If you clean away the bedding with the pee daily then you might not have a smelly problem. If left too long and you will have a public toilet environment in your room     But ventilation is important also.

If too cold (below 17 degrees) the hamster will go into hibernation. If wild hamsters they will be fine during hibernation as they have stocked up on food. But for domesticated hamsters, there will be a problem of them starving themselves to death during hibernation.

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Added on January 23, 2009, 2:02 pm

Syrians are best for beginners. Their lifespan is about 2-3 years.

More information at the first page. Read there.