Editing Hamster (section)

==Society and culture==
===Hamsters as pets===
[[File:Hamster standing in exercise wheel.jpg|left|thumb|A [[Syrian Hamster|Syrian hamster]] (''Mesocricetus autatus)'' standing in [[Hamster wheel|exercise wheel]]]]
{{anchor|Gerbils as pets|reason=Old section name, may be linked.}}
The best-known species of hamster is the [[golden hamster|golden or Syrian hamster]] (''Mesocricetus auratus''), which is the type most commonly kept as [[pet]]s. There are numerous [[Syrian hamster variations]] including long-haired varieties and different colors. British zoologist [[Leonard Goodwin]] claimed most hamsters kept in the United Kingdom were descended from the colony he introduced for medical research purposes during the Second World War.<ref name="tel">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4241645/Leonard-Goodwin.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4241645/Leonard-Goodwin.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Leonard Goodwin – Telegraph|date=14 January 2009|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=18 January 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Hamsters were domesticated and kept as pets in the United States at least as early as 1942.<ref>Testimony from Grant C Riddle (born 1929, living in Lake Wildwood, CA) who had a pet hamster in 1942.</ref>
[[File:Syrian Hamster Cage.jpg|thumb|298x298px|A spacious [[hamster cage]] made from a display cabinet]]
Other hamsters commonly kept as pets are the three species in the genus [[Phodopus]]. [[Campbell's dwarf hamster]] (''Phodopus campbelli'') is the most common—they are also sometimes called "Russian dwarfs"; however, many hamsters are from Russia, so this ambiguous name does not distinguish them from other species appropriately. The coat of the [[winter white dwarf hamster]] (''Phodopus sungorus'') turns almost white during winter (when the hours of daylight decrease).<ref name=Barrie/> The [[Roborovski hamster]] (''Phodopus roborovskii'') is extremely small and fast, making it difficult to keep as a pet.<ref name="Fox"/>

===Hamster shows===
{{main|Hamster show}}
A hamster show is an event in which people gather hamsters to judge them against each other.<ref name="Logsdail 2002 page 166-9">{{cite book|last1=Logsdail|first1=Chris|last2=Logsdail|first2=Peter|last3=Hovers|first3=Kate|title=Hamsterlopaedia : a complete guide to hamster care|date=2002|publisher=Ringpress|location=Lydney|isbn=978-1860542466|page=161}}</ref> Hamster shows are also places where people share their enthusiasm for hamsters among attendees. Hamster shows feature an exhibition of the hamsters participating in the judging.<ref name="Logsdail 2002 page 166-9"/>

The judging of hamsters usually includes a goal of promoting hamsters which conform to natural or established varieties of hamsters.<ref name="Logsdail 2002 page 166-9"/> By awarding hamsters which match standard hamster types, hamster shows encourage planned and careful hamster breeding.<ref name="Logsdail 2002 page 166-9"/>

===Owner activism===
When the first reported case of animal-to-human transmission of [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|SARS-CoV-2]] in [[Hong Kong]] took place via imported pet hamsters, researchers expressed difficulty in identifying some of the viral mutations within a global [[Genomic and medical data|genomic data]] bank, leading city authorities to announce a mass cull of all hamsters purchased after December 22, 2021, which would affect roughly 2,000 animals. After the government 'strongly encouraged' citizens to turn in their pets, approximately 3,000 people joined underground activities to promote the adoption of abandoned hamsters throughout the city and to maintain pet ownership via methods such as the forgery of pet store purchase receipts. Some activists attempted to intercept owners who were on their way to turn in pet hamsters and encourage them to choose adoption instead, which the government subsequently warned would be subject to police action.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mahtani |first1=Shibani |last2=Yu |first2=Theodora |title=Hong Kong hamster massacre: Residents resist 'zero covid' city's pet project |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/20/hong-kong-hamsters-covid/ |access-date=22 January 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122005223/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/20/hong-kong-hamsters-covid/ |archive-date=22 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ting |first1=Victor |last2=Choy |first2=Gigi |last3=Cheung |first3=Elizabeth |title=Coronavirus: 2,000 hamsters to be culled over fears of first animal-to-human transmission in Hong Kong, pet store customers ordered into quarantine |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3163775/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-worried-about-community-outbreak |access-date=22 January 2022 |publisher=South China Morning Post |date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122005514/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3163775/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-worried-about-community-outbreak |archive-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

{{anchor|Research|As research animals|As laboratory animals|As lab animals}}

===Hamsters as lab animals===
{{see|Laboratory Syrian hamster}}
The extracted cells of babies' kidneys and adults' ovaries are used to study [[cholesterol synthesis]].<ref name="Slotte-et-al-1994">{{cite book | editor-last=Hoekstra | editor-first=Dick | title=Cell lipids | publisher=[[Academic Press]] | publication-place=[[San Diego]] | year=1994 | isbn=978-0-12-153340-3 | oclc=30147917 | pages=483–502/xii+638 | issn=0070-2161 | volume=40 | chapter=19 Flow and Distribution of Cholesterol{{mdash}}Effects of Phospholipids | first1=J. Peter | last1=Slotte | first2=M. Isabella | last2=Pörn | first3=Ann-Sofi | last3=Härmälä}} {{ISBN|0-12-153340-9}} {{ISBN|9780080585116}}</ref>