Chinese name: hamster
Latin name: Cricetidae
Alias: gills, hamster
Family: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Organism: Mammalia
Organism: Rodentia
Family: Hamsters
Subfamily: Hamsteridae
Subtaxonomy: Hamsters
Catalog
Introduction
Appearance
Growth and reproduction
Distribution
Habitat
Handbook Hamster Breeding
Why do hamsters bite?
What to do when bitten by a hamster
How to choose a hamster
Eleven taboos for hamster breeding
Hamster breeding environment
Basic hamster supplies
Timetable
Hamster food
Hamster's emotions
What to look out for when buying
Medical matters Attention
Checking your own rat's body
Hamster's breeding comparison table Third-line pair analysis
Hamster's breeding comparison table First-line pair analysis
Hidden dangers of keeping hamsters
Matters of keeping hamsters
Expenditure of hamster's life time Basic equipment
Basic consumables
Types of hamsters plus Carya Hamster
Golden Fox
Silver Fox
Purple Barn
Winter White
Pudding
Milkshake
Campbell Hamster
One Tier Wild Color
Flower Barn
Snowball
White Bear
Black Bear
Amber
Purple
Syrian Hamster (Golden Rat)
Robrovsky Hamster
Basic data of each species of hamster
Social theories about hamsters
Information on hamster mini-games
Game instructions
Operation
Introduction
Shape Characteristics
Growth and reproduction
Distribution
Habitat
Handbook for keeping hamsters
Why do hamsters bite?
What to do if you are bitten by a hamster
How to choose a hamster
The eleven taboos of hamster keeping
Hamster keeping environment
Basic hamster supplies
Timetable
Hamster food
Hamster's emotions
Caution in buying
Medical matters Attention
Checking your own rat's body
Hamster breeding control table Third line pair analysis
Hamster breeding control table First line pair analysis
Hidden dangers of keeping a hamster
Matters of keeping a hamster
Expenditure of a lifetime of keeping a hamster Basic equipments
Basic consumables
Types of hamster Plus Carya Hamster
Golden Fox
Silver Fox
Purple Barn
Winter White
Pudding
Milkshake
Campbell Hamster
One Tier Wild Color
Flower Barn
Snowball
White Bear
Black Bear
Amber
Purple
Syrian hamster (golden rat)
Roborowski's hamster
Basic data for each species of hamster
Social theories about hamsters Mini-games about hamsters
Game information Game description Operation method Expand
Species information
Genera: Golden bear
Short-eared hamster Genus Gansu hamster Genus European hamster Genus Hamster Genus Golden hamster Genus Pygmy hamster (Phodopus) Great hamster (Tscherskia)
Edit Introduction
Each species of hamster has a pair of continuously growing incisors, and three pairs of molars, with the teeth type: 1 0 0 3, in a staggered trigonometry. The molars have roots, or do not have roots and can grow throughout life. Introduced first by Japan for dental research, and then kept as pets, followed by three lines of wild hamsters
and spread to the world. Hamsters are basically small to medium-sized rodents. The body length is between 5 and 28 centimeters, and the weight is between 30 and 1,000 grams. The body type is short and thick. Tail short, generally not more than half the length of the body, some varieties not more than half the length of the hind legs, or even basically can not see. The main food is plant seeds, preferring nuts, but also eat young plant stems or leaves, and occasionally small insects. Most do not hibernate and live on stored food in winter. A few species will enter a less active quasi-hibernation state in cold weather! Hamsters are mainly active at night and have poor eyesight and can only recognize shapes vaguely. Colors can only be distinguished between black and white. Hair color is complicated. Some varieties of hamsters have become popular pets in recent years because of their closeness to people, such as the Syrian hamster (commonly known as the golden hamster), the Gakarya hamster (commonly known as the third line), the Campbell's pygmy hamster (commonly known as the first line, the Mongolian hamster, or the Russian hamster), and the Lobrovsky's hamster (commonly known as the male and female, and the little Lubao). Hamsters (Hamster) was discovered in 1829 in a city near Siberia, they are rodents (Rodent), the scientific name Rodentia, from the Latin gnawing (gnawing), which means that the teeth continue to grow and need to keep grinding. Hamsters belong to the hamster family (Cricetidae), which is then divided into several classes: Mesocricetus, Cricetulus, Phodopus and Calomyscus. Chinese hamsters belong to Cricetulus; Syrian hamsters (golden rats, golden bears) belong to Mesocricetus; and the Campbell's hamster (Phodopus campbelli) belongs to Mesocricetus. Phodopus campbelli, Phodopus sungorus and Phodopus roborovskii are all of the genus Phodopus.
