AnimalsDesert
Hamster Fun facts for kids
Mesocricetus auratus (golden or Syrian hamster; the pet kind most people picture)
The hamster lives in deep burrows in Europe and Asia and eats seeds, grains and nuts.
- Where it lives
- in deep burrows in Europe and Asia
- What it eats
- seeds, grains and nuts
- How big it is
- as light as a small apple
Fun facts about the hamster
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
A hamster's cheek pouches stretch all the way back to its shoulders and can hold food almost as big as its head.
A pet hamster can run more than 8 kilometres in just one night on its wheel.
Wild hamsters dig underground homes with separate rooms for sleeping, for storing food and even for a toilet.
Almost every pet golden hamster in the world comes from one wild mother hamster and her babies found in Syria.
A hamster's teeth never stop growing, so it has to keep gnawing on hard things all the time.
Hamsters squeak and chatter, and they also make calls so high that people cannot hear them at all.
Hamsters can squeeze through gaps much narrower than they look, so pet hamsters are famous for escaping.
Hamsters can't see far or tell colours apart, so they find their way using their nose, whiskers and ears.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I am a small, furry animal who sleeps all day and wakes up at night.
My teeth never stop growing, so I keep gnawing on hard things.
In the wild, I dig an underground home with rooms for sleeping, storing food and even a toilet.
On my wheel, I can run more than eight kilometres in just one night.
I stuff so much food into my cheeks that they stretch all the way back to my shoulders.
Sammy might be thinking of a hamster.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the hamster in the Desert adventure.
Play the DesertComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
