History of discovery, pedigree and native lands, behavior of a hamster in the wild, reproduction, characteristics, rules for care and maintenance, price of exotic. The Syrian hamster (Latin Mesocricetus auratus) has been a favorite of adults and children for many years, it is often brought into the house as a friend of its smaller one, and this is not surprising. This animal has everything you need to call it almost an ideal pet, and a cute appearance, and the fact that it is quite well tamed, and caring for it is completely simple. In addition, the price, both for the animal itself and for everything that it needs for a happy life, is quite affordable, which cannot but rejoice. With a minimum of effort - as a result, you will get a funny and mischievous animal that will always be glad to you.
The history of the origin of the Syrian hamster and its pedigree
In 1797, a new specimen from the world of the wild was presented to the world - the Syrian hamster, or, as it is also called, the golden hamster, described by the Russell brothers. But to rejoice for a long time, it was not destined, in 1839 this species of small animals began to be considered completely extinct and so it went on for almost a century. Only around 1930, the zoologist Israel Ahoroni, who generally went in search of experimental animals for the laboratory, was lucky enough to find a small hole in which a family lived - a female and her eleven babies, then he suspected that these were extinct hamsters. Unfortunately, not all of this offspring survived, but nevertheless, the scientists of the Judean University managed to continue the genus of amazing animals. Later, these representatives of the world fauna have already successfully migrated around the world, and the people who studied them proved to the scientific community that they did not disappear from the face of the planet, but rather successfully live and continue their family in their native territories.
The largest populations of hamsters live on the lands of countries such as Iran, Turkey, the Balkans and Western Asia. They comfortably inhabit meadow steppes, steppe areas of foothill regions, as well as near agricultural crops.
In the process of studying the Syrian hamster, a unified scientific classification was adopted, which states that this native of the animal kingdom belongs to the class of mammals, the order of rodents, the family of hamsters, the genus of average hamsters and the Syrian hamsters of the same name.
Features of the behavior of the Syrian hamster in the wild
The period of activity for this golden cub begins at dusk and lasts until early morning. At this time, hamsters, what they are not doing, build houses and look for food. By its nature, the Syrian hamster is gifted with a talent for the construction craft, each individual has its own individual burrow, into which it is better not to poke your nose into anyone.
The dwelling of these rodents in nature is not just a small burrow, it is a whole "underground town" formed by tunnels of different lengths, snouts and nesting chambers. Each such house must have a separate room, which the animals use as a restroom.
The character of the Syrian rodent cannot be said to be bad, but it is also difficult to call him friendly and cute. They cannot stand when some uninvited guests come not just to their house, but even to the territory they occupy, even if it is the closest relative, the owner of these possessions will meet him fully armed, with aggression, teeth and "fists".
The golden hamster is such a nature, he always thinks about tomorrow. From about the middle of summer, these hardworking animals start to stock up on food for the winter. In their cheek pouches, hamsters carry nuts and a variety of seeds. The stubbornness of this animal can only be envied, according to some sources, one individual can collect products by autumn, the weight of which sometimes exceeds 15 kg. He can carry his reserves to a distance of about one kilometer, but the rodent fills the place behind his cheeks in such a way that all this stuff is two to three times larger than his head.
In the daytime, these golden animals love to sleep in their burrows, gaining strength and energy for the next working night.
Breeding the Syrian hamster
These representatives of the world fauna do not have specific terms or dates of the mating season, in principle, they are capable of procreation for a whole year, but in the society of Syrian hamsters, the female hamster decides everything. At first, she lures the male into her dwelling with secretions with a specific smell, smelling this smell, the male climbs into the hole to the hamster without any invitations, while he raises his front limbs up, either as a greeting, or asking her to choose him. In the event that the female likes this guest, the mating process takes place, at the end of which, the fair sex, unceremoniously drives away her chosen one, while she may even bite him.