Editing Appearance
The most common color of hamster's fur is white on the cheeks and brown on the back. is white with a brown back, but there are also spots formed by darker and lighter shades of brown, and the fur is mostly gray, and diverse varieties such as blonde and splotchy, and even long-haired, have been bred. All kinds of hamsters look alike, with only a slight difference in size and coat color, and about the same personality. Among them, the Roborovski rat is the smallest hamster in the Dovav category, with fast movements and a timid personality, and the color of the fur on its back changes from black to teal when it grows up. The hamster is a very cute pet, so many children or women will fall in love with it when they see this kind of "live furry doll". The hamster is 5-12 centimeters long and has cheek pouches. The upper and lower jaws have a pair of sharp incisors. The hair on the back of the body is usually light yellowish brown or tan, and the sides of the belly, forelimbs, and the inside of the hind limbs are black. The lateral sides of the body have three white or pale earthy yellow spots on each anterior side. The feet are white with a slight yellowish tinge. Unlike rats, they have only a short tail, or even no tail. With the exception of the Chinese hamster, which has a long tail, other species of hamsters have tails of less than a centimeter. The most interesting thing about hamsters is that they know how to hide their food on both sides of their gills and spit it out only when they are in a safe place, which is why some people call them hamsters with big cheeks. The name hamster comes from the German word hamstern, which means to store. Sex Discrimination Hamsters can be distinguished from males and females in a simple way: male hamsters generally have large rumps and long, large anuses; female hamsters generally have inverted triangular rumps and small, closed anuses. Individuals can be seen to have rounded objects. Male and female hamsters can be distinguished mainly by the distance between their anus and genitals. The female's genitals and anus are closer together, while the male's genitals and anus are further apart. In addition, mature male rats will have prominent testicles, which are very obvious in golden rats, gerbils, and macaroni rats, and less obvious in maple rats. However, most people start from raising mice, which are not easy to distinguish because their sex organs are not so obvious. Here is a convenient way to differentiate between mice: small male mice will have hairs between the two points because their genitals and anus are far away from each other; small female mice will have no hairs between the two points because they are close to each other. With careful identification, you can still usually tell them apart correctly.
Edit Growth and reproduction
Multiple litters are produced each year. Each litter produces 1 to 20 litters. Lifespan is 2 to nearly 3 years. (Breeds from April to October each year, producing 4 to 5 litters of 4 to 8 litters each.) They have a short life span, averaging about 2 years, with male hamsters becoming sexually mature at 1 1/2 months and females at 2 months. Male hamsters mature sexually at 1.5 months and females at 2 months. Of course, the lifespan of different hamster breeds may vary slightly. Comparatively speaking, the Roborovski hamster has the longest lifespan, 3 to 3.5 years.
Edit Range
Currently, most of the hamsters are dwarf hamsters and golden rats. Native to Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, the golden rat was introduced to the United States in 1938 before it officially became a pet, and is also known as the Syrian hamster, the bear, and so on. Other pygmy hamsters in the Canberra hamster , also known as the maple leaf rat, short-tailed squirrels, plopping rats, a line of rats, native to the eastern Lake Baikal, Mongolia, Heilongjiang Province, Hebei Province, Inner Mongolia; Gakaria hamster, also known as the maple leaf rat, short-tailed rats, plopping rats, three line of rats, native to the eastern part of Kazakhstan, southwestern Siberia; Loborovsky hamster, some people call the old man, native to Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, southwestern Mongolia and other places. , Xinjiang, southwestern Mongolia and other places.
