Syrian hamsters: classification, description and care

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Syrian hamsters were bred from wild relatives found in Syria. They are noticeably larger than Dzungarian babies and the size of their bodies is more like large guinea pigs.

Many rodent lovers keep these animals at home. This is due to their unpretentiousness, cleanliness and good he alth.

Classification

The Syrian golden hamster (as these animals are sometimes called) belongs to the class of mammals, type of chordates, subtype of vertebrates. These are rodents from the hamster family, a genus of medium-sized hamsters.

Habitat

As a separate species, these rodents are descended from wild relatives that live in the vicinity of the city of Aleppo, in the desert of Syria. The first breeders of these kids were the British. Thanks to their work, Syrian hamsters of various colors live in our homes today.

In the United States, these cute animals were first bred at the beginning of the 20th century. The babies have become great pets. American breeders continued the work of their English colleagues and brought out new varieties of these animals. Thus arose the breed classification of theserodents.

Habitat

Syrian hamsters live in natural conditions in grain fields, in meadows and steppes, in foothill steppe landscapes in the territory:

• Asian.
• Iran.
• Balkan.
• Turkey.

Description

The Syrian hamster, whose photo you can see in this article, received another name - golden (or sandy) because of the golden color of its fur. These charming creatures are unpretentious in care and maintenance, quite hardy and clean. All these qualities have allowed them to become the favorite pets of many people around the world.

Even those people who previously did not keep any animals can take care of them. This hamster will not give its owner much trouble. It is important to remember that these are very fast creatures. They run fast and will try to escape at the slightest opportunity if they disappear from your field of vision for a while (for example, while walking around the apartment).

Sometimes in a pet store you can hear the question from customers: “Do Syrian hamsters bite?” The answer can be one - without a reason they do not bite. And the reason for the bite may be your hands smelling something delicious. Another animal can defend itself in this way when it wants to get rid of your increased attention.

In the first case, the bite can be prevented quite simply - take the hamster only with clean washed hands. The second case assumes that you will not torture an animal (and you will not allow this to children), and thereforein pain and anger, your pet will not bite you.

External Features

Syrian hamsters have a stocky body, the length of which does not exceed 13.5 cm. They have short legs, rounded, medium-sized ears. The muzzle is short, small beady eyes and a small tail, which is not very noticeable under thick hair.

The belly of this baby is light, and the back has an ocher-gray color. There are five toes on the hind legs, and four on the forepaws (plus a rudiment of the fifth). Under natural conditions, the hamster lives in shallow minks. Active at night. It uses cheek pouches while gathering and transporting nest materials. The most popular and common coat color is golden (natural color). And we will answer another frequently asked question: “How long does a Syrian hamster live?” The life expectancy of a Syrian hamster is three years.

Contents

If you decide to take responsibility for this tiny living creature and settled in your house a Syrian hamster, then you need to know some of the features of its content. Despite its small size, the animal requires care and attention. Regardless of the size of the pet you bring into your home, you are responsible for its well-being. How well you take care of him will determine how long he will live and how comfortable he will be in captivity.

Choose a cell

Cages for the Syrian hamster should be selected with a deeppallet made of plastic and metal rods. In addition, you will need an aquarium made of ordinary or organic glass. Cage dimensions must be at least 30x40 cm with a minimum tank height of 30 cm.

For bedding, you can use large sawdust (dry). They should be spread out in an even layer, the thickness of which is usually about 4 cm. It should be noted that for long-haired varieties it is better to refuse sawdust, as they can tangle the wool. In this case, it is better to use a special natural wood filler in combination with paper napkins. Hay, straw, pieces of paper are suitable for building nests for your pet.

Syrian hamsters (domestic) need a house, which is placed inside the cage. In it, the baby will rest. It is equally important to take care of the active life of the hamster in order to avoid problems with excess weight and general well-being. For this purpose, a large wheel is placed in the cage for the animal to run regularly and various obstacles.

Don't forget to put a bowl for food and a drinker. Every 4-5 days the cage must be cleaned. The bowl and drinker are washed with running water. Once a month, a general cleaning is carried out - the entire contents of the cell are washed with a chlorine-containing solution. As you can see, these are unpretentious creatures - Syrian hamsters. Caring for them is not particularly difficult. Yes, and nature has awarded their he alth excellent. However, like any living creatures, they can carry some kind of disease. Therefore, owners should be aware that the illnesses of their pets are most often the result of stress. He can be called:

• appearance of a neighbor in a cage;
• long trip;
• sleep disorder;
• changing the position of the cell.

