hamsters shared among breeders.
Wild Syrian hamsters become tame in a matter of days after being captured and handled by humans.[7] Wild hamsters are quick to adapt to captivity and thrive in a laboratory setting.[7]