Edit Life Habits
Hamsters are nocturnal animals, sleeping during the day and active at night. They are usually most active until 7 to 10 p.m. (partly 0 to 4 p.m.). So keepers should give hamsters a good rest during the day and play with them at night. Arbitrarily changing the habits of nocturnal animals can easily lead to a short life span. Why do hamsters always hide? Because hamsters are native to desert areas and sleep in their burrows during the day to avoid attacks from wild animals. It is their instinct to hide in the dark, and they believe that darkness is the only way to feel safe. However, hamsters are a little less alert when they have been around people for a long time and change their wilderness instincts to huff and puff wherever they are. Hamsters inhabit deserts and other areas. Nocturnal. Good at digging burrows. Like to hide food on the sides of their gills before walking to safety and spitting it out, hence the name hamster. Their incisors will keep growing, so their upper and lower incisors must constantly gnaw on something hard to sharpen their teeth, on the one hand, to avoid the incisors growing too long, hindering chewing, on the other hand, to maintain the sharpness of the incisors. They feed on weed seeds and insects. Hamsters are solitary animals, unlike pack animals. Hamsters are solitary and territorial, especially females. Only during the breeding season do hamsters mate in pairs. However, hamsters only live in couples for a few minutes during mating, after which they go their separate ways. The mother takes on the responsibility of caring for the babies on her own, and the babies are forcibly evicted by the mother after 20 days or so to start living on their own. Hamsters are strange-looking, small, lively and sensitive, very amusing, and the odor is not strong, with ornamental value, suitable for pets to keep indoors, so they are regarded as pets in all parts of China.
Edit this section of the feeding manual
Precautions for hamsters
Hamster reproduction is very strong, if you don't want your hamster has been breeding, please decisively for the hamsters divided into cages, the best is a rat a cage - put the different sex of the two hamsters together ultimately the situation is keep having babies and babies and babies all the time ...... So breeding is still generally not recommended for newbies as it can be a lot of hassle.
Why do hamsters bite?
Why do cute hamsters bite? There are a few reasons. 1, You have the smell of food on your hands. A hamster's sense of smell is very sensitive, so if you've taken food that it loves, it's likely to smell it and think you're food so it'll bite you. It is recommended to wash your hands before and after touching your hamster. 2. Your hamster was originally shared in a pet store and often fights with other hamsters, so it is grumpy and wary and hostile to other creatures. It is recommended that you follow a schedule with your hamster to eliminate its hostility. 3. You are not familiar with the hamster yet, but you often manipulate it and scratch it with your hands, making it feel insecure. It is still recommended that you follow a schedule to eliminate the hamster's hostility towards you. 4. The hamster's eyesight is not very good and it mistakes your fingers for food. When you touch the hamster on your hand, if your fingers are not together, the hamster will probably take a bite of your finger as food. However, the bite is usually not too heavy, but just a "kiss". So it's best to keep your fingers together when you put the hamster in your hand, but not too tightly, as too tightly can snag the hamster's feet. It is also best not to tease the hamster with your fingers to reduce the risk of being bitten. 5, hamsters have a strong sense of territory, if you have touched another hamster, hands stained with the smell of another hamster, then the hamster will have no problem expelling unfamiliar hamster - in fact, it's your hand - so, touched another hamster was bitten by mistake is also a common thing. So it's not uncommon for a hamster to be bitten by mistake after touching another hamster. We recommend that you wash your hands after touching another hamster before touching your own. We hope that if you know this, you won't be bitten by a hamster.
What to do if a hamster bites you
Many people have been bitten by hamsters, and they ask if they need a rabies vaccine. Hamsters can also be infected with rabies (perhaps unlikely, but rabies has a 100% mortality rate), and it is up to you to decide whether or not to vaccinate. If you are concerned about rabies, treat the wound and administer the rabies vaccine. This can be found in the Rabies Exposure Prevention Protocol, which can be searched online. If you don't want to get vaccinated, it is also recommended to treat the wound at least according to the norms. But if the bite wound is red and swollen or there are other uncomfortable symptoms, then you should immediately go to the hospital to check.
