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Important Hamsters Facts
By peace | November 10, 2006
Wild Hamsters are still found in China, Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Siberia. They are rodents classified in the Family Cricetidae. The most common Hamster kept as a pet is the Golden or Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus autratus) and the other common Hamster is the Chinese or Striped Hamster (Cricetulus griseus). Other breeds which are less common are the European Hamster(Cricetus cricetus) and the Russian or hairy footed or Djungarian Hamster (Phodopus sungorus).
Hamsters are very popular pets with families. They are good pets for children because they are quite easy to keep, relatively cheap to look after and have interesting habits which inquisitive and interested people can learn from. They are well-behaved, cute, furry and easy to handle. However, the fact that they are nocturnal animals means that most of the time when children are awake the Hamster wants to sleep! In addition, when they are behaving badly they can be aggressive and bite.
Hamsters can be placid or aggressive. They particularly do not like being woken up (a characteristic they share with many humans !) and they don’t like to be handled when they are pregnant. Chinese hamsters are said to be the most placid of the breeds. Usually hamsters will accept gentle handling in open cupped hands but they do not like rough handling, being squeezed or being swung about. If a difficult hamster has to be handled it needs to be grasped firmly and confidently by the skin on the scruff of the neck
Breeding
Hamsters are very easy to breed. Youngsters are sexually active from as young as 6 weeks of age and remain reproductively active until they are about 15 months old. Once they start they are sexually active all year round except in countries with dark winters or prolonged nights (e.g. within the arctic circle) when oestrus is less frequent, and when they are hibernating.
Females come into oestrus (commonly called being “on heat”) and are receptive to males every 4 days. “On heat” females are easy to recognise because they arch their backs and hold their rear end in the air. They initially have a clear mucous discharge from the vulva, which becomes thicker and opaque the day after oestrus.
Males should only be put with females when they are receptive. Mating usually occurs at night and it is one of the times when male and female hamsters don’t fight when put together ! Once mating has occurred the two Hamsters should be separated to avoid fighting.
Pregnancy
Hamsters are pregnant (called the gestation period) for 15-21 days (longest in Chinese Hamsters) and they usually have a litter of 4-7 babies. According to the Guinness Book of Records (1997) the largest litter recorded was in a Golden Hamster in Louisiana, USA in 1974 which produced 26 young. Unfortunately the mother killed 18 of them after the birth.
Sadly, infanticide is common in Hamsters, and it is usually associated with stress – so nursing mothers should not be handled for at least 10 days after the birth. It is important that sufficient bedding, food and water is available throughout the lactation period when the mother is producing milk to the feed her young.
Raising Young
Baby hamsters are naked at birth and are born with their eyes closed. Their eyes open at 5 days of age and they suckle their mothers’ milk until they are about 7 days old when they will start to eat solid food and drink water in the environment. Make sure that they can reach it easily, and avoid deep bowls of water, in case a baby falls in and cannot get out. The young can be weaned at 20-25 days of age – which means that they should be totally separated from their mother.
One unusual behavioural trait which is observed sometimes is frightened mothers protecting their young by putting them into the cheek pouches.
Hibernation
One of the most fascinating behavioural patterns of Hamsters is Hibernation. There are two phases to hibernation which are related to the environmental temperature :
“Sleeper Disease” – occurs when the temperature drops to 22 – 25 degree celsius. The Hamster appears lifeless, stiff, trembles when disturbed and nods it’s head from side to side.
True hibernation occurs when the temperature falls below 50 degree celsius. The Hamster’s metabolic rate falls dramatically, resulting in very slow heart rate and slow breathing. They do not eat for weeks and appear to be “dead”. An “apparently dead”, hibernating Hamster can be revived by placing it in a warm environment.
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