The gestation period in these animals lasts approximately 17-19 days, at the end of this period, 6 to 12 hamsters are born. Babies are born completely blind, deaf and naked. The first fur on their bodies begins to show through already from the fifth day from birth, after another four to five days hamsters are already able to eat solid food, despite the fact that their eyes open only at the age of 16-18 days. For 3-4 weeks, these cubs feed on mother's milk, but as soon as the period of breastfeeding is over, the mother simply abandons her offspring to the mercy of fate. In the event that a female gave birth in a not very secluded place, where it is noisy and cold, and if there is a lack of any elements in her body, then she can eat her offspring without much remorse.
Hamsters become sexually mature at about three months of age.
Description of the appearance of the Syrian hamster
A golden hamster is an animal whose body grows no more than 13-14 cm in length, the mass of its miniature body ranges from 100 to 150 grams. The body of this rodent, although small, is very stocky and with well-developed muscle tissue.
The limbs of this cute animal are relatively short, while the structure of the front is slightly different from the rear. The hind legs of the hamster end with five fingers, and on the front legs it seems to make out only four fingers and a rudimentary formation of the fifth.
The hamster's face is also small, short and slightly pointed. Ears are of medium size, clearly visible in the thickness of the fur. Its small eyes give a special cuteness and attractiveness to the face of the animal, they are round, at first glance they resemble small grains of a dark color.
The caudal process is short, it is not always possible to see it under a layer of thick silky fur.
The entire body surface of this pretty little animal is covered with thick, soft textured fur. The color of the fur is heterogeneous, usually the abdominal area is painted in lighter tones, but the dorsal side of the body is presented in brownish-gray tones, which can give a slightly golden hue.
Syrian hamster maintenance, home care
Caring for this fluffy pet at home does not require special skills or talents, in principle, this cute little rodent is not particularly demanding and fastidious about his person. First of all, your task will be to make sure that this hamster is comfortable and cozy to live in your house, and for this you just need to provide optimal conditions for it.
- Cell. Everyone needs a roof over their heads and the Syrian hamster is no exception; a spacious cage is perfect for this domestic animal. The minimum size of such housing for one individual should be 40x30x30 cm. But, as they say, the more the better, but this is at your discretion, in such a cage your furry friend will feel very good. When choosing a house for a golden hamster, it is important to consider the materials from which it is made, the most suitable option is metal rods and a plastic pallet. From some advisors, you can hear that it is better for the animal to live on more natural materials, for example, wood. Maybe to some extent this is so, but, firstly, after a while the wooden floor will definitely be gnawed, and your pet will simply sneak away either for a free walk or just wherever they look, the second nuance of wood is that it has the ability to absorb moisture, therefore, no matter how often you clean, the smell of your pet will gradually spread throughout your home, and plastic is much easier to wash, and no otherworldly aromas. At the bottom of the cage, a litter is needed, as the latter, medium-sized pressed sawdust is perfect, but there is one "but", if you have a hamster with long hair, then it is undesirable to use sawdust, as they are very confused in the thick of the hamster's fur. It is best to purchase a special wood filler from the pet store. Some people put pieces of newspaper, cotton wool, napkins or various rags on the bottom of the cage, remember: "This is absolutely impossible to do."
- Equipping the cage. In order for the Syrian hamster to live well, it is necessary to properly equip the interior of his house. The first, and probably the most important thing that should always be in a hamster's property is a feeder and a drinking bowl. In this case, the drinking container must be attached in such a way that the animal can always get to it, but cannot turn over and spill the contents. In addition, your pet should have its own secluded corner where he will hide, sleep or just relax. It can be a wooden house, in which an adult hamster has enough room to turn around, because he will carry food there and can make a nest there. Therefore, building materials should be attached to the house, such as straw, for example, but in the absence of it, this cunning man will easily equip himself a nest of sawdust that is freely available. All sorts of entertainment are no less important attributes in the home of your "Syrian". It can be a wheel for running, hamsters also love to climb various structures, therefore, it would be nice to place different branches, perches in its cage, you can make a kind of labyrinths, the animal will quickly find use for them. All these items are not only some kind of hamster's "whim", but really a necessity. Physical activity is simply vital for this animal, and even more so with its appetite, obesity is very dangerous for hamsters, this may well be the reason for its premature death.
