Ever since I learned this little-known fact, my perception of hamsters has been shattered.

A friend's child bought a hamster at the school gate, fluffy and adorable, and played with it in their hands every day.
Later, the child developed a high fever that wouldn't go away, and after half a month of testing, was diagnosed with hantavirus, with the source being that hamster.
The doctor said that the probability of hamsters carrying hantavirus is not low; urine, saliva, and feces can all transmit it, and inhaling dried excretion dust could lead to infection.
He also mentioned a more bizarre case—there was a patient whose family didn't keep hamsters, but their upstairs neighbor had over ten.
The hamster urine seeped through the partition, dried, and was inhaled mixed with dust.
After recovery, he wore a mask everywhere he went, and on moving day, he even placed the signed contract on the new shoe cabinet at the entrance, with a note: "Check the ceiling before entering."
There was another case: a woman who gave away her hamster after pregnancy, and that very night she developed a fever and later had a miscarriage.
After a long investigation, it was found that she wasn't infected by the hamster; it was her husband who, while cleaning the cage, didn't wash his hands and went on to cut fruit for her.
Finally, a reminder: wash your hands after handling hamsters, and definitely don't be curious and smell their butt.