Why do hamsters live such short lives?

One theory apart from the answers you've already got which is more correct than this will be. But bear with me, hamsters has been kept as pets for a pretty short period of time (compared to other animals). read more

Like all other animals, there is no fixed amount of time that a hamster will live for. Many different factors affect hamster life span and how long your own pet hamster lives will depend on these factors. That said, it is possible to give a rough idea of how long your hamster is likely to live, based on the average hamster life span. On average, a hamster will live for around 2 to 2.5 years. read more