How to pick a hamster
How can you pick a healthier hamster? Here are a few ways for you to consider: 1. Choose a hamster with good eyes and no eye droppings. 2. 2, see if the hamster has runny nose, don't pick if it has. 3, whether the shape of the ear is intact, there is no trace of being bitten. If there is, it means the hamster is too weak or sick and has been bullied and bitten by other hamsters. 4, the teeth are not sticking out, the fur is shiny, check if there is any hair loss or tumor. 5, the tail can not have spots, the stomach of the neighborhood is not good, that this hamster may have diarrhea. 6, walking is not normal, there is no feeling of stiffness, limbs healthy or not is also the focus. If it looks good, there should be no problem. 7, there can not be urine stains on the buttocks, if there is, do not pick. Don't pick it if there is any, because it is likely to be sick. 8, whether the nose is bitten, whether it is red, swollen or even bleeding. If there is it means that this hamster is not too healthy and strong to be bullied by other hamsters. 9, To choose a glowing and spirited hamster means it is healthy. A floppy wilting poorly spirited mouse must be sick. 10, the hamster's nose should be pink and tender, ears of the same size, eyes watery, and the hair on the back has no traces of being bitten. You can also observe whether the hamster is running around energetically, if so, it means that the mouse has a strong body and is not prone to illness. The last thing you need to do is to choose a hamster that you like. In addition to the color of its fur, you also need to consider whether it will be close to people. Generally speaking, Syrian hamsters and Carcharias are easy to get along with after a period of time, while Campbell's hamsters and Roborovski's hamsters are a bit more difficult to get along with, especially Roborovski's hamster is a very timid and sensitive animal, so it may take a bit more time to gain its trust in you. Newbies are advised to get a purple hamster because it has a better temperament and is very docile and affectionate. After successful mating, the female rat will be grumpy due to pregnancy, and it is best not to touch her at this time to avoid being bitten by her. Of course, if she is docile enough and listens to you, then she will be fine. Don't put male and female together during the maternity period. If you put male and female rats in the same cage, it may make the female rats nervous, which may lead to premature labor and other consequences.
The Eleven Taboos of Hamster Feeding
(1) It is forbidden to feed human food, which is too high in salt and too heavily seasoned, and will increase the burden on the rat's body. Especially snacks and other foods. But unprocessed roughage can be fed, corn, barley are allowed to feed. (2) Prohibit direct contact with the sun, rats are very afraid of heat, summer is here, please use a heat sink or marble to cool them down. Being exposed to the sun is like wearing glow-in-the-dark goggles, only to have someone throw a flashbulb at you. (3) If not necessary, do not wash your hamster in water. It will make the hamster catch a cold, and in severe cases, it may die. (4) Please know your own hamster species, except for male and female hamsters, which are forbidden to be kept in a cage together, and male and female hamsters, which must be kept in separate cages if they don't get along. (5) If you are not psychologically prepared or financially capable, please do not combine female and male hamsters in a cage, as the reproduction ability of the rats is very considerable. (6) Prohibit the use of feed of unknown origin. Please discard any insect or moldy feed and do not feed them! (7) Do not let the rats drink raw water, please let them drink boiled cold water, or mineral water or pure water. (8) Prohibit the use of bamboo chopsticks, popsicle sticks and other things for the rats to grind their teeth, please use the special teething products and feeds for rats on the market. (9) Prohibit the use of newspaper and tissue paper as bedding material. Newspaper has too much ink, and Kleenex contains bleach. (10) Do not keep your hamster in a space that is too small. The space should have at least a wheel, a water bottle, a bathroom, a small nest (except for bears), and other supplies. (11) Try to avoid letting the hamster stay in the air-conditioned room, so as not to cause the rat's cold.
