Hamster, Hamster

The subfamily contains about 24 species, classified in six or seven genera. Fox, Sue. 2006. Hamsters. T.F.H. Publications Inc.

Lith staras "hamster") Doublas Harper, The Online Etymology Dictionary , s.v. "hamster" (2001).

Barrie, Anmarie. 1995. Hamsters as a New Pet. T.F.H. Publications Inc., NJ.

Fritzsche, Peter. 2008. Hamsters: A Complete Pet Owners Manual. Barrons Educational Series Inc., NY.

The Angora hamster, also known as the long-haired or Teddy Bear hamster, which is a type of the Syrian Hamster is the second largest hamster breed, measuring up to 18 cm (about 7 inches) long.

However, they have an acute sense of smell and are able to hear extremely well. Hamsters can use their sense of smell to detect gender, locate food, and detect pheremones. They are also particularly sensitive to high pitched noises and can hear and communicate in the ultrasonic range.

On a long haired hamster it is barely visible. Hamsters are very flexible, and their bones are somewhat fragile. They are extremely susceptible to rapid temperature changes and drafts, as well as extreme heat or cold. Hamsters are hindgut fermenters and must eat their own feces in order to digest their food a second time. This practice is called coprophagy and is necessary for the hamster to obtain the proper nutrients from its food.

They eat most things, and although they should regularly be given a diet of normal hamster food (which most pet shops stock) it is enjoyable for both yourself and the hamster to experiment with other things, such as vegetables and fruits (though these should be removed once they go rotten or bad) seeds, nuts, boiled egg and shop bought hamster treats like yoghurt drops. Pet stores sell a variety of treats that are suitable for hamsters.

They have two pairs in the front of their mouths and these incisors never stop growing and thus must be regularly worn down. Hamsters carry food in their spacious cheek pouches to their underground storage chambers. When full, their cheeks can make their heads double (or even triple) in size.

Hamsters are primarily considered crepuscular because they live underground during most of the day, only leaving their burrows about an hour before sundown and then returning when it gets dark. At one point they were considered nocturnal because they are active all night. Some species have been observed to be more nocturnal than others.

Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters tend to have 4 to 8 in a litter but can have up to 14. Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters tend to have slightly smaller litters, as do Chinese and Roborovski hamsters.

This happens especially in males. Males will become inactive, eat more, and even show some behavioural changes similar to some types of depression in humans. This can even cause obesity in the hamster.

In some cases, male Chinese hamsters can die after being attacked by the female. If breeding Chinese hamsters, it is recommended to separate the pair after mating or the hamsters will attack each other.

Female hamsters are also particularly sensitive to disturbances while giving birth and may even eat her own young if she thinks they are in danger, although sometimes she is just carrying the pups in her cheek pouches.

Most breeders will sell the hamsters to shops when the hamsters are anywhere from two to nine weeks old.

When examined, female hamsters have their anal and genital openings close together, whereas males have these two holes farther apart (the penis is usually withdrawn into the coat and thus appears as a hole or pink pimple).

It is also sometimes called a "fancy" hamster. Pet stores also have taken to calling them "honey bears," "panda bears," "black bears," "European black bears," "polar bears," "teddy bears," and "Dalmatian", depending on their coloration. There are also several variations, including long-haired varieties that grow hair several centimeters long and often require special care. British zoologist Leonard Goodwin claimed that most hamsters kept in the United Kingdom were descended from the colony he introduced for medical research purposes during the Second World War.

Campbell's Dwarf Hamster ( Phodopus campbelli ) is the most common of the four they are also sometimes called "Russian Dwarfs"; however, many hamsters are from Russia, and so this ambiguous name does not distinguish them from other species appropriately. The coat of the Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus sungorus) turns almost white during winter (when the hours of daylight decrease).

Although breeders of show hamsters specialise in breeding show hamsters, there are also owners who have bred their pet hamsters. These may be the result of a planned or unplanned pregnancy but the hamsters have usually been cared for well and handled regularly, so make very suitable pets. Buying a hamster directly from a breeder means that there is the opportunity to see the parents and know the dates of birth.

Four of the seven living genera include extinct species. One extinct hamster of Cricetus , for example, lived in North Africa during the Middle Miocene, but the only extant member of that genus is the common hamster of Eurasia.

These include the Maned Hamster or Crested Hamster, which is really the Maned Rat ( Lophiomys imhausi ), although not nearly as marketable under that name. Others are the mouse-like hamsters ( Calomyscus spp.), and the white-tailed rat ( Mystromys albicaudatus ).

Source: Wikipedia > Hamster