Where do pet hamsters come from originally?

The completely insane answers prior to this were all false and

were either put here as a joke or out of ignorance.

Hamsters: Notice the scientific names, not all "Hamsters" are

even the same species of animal. There are three distinct species

of animal referred to as Hamsters: Cricetulus, Phodopus, and

Mesocricetus.

Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamster

Scientific Name: Phodopus campbelli

Were discovered by W C Campbell in 1902 in Tuva, Asia. They are

native to the steppes and semi-arid areas of central Asia, the

Altay Mountains and northeastern China.

They were not as some sites claim, bred by Mr. Campbell from

Russian and Syrian Hamsters nor any other "special

breeding".

Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster

Scientific Name: Phodopus sungorus

Similar to Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamsters. They can be found

in Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia and they are also known as

Siberian Hamsters.

Syrian Hamster

Scientific Name: Mesocricetus auratus

Originate from Syria.

Roborovski Hamster

Scientific Name: Phodopus roborovskii

Originate around the Gobi Desert, throughout the desert steppe

of Mongolia and in parts of Northern China. (Not widely available

as they do not make good pets for children, they do not like to be

held, they are very territorial and extremely fast.)

Chinese Hamster

Scientific Name: Cricetulus griseus

Originate from the deserts of northern China and Mongolia.