What type of hamster you get depends mainly on your experiance with hamsters.

Here is a brief description of each of the hamster types kept as pets, to help you make you desicion:

The Syrian Hamster
If you are a beginner to the hamster world, a Syrian hamster is highly recommended as it is large, slow, and in most cases easier to handle that the other types of hamster. Once tame, the Syrian has a friendly nature, and if the hamster is being bought for a younger child, the Syrian is the hamster to choose.  Most Syrians are around 15-18cm in length, and live an average of 2-3 years. They come in many different colours, and can have either a short or long coat. If the hamster has a short coat, you will generally not need to groom it, whereas a long haired hamster will need dailey grooming to keep its coat free of tangles. This can be done using a soft bristled toothbrush (non-electric!!) Syrians can be prone to a stress related disease, Wet Tail, and it is vital that veterinary treatment is sought immediately if a hamster shows symptoms of Wet Tail.

Syrian hamsters are solitary, and so when they reach maturity at around 6-8 weeks they will need to be kept in their own cage for the rest of their lives. If kept with another hamster they will eventually fight till the death.

Note: A "Teddy Bear" or "Black Bear" hamster or similar is a term petshops use to describe a Syrian hamster, and so the rules of one per cage apply to them too.

The Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamster
Campells are smaller than their Syrian relatives, measuring around 7-10cm in length. They are active little hamsters, and even when tame may be nippy. These hamsters are sociable and it is recommended, though not vital, that they live in same sex pairs (to prevent breeding) in a large cage. In some cases though, Campells may become territorial and fight, which means you must be prepared to buy/make another cage to house one of the pair. They are able to squeeze through the bars of some hamster cages, and so if the cage you have chosen has bars, you must ensure that the bars are no further than 1cm apart.They also come in many colours, but are only short haired.

Campells are generally not recommended for children, due to their small size and fast movements. Campells can be prone to diabetes. The average lifespan of the Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamster is 1½-2 years although they can live longer.

The Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster
The Winter White is very similar to their relative the Campells hamster. They are usually around 8-10cm in length, and have a tendency to turn white in the winter (hence the name Winter White). 
These hamsters are sociable and it is recommended, though not vital, that they live in same sex pairs (to prevent breeding) in a large cage. In some cases though, Winter Whites may become territorial and fight, which means you must be prepared to buy/make another cage to house one of the pair. They are able to squeeze through the bars of some hamster cages, and so if the cage you have chosen has bars, you must ensure that the bars are no further than 1cm apart.

The average lifespan of the Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster is 1½-2 years although they can live longer.

The Roborovski Hamster
The Roborovski Hamster is the smallest of the hamster species kept as pets, being only around 4-5 cm in length. They are often refered to as "furry fish" as they are much more difficult to handle than the other species of hamster. This makes them unsuitable pets for people who want a pet they can hold and play with but are a excellant choice for those who prefer to watch them go about their daily activities - particularly when given a large and interesting environment to live in. Roborovski hamsters do however have a very good temperament and rarely nip. They can be kept in pairs or groups, but will have to be seperated if fights break out. Although being the smallest, the Roborovski is generally the longest living hamster, living approximatly  is 3-3½ years - although they can live longer! They come in one colour, and have a short coat.

I hope I have helped! Why not ask in Hamster Posts and Questions if you still have any questions?

As i have chinese hamsters i thought i would add in a little section on them if you dont mind.  I know a lot of people havent had much experience of them but here is some information on them to give you an idea....

The Chinese Hamster originates from Northern China and Mongolia and is not technically a Dwarf Hamster but is often referred to as such due to its small size.

The Chinese Hamster is not as widely kept as a pet as the Russian Hamsters and this is probably due to its mouse-like appearance and the fact that fewer numbers exist due to some difficulties in breeding them. There are also restrictions on the keeping of them in some US states such as California where a licence is required to keep or transport them within the state.

The Chinese Hamster has a slender mouse-like body which is approximately 10-12cm in length with males being larger than females. They have a noticeable tail and males have large scrotal sac. The natural colour is dark brown over the back with dark stripe along the spine and an off-white belly although other varities exist.

Chinese Hamsters are extremely timid and fast moving which often makes them difficult to catch but they are of good temparament and rarely nip. Their timid nature means they are often not very active when handled and so are not a popular pet with children who want a pet they can hold and play with.
The average lifespan of the Chinese Hamster is 2½-3 years although they can live longer.

As they are much smaller than Syrians, they have different requirements for living arrangements.  You will need to house Chinese hamsters in large tanks or plastic cages as they will squeeze through wire cages very easily due to their slender frame.  Another good option is to make a bin cage, but remember to offer plenty of ventilation.  There are conflicting reports as to whether you can house chinese together.  Basically, if you don't want babies coming along, keep them same sex.  They need to be either from the same litter or introduced as early as possible to prevent them 'rejecting' each other.  You may come across some that will not accept a friend, if this is the case they will need to be separated at the first sign of fighting/and or blood.  They can fight to the death.

Thanks Jayne I really didnt want to give advise on them as I know extremely little about them, and some places I read they are all biters and bite down to the bone and are extremely difficult to ever get tame and some places that said they are the friendliest of all the hamsters.

No probs Maya   Just thought they might felt a bit left out:(  Thats the thing, there are so many conflicting reports/articles out there, its no wonder people (including myself) get confused   From the ones i read they all said they are friendly and 'sweet' hamsters.  I have read on a few they can nip, but i've never heard of them biting down to the bone.  I've been nipped at 3 times from mine but it was nothing painful   I've had them about 7weeks now and they are coming round, just been following some tips from other members and all is working out ok so far

One question, whitch one is the friendliest hamster and could you name them from most friendliest to least friendliest?

tiffany_lam:

> One question, whitch one is the friendliest hamster
> and could you name them from most friendliest to
> least friendliest?

It is said that Campbells are the 'friendliest'.. But it depends not only on the breed, but also the purity of the breed, their temperament and how they were tamed.  Purer the breed, nicer the temper and easier to tame. Although I do believe in rescues, I got my first 2 male RWWs from a reputable breeder.  They were from the same litter, so very easy to accommodate.  They do squabble a bit.  As is very common with RWWs, they nip... but nothing serious, I guess just to let me know who is the boss...  Have a read of other posts on the subject... quite interesting to read about other members' experiences with their little critters..

On the other hand, I find Campbell's to be the most aggressive little furry piranhas with teeth. It depends on what you mean by friendliest... Robos are usually too fast to handle so you might not consider them friendly.

thx for the information