A
hamstery is place where hamsters are bred and kept. Unlike a hamster farm, hamsters
in a hamstery are carefully selectively bred using a controlled breeding plan.
This produces pedigree hamsters whose ancestors are recorded and whose genetic
makeup is accurately known. Due to the selection of only the best animals for
breeding, pedigree hamsters are larger, tamer, longer lived and healthier than
animals produced by accidental or non-controlled breeding.
This
careful breeding of hamsters by the serious hamster fancy has lead, throughout
the history of hamster breeding (since the 1930s) to many natural genetic mutations
being discovered, which produce many different colours and fur types.