Hamster feeding environment
The optimal temperature is 20 to 28 ℃, avoid direct sunlight or direct windy places, but pay attention to ventilation. Don't be too close to the TV, stereo, computer, hamsters can hear the sound that humans can't hear, should avoid radiation and noise. Summer: It is best not to open the air conditioner, because when you go out to turn off the air conditioner, and come into the house and open the air conditioner will make the temperature difference inside the house is too big, the hamster is very sensitive to the temperature, and it is easy to catch a cold. Winter: don't put it outside, hamsters will pseudo hibernate because it's too cold. Spread more wood shavings and other bedding materials, and configure a wooden or grass hut for the hamster to keep warm. Or give more cotton for the hamster to make its own nest. Skimmed cotton is fine, preferably natural cotton. The easiest way is to put the whole cage in a cardboard or plastic box, but be careful about ventilation. Don't give them items woven from cotton threads to use as nests. It's warm but hamsters are burrowers by nature and they will chew the woven cotton items out of shape and burrow into them to sleep. However, some unbroken threads can become entangled in the bare feet or other parts of the hamster's body, and some can become dangerously entangled in the neck, causing the hamster to suffocate and die. So don't put any threads in there.
Basic Hamster Supplies
Cage In summer, please use a ventilated wire cage or a half-iron, half-glue cage, such as a field cage; in winter, please pay attention to the rat's warmth, and a full-glue cage is more suitable in winter. Please don't use wire mesh on the bottom of the cage, as the rats will easily break bones and get injured. Hamster food If you don't have good financial condition, please choose Hamada fruit food around 20, or Belgium food around 50 if it's good. Food bowl Most of the cages come with food bowl. If you need to buy your own, you can choose any small container, as long as it is not easy to knock over and the edge is not too high, otherwise the hamster can't climb in. Commonly used containers: glass cigarette jar, soy sauce dish, various types of small bowls, microwave oven box, small preservation box. Drinker Most cages come with a drinker, and it's best to install one when DIYing because hamsters need to drink water. The general design of the water dispenser has stainless steel beads on the front end, so be careful to test whether it leaks or not when you buy it. Don't take a bowl to hold the water directly, because the hamster will wet its fur when drinking water or swim in it, so it is easy to catch a cold and get sick. If you don't have one for a while, feed your hamster some vegetables and fruits first.
Hamster Living Supplies (13 photos) Toilet A regular plastic box filled with cat litter is a simple toilet. Remove the clumped litter or change it all out every day, depending on your personal hygiene habits. Some hamsters will use it, not necessary. Bathroom Some hamsters will use cat litter to bathe in the toilet, although it is not hygienic, but it is the hamster's preference, and at this time there is no longer a need to bathe in the room. However, some hamsters love to be clean, so the owner should buy a bathroom for it, and put in the bath sand for the hamster to enjoy rolling and playing in the holes. Please buy hamster-specific products. Running Wheel Most of the cages come with a running wheel, because wild hamsters run 20 kilometers a day, so a moderate amount of exercise is very important for hamsters, without enough exercise, hamsters will be overstressed and bite the cage. So careful owners should give hamsters a running wheel. At the same time, because nowadays owners give hamsters very good nutrition, often make hamsters overweight, easy to make hamsters also get cardiovascular disease, so even hamsters should have a normal and healthy body. Be careful when you buy, you should choose the running wheel without seams, the hamster is not easy to be injured. Current price: $10-80. Wood shavings/corn cobs As a bedding material for rat cages, many materials are available, such as wood shavings or skimmed cotton. However, most people will choose wood shavings because it is cleaner and easier to buy. The purpose of wood shavings/corn cobs is to deodorize and absorb moisture, they are very absorbent and can remove individual dirt from the hamster. It is recommended to use corn cobs in summer as it is cooler and wood shavings in winter so that the rats will feel warm. Teething Stones / Teething Rods Hamster's teeth will continue to grow, so a teething rod is needed to grind off overgrown teeth. Many hamsters grind their teeth in other ways, such as chewing on the cage. Don't worry if you don't use the teething stones/bars you provide. Huts Huts can be made of ceramic, wood, grass, or plastic, all of which hamsters love, because hamsters are animals that love to live