- Toilet for a Syrian hamster. A rodent, especially a young one, is completely unproblematic to accustom to relieve in the same place. Today in the assortment of pet stores there are special trays for rodents and they come with a special filler that absorbs unpleasant odors.
- Cleaning. You will have to clean up after this fluffy animal quite often, it is recommended to rinse the drinker and the feeder every day. Completely change the filler about once every four to five days, but at least once a month it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning. For this, all elements of the hamster's dwelling, together with toys and decorations, should be washed with some kind of disinfectant. Observing such a regime of maintaining cleanliness, you, firstly, take care of the health and comfort of your pupil, and secondly, in this way, there will never be any extraneous "aromas" in your house.
- Hygiene. By its nature, the Syrian hamster is a very neat and tidy little animal, but they do not react very well to water, so it will not work to bathe them, and in principle there is no need. This animal itself copes quite well with its pure coat, only for long-haired hamsters it is advisable to periodically put sand baths so that they can properly take care of their "fur coat". Do not forget to brush your hamster regularly, if he has long hair, then it is good to do it with a comb with small teeth, but even a toothbrush will be enough for short-haired animals.
- Walking. It is possible and even necessary to let your pet out of the cage, the main thing is to look after him carefully. Given its diminutive size, it can even crash from the height of a sofa. In addition, they are very fond of hiding, therefore, without keeping track of him, you can look for him for a long time: in closets, in shoes, in closets and other secluded corners. Now the stores sell special balls for walking hamsters, in which they can run and feel safe.
- Nutrition. It is not at all difficult to provide this fluffy exotic with a correct and balanced diet at home, the main thing is to know what he can eat and what absolutely cannot. The main product in his daily menu should be grain feed, it is good to use a variety of mixtures of grains, such are sold in pet stores. It is good if this mixture includes flax, oats and millet. Also, the stores sell various crunchy goodies for rodents, they are necessary for the Syrian hamster, he not only likes this food, but he grinds his incisors on it, which grow throughout his life.
In addition to staple foods, your pet should be treated to foods such as apples, pears, carrots, pumpkin, squash, radishes, turnips, lettuce, persimmons, and raspberries. He also needs herbs, especially legumes such as clover and alfalfa.
The Syrian hamster can also be treated with some products from your dinner table, he eats a variety of cereals, white bread, pasta, various buns without fillers with great pleasure, he loves milk very much. Food of animal origin should also be present in the rodent's diet, as the latter, boiled meat of low-fat varieties is well suited. It is very important to correctly calculate the correct frequency of meals and their amount for your pet. It is believed that this golden hamster should be fed no more than twice a day, while the amount of food for the evening should be approximately twice the amount of breakfast. This way, your pupil will be able to eat at night while everyone is asleep or to eat early in the morning. After each meal, juicy food must be removed, and not only from the feeder, these cunning people pack everything that they have left in their cheek pouches and put it in their house, that's their nature. Therefore, you need to be vigilant so that he does not accidentally "grind" some spoiled product.
It is strictly forbidden to give this pet the following food products: sunflower seeds, nuts, any oils, lard, fish oil, cabbage, dairy products, sweets, in particular chocolate, citrus fruits and any other exotic fruits. The hamster will be very happy with such delicacies, only this can be reflected in the most sad way on the state of his fragile and vulnerable organism.
From time to time, it is good to feed the Syrian rodent with various multivitamin and mineral complexes; in these animals, a lack of calcium in the blood is a common problem, therefore, in order to prevent it, you can give it chalk or crushed eggshells.
Syrian hamster cost
The price for such a cute pet starts at 200 rubles.
Standards for keeping a Syrian hamster in the following video:
