Syrian hamsters need proper veterinary care, daily attention, and things to do. The best way to make sure they have a happy life it to start by buying the biggest cage you can afford. Ignore the starter packs (which are usually small and cheap) and go for the luxury cage. If you can¹t afford it, then perhaps you should save up and wait till you can. If you buy see-through accessories such as Rotastak, paint them with safe paint on the outside.
Place the cage away from bright lights, noise, ultrasonic sound from elecric devices. Bright liight damages the retina of the hamster eye.Nocturnal animals need a quite place to sleep in the day time.  Don't clean out the cage too much and always leave a bit of the original bedding for them. They need to have their home smell of themselves to feel safe. Different levels, tunnels, fruit wood to gnaw and solid wheels safely attached to the cage (not free standing) make a good home.
The questions and answers below only apply to Syrian hamsters. These are the most common pet and are easier to handle by small children than are the Russian and Chinese sort. Syrian hamsters live alone, while the others should live in colonies. Like any animal, Syrian hamsters need fresh water, a cage that is cleaned regularly, and properly balanced diet. They also need things to chew, areas to hide in, and warm dry bedding.
If your child is very young, always supervise its play with the pet. Children under the age of eight may harm a smal animal without meaning to. That said, you can have a lot more fun with a hamster than your probably thought. It¹s also an ideal pet for the housebound.
Hamster links are at the bottom of the FAQs.