Typically, diseases are manifested by the following symptoms:

• display of aggression;
• slightly damp fur;
• appearance of fleas or lice;
• skin sores;
• loose and frequent stools;
• stagnant eyes closed;
• significant shedding of fur at the slightest touch;
• heavy breathing.

Syrian hamster care

Bathing these rodents is not recommended, they do an excellent job of personal hygiene on their own. Hamsters often wash themselves, brush their fur several times a day. Long-haired varieties need a container of sand. In it they will clean their fur. Help them groom their coat by combing it with a small brush or thick comb. Short-haired individuals will be quite satisfied with combing with a massage or toothbrush.

When releasing the baby from the cage for a walk around the house (which they need), the owners must be very careful and careful, because your little pet is extremely vulnerable at this moment - danger lies in wait for him at every step (suddenly closed door, careless movement person, etc.)

Food

In order for Syrian hamsters not to get sick and feel great, the owners must provide them with a varied and high-quality dietnutrition. The lack of minerals and vitamins in the daily feed of the animal will immediately affect his he alth, and very soon he may begin to get sick.

Make sure that in his diet there is always a special grain mixture (oats, flax, millet), vegetables (carrots, lettuce), tradescantia is needed from plants. All foods that hamsters consume must be fresh. And one more rule that should be followed strictly: these rodents should never be overfed.

Syrian hamsters are happy to eat cottage cheese - low-fat and non-acidic. Cabbage and nuts, s alt and sugar, any spices, fermented milk drinks are strictly contraindicated for your pet. In order to maintain a moisture balance in the body of this cute baby, he should be given milk (it is better if it is diluted dry), as well as water. Syrian hamsters drink little water, but it should always be clean in the drinker.

Reproduction

These are very prolific animals that need suitable breeding conditions. At an air temperature of +25 degrees, the female Syrian hamster breeds all year round - three to four times, bringing six cubs each. Males reach sexual maturity one month after birth, females are crossed after two months. After fertilization, the male is removed from the cage, because pregnant individuals are characterized by increased aggression, which can lead to animal injuries.

Most often, females give birth at night. While feeding offspring to the femaleNeeds boosted nutrition.

He alth problems

For Syrian hamsters, such a he alth problem as obesity is especially characteristic. It is in order to avoid it that running wheels are installed in the cages. If the owners prefer to let the kids go for walks around the apartment, then this is not always justified - after all, the hamster can be injured and even die.

Many diseases of Syrian hamsters are provoked by not very good maintenance at home, unbalanced diet and stress, which we have already mentioned. Therefore, try to change the location of the cage without urgent need, do not disturb the baby's sleep, do not take your pet on long trips, do not perform other actions that can provoke stress.

But, unfortunately, even those animals that are taken care of very well get sick. The recovery of the baby depends on the type of disease and how quickly it will be diagnosed. Do not try to treat the hamster on your own. In some cases, this can lead to irreparable consequences.

It is more correct, if you notice the unusual behavior of a hamster, contact a veterinary clinic.

Nurseries

If you like these cute pets, you probably have a question: "Where can I buy them?" Of course, you can go to the bird market or the nearest store. But the best for this is a specialized nursery of Syrian hamsters. Today there are quite a lot of them all over the country. You can contact the newly openedMoscow nursery of Syrian hamsters "Flower Elf". True, there are no reviews about his work yet.

Therefore, we recommend contacting the well-established Moscow nursery of Syrian hamsters "Solnechny Dom". It offers customers long-haired individuals of various colors. The babies are one month old. All of them are tame, cheerful and he althy. All hamsters are given a pedigree, as well as instructions for maintenance, care and feeding.

Hamsters from this cattery can take part in various exhibitions, they are good for breeding or can just become cute pets. Nursery employees ensure that hamsters are provided with high-quality and varied nutrition from birth, and this, of course, has a positive effect on their he alth and excellent appearance. A he althy animal is always beautiful.

Another Moscow nursery of Syrian hamsters - "Hamster Valley", which is part of "Brid" - a breeding center, offers its services. The breeders of the nursery are engaged in breeding short-haired and long-haired Syrian hamsters of various types of wool and colors. They are very careful about breeding.

All matings are carried out according to the rules of the genetics of these rodents, which guarantees the he alth of animals purchased in this cattery. When buying a hamster, you will receive a pedigree and a detailed description of the breed, pattern, color, coat type of the hamster and its parents. If you want to get such a little furry friend, then in the nursery"Hamster Valley" you choose your favorite animal. The address of the nursery in Moscow is st. Pererva, house 10.