by Kenneth Andrews

Created on: March 24, 2010   Last Updated: March 29, 2010

One of the most important decisions to make when getting a new pet is what you're going to call the cute little ball of fluff. This is particularly true of hamsters, because if you leave it more than twenty seconds, someone will say 'let's just call him Hammy' and then your rodent chum is doomed to a life of nominative mediocrity.

No one is quite sure where the obsession with 'Hammy' comes from, no one seriously expects you to call your new puppy 'Doggy' after all. Perhaps it is down to the comparatively short lifespan of a hamster (averaging just 24 months), some people obviously think a short life precludes a decent name. This is unfortunate.

So, choosing the best name for your hamster must be done quickly. You can take inspiration from the little chap's size, colour or markings if you want ('Spotty', 'Dotty', 'Patchy', 'Baldie' etc). This author once had a hamster pup with just three legs, and failed to resist the temptation to call it 'Stumpy'. Some people like to develop the 'Hammy' thing, naming their new pet 'Hamish' or 'Hamlet'. If you have two hamsters, and one is bigger than the other, you could call one 'Hamlet' and the larger one 'Hamfatter' in tribute to the UK's Indie band of the same name.

Your hamster is your pet and your little friend, so his name should be personal to you in some way. If the little fellow bears some resemblance to a family member, for example, that can be ideal. If a few members of your family are fat and hairy with dark eyes, you may be spoiled for choice! Uncle James may or may not be flattered to know that he's the reason your hamster is called Jim, but you can have a little smile about it every time you play with your cute rodent buddy.

Behavioural quirks can also provide naming inspiration. One friend's hamster, who had a strange habit of repeatedly climbing to the top of his cage before jumping off, was named Squidge T. Lemming, which became shortened to Squidgit.

Otherwise, you no doubt have various interests that can provide naming inspiration for hamsters. This author's first and favourite hamster was named after the chubby-cheeked drummer from the band Manic Street Preachers, for example, with subsequent hamsters being named after other members of the band, David Hasselhoff and Bill and Ted.

Get it right with a hamster name based on some of your interests and you can assess how quick your friends are when they are introduced to your pet. Hoff was obvious, Sean usually took some explaining, Belmondo usually needed a google search.

If there is one rule for the naming of hamsters, it seems to be that they should be quite short names of two syllables or less. Sean, Hoff, Nicky, Bill, Ted, Risa, Jim, even Hammy, Stumpy and Squidgit, these all trip off the tongue. This is a little puzzling as your hamster, no matter how intelligent, is never likely to answer to its own name. So go wild! Reginald Kneecobbler would be a great name for a hamster, as would Jeremiah Fruitpants.

Don't listen too much to the opinions of others on naming your hamster, he's your friend and you need to choose something that appears to suit him, suits you and will continue to fit for the couple of years or so that you will spend in each other's company. Just remember that if the little guy ever seems to answer to his name at all, it's almost certainly just the sound of your voice to which he's reacting, so you don't have to worry about picking a name too long for him to remember (some people really do worry about this, it's sweet).

Learn more about this author, Kenneth Andrews.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.