Ida Burnstein, age 9, of Phoenix, Ariz., for her question:

DOES THE HAMSTER LIVE A LONG TIME?

A hamster is a small animal that lives wild in Europe and western Asia. Like mice and rats, hamsters are rodents. One species, the golden hamster, makes a good pet. Most hamsters live to be two or three years old.

The golden hamster is about five inches long including a shorttail. It weighs four to five ounces and has golden brown fur. The golden hamster is sometimes called the Syrian hamster.

Another well known species is the common or European hamster. This animal grows to be about one foot long. It has thick brown fur on its back and white and red marked fur on its sides. Its underparts are black.

In the wilds, hamsters make their homes in deep and complex tunnels. They come out at night to look for food. They eat grains and vegetables. Hamsters cram food into large internal cheek pouches and carry it back to their homes.

As a pet, your hamster will be clean, gentle, lively and easy to care for. You'll feed it grain, lettuce leaves and dog biscuits.

A female golden hamster breeds when it is seven to eight weeks old. A litter of six or seven young is born about 16 days after mating.