Tuesday, September 12, 2006,11:15 pm

A
hamster is a
rodent belonging to
subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 18
species, classified in six or seven
genera. Most have expandable
cheek pouches, which reach from their cheeks to their shoulders. Because they are easy to keep and breed in captivity, hamsters are often used as
lab animals =( and
pets.
It might be noted that many hamsters tend to carry away food from their food source (by carrying it in their cheek pouches) and hoard it away in a cache hidden somewhere inside their container.