in holes. If you have the means, you should give your hamster a hut that can be DIY. DIY The first one: you can keep hamsters in a 50cm-square tank that is used for keeping tropical fish, with a cover made of barbed wire (in summer it is easy to get hot and stuffy, so pay attention to it). When using a wire cage, the hamster grabs the wire and climbs upwards, risking a fall, so it's best to keep the cage not very high and to remove the wire from the bottom of the cage before using it. Line the bottom of the cage with straw, hay or sawdust. The feeding bowl can be made of pottery, preferably heavier. Some twigs can be provided for gnawing to prevent the teeth from growing too long. Nest boxes can be made of wood or paper, etc. Bird nest boxes can be utilized in addition to those that come with the cage. Line the nest box with hay, sawdust, rags, etc. The sink will not scrape your feet, but it tends to accumulate moisture, so be careful to keep it dry. Also, the sink is deep enough to put in plenty of straw, hay, and other cage substrate that will allow the hamster to dive in, put in dirt, and then lay hay on top. Create a very natural environment where hamsters can dig holes for nests. For drinking water, use a water feeder, mounted at an easy-to-drink height, and add water to a vessel-type pitcher. You can let your hamster play with water in the summer, but don't make the cage too wet. Hamsters have the habit of defecating in a fixed place. Put a potty in the place where it often defecates and put urine or feces in it to make the potty smell bad, so it will use it as a toilet. If you don't use the toilet, don't force it to do so, just clean the cage regularly. In summer, the temperature inside the tank will rise easily, so it is best to move it to a cage in the summer. Keep the cage in a well-ventilated place and be careful not to let direct sunlight in. When it's hot, hamsters don't like to eat solid food, and should be fed water-rich foods such as vegetables. Store food in the fall, and don't forget to check the nesting box frequently to prevent the hamster from going into hibernation due to low temperature. When placing it in a heated room, take care that the temperature difference between day and night is not too great. You can put a plastic bag over the cage, or put the cage into a paper-shell box to keep warm. The second one is to make a stencil with three-dimensional embroidery. It is very good for hands-on ability, breathable in summer and warm in winter. For more information about the materials purchased and production, please refer to Expanded Readings. The third type: purchase a finishing box. As long as the wood shavings, put a good nest, food bowl, running wheel, bathroom, on the line, do not need to cover the lid, easy to clean
Schedule
The hamster to bring home, because it has left the environment has been living, there will be a long time to seem very sensitive, nervous, sometimes will appear to bite, bite the cage, do not rest, refused to eat, etc., and this period is the time to establish trust between you and the hamster! This is the key period to build trust between you and your hamster! Below is a timetable, don't be in a hurry, get along with your hamster little by little: Day 1: Let it get used to the new environment, don't harass it at all, don't touch it, and don't take it to and from the cage. It's best to cover the cage with a rag, as hamsters are less likely to get nervous in a dark environment. Try not to harass them when you put the food bowl in, too. Day 2: You can feed it with your hand and talk to it softly to familiarize it with your smell and voice. Day 5: You can pick it up gently and hold it in the palm of your hand (don't let it fall or run away). Day 10: You can play with it as much as you like. Be careful when picking up your hamster: Sleeping hamsters don't like to be disturbed and are prone to biting you, so make sure it's awake before you pick it up. You should carefully spread its nest so that it can see you, then pick it up gently, and don't force it to do so if it's reluctant to be bitten.
Hamster food
The hamster is an omnivore, you can give it yellow-green vegetables such as pumpkin, cabbage, lettuce, and other light-colored vegetables; potatoes, beans (do not eat more, it will be gas and bloating), fruits, weeds, seeds and so on. There are also hamster-specific feed grains. However, it is important to pay attention to feeding some vegetables and fruits when the feeding diet is the mainstay. As a source of protein,, hamsters have the habit of storing food in their cheek pouches. Be careful to change the water regularly. The food bowl and water feeder should be cleaned and replaced with fresh food and water daily. Replace nesting material as well. Check the nest box and leave some food such as fruit or solid feed for the hamster in the area where the hamster accumulates food. Change the cage bottom dressing once a week and clean and sterilize the cage 1-2 times a month.