The golden rule with hamsters is "One hamster, one cage." They're solitary animals (much like many academics). As opposed to, say, gerbils, which prefer to be housed with other gerbils for ensuing shenigans.
Once, I was getting ready to feed the squirrels in my backyard when the phone rang. I apparently took too long on the phone, because one of the squirrels marched in, went right over to the peanut bag on the floor, and began helping himself. And once in Minneapolis, I was mobbed by squirrels while trying to feed them--I had a squirrel sitting on each foot, and one lobbed himself directly onto the front of my jacket and just hung on. A little too much nature-communing for me that day. But you have to admit the little buggers are cute.
Oh, and on the hamster front? Apparently they can suffer from seasonal affective disorder:
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/othernews-nfrm/051115_hamster.htmAgain, much like academics, I suppose--
