Buying a Hamster
The best place to find a hamster to buy is directly from a breeder. However, it is not always easy to find local breeders so the other option would be to purchase a hamster from a pet shop. The only difference is you will not know where the hamster has come from, or any history about them at all, which can be important depending on the circumstances of the purchase.
Advantages of Buying Your Hamster from a Breeder
The advantages of buying from a breeder over a pet shop is that the breeding will have been carefully planned and thought out with regards to producing healthy, robust hamsters of good temperament (especially useful if the the hamster is for a child). Many breeders work on a contractual basis where, if for any reason you are not satisfied with the hamsters behaviour you may return it. Hamsters sold in pet shops are not usually under the same contract and so it is unlikely you will be able to return them for any reason.
Feeding Your Hamster
The preferred feed for hamsters in the general 'hamster mix', which will meet all of the dietary requirements the hamster needs to sustain it healthily. These mixes are best bought from good pet shops, although some supermarkets now sell special hamster feed mixes, but they are not as likely to contain all of the nutrients as the food bought in pet shops.
Treats for Your Hamster
As well as the dry food hamsters require you can also treat your hamster by giving them fresh fruit and vegetables every now and again, too much can cause dietary problems such as diarrhoea. The favourite treat of hamsters is either carrot, cabbage or apple. Mealworms are another alternative treat that you can give your hamster and can be bought from most large pet shops. Fresh water should be supplied daily too as hamsters tend to get thirsty whilst they are awake and to supplement the water you can buy vitamin drops to help keep them healthy.
Grooming a Hamster
In the same way a cat would, hamsters groom and wash themselves; they are very clean animals. They do not require bathing at all and there are no brushing requirements to keep them hygienic. Long-haired species of the hamster do sometimes require their hair to be cut, or at least have the bedding and other bits from the cage removed from the fur. The most important part of hamster grooming is making sure their nails are clipped regularly.