El russian hamster the little one who will steal your heart with his happy behavior, with quite particular customs, we invite you to continue reading so that you know the best way to take care of these Russian hamsters.
Russian hamster origin
It is not difficult to know what its origin is, since as its name says, this hamster comes from Russia and some other countries such as Asia or Siberia, it is a hamster that is well known worldwide thanks to its beauty and friendliness, mostly in America. where it is categorized as one of the largest rodents, they are not found as wild animals since their birth rate is controlled.
They serve as food for other types of animals, such as snakes, wild animals including some mammals and birds, however, when you want to keep this animal as a pet you can train it very easily and it will know how to live in peace and in its cage.
It has no risk of being in danger of extinction, it was seen for the first time in the year 1773, where it was used as a guinea pig for experiments, years later scientists began to use the white mouse for laboratories and left the hamsters russians like Domestic animals.
Features
According to the taxonomy of animals, the Russian hamster does not have subspecies, it has very similar characteristics to others, however, its size and weight differentiate it from other types of rodents.
Its diameter is one hundred and ten millimeters which makes it quite large, the weight is fifty grams, if it is well fed, the body of the Russian hamster is quite peculiar, it is fat, and this makes it possible to appreciate that the hamster is a little small and makes it beautiful in the sight of man.
The life cycle of this rodent is approximately three years, as long as it is well cared for, otherwise it can only live a year or less. The colors that differentiate this hamster are:
- light smoke
- dark smoke
- Platinum
- Bright blue
- Gold
- Orange
Some of them may have spots in the form of moles or stripes, which are usually black.
This is considered a quite possessive hamster and for that reason it should not be placed in the same house with another hamster of the same sex, they normally live in pairs and will be one for the short life they have, however, when they are in mating season it is necessary to separate them once the female is pregnant, but this will be a topic for later.
Since its original place of birth is Russia, the hamster has quite warm fur, capable of protecting it from harsh winter, in the same way it can protect it from air-conditioned areas, we also recommend that the hamster be in warm places, you never know when the cold can affect them.
It sheds its mane when winter approaches, where it is stronger to resist the cold, regardless of the color of the hamster when it sheds its hair for the coldest season of the year, it comes out white and abundant, then little by little as it passes the days change color and it falls off, leaving the hamster as it was originally.
When this happens, the females usually have mood swings, because the loss of fur causes them stress and they become aggressive with the offspring and with the male.
To differentiate the female from the male, all you have to do is find the testicles of the male, another way is that the female always has a white or cream abdomen.
It is a species that likes to play, for this reason it is recommended that you have several toys in your home such as tubes, wheels and even very small balls. It is necessary that in his house you always have something where he can sharpen his teeth or as they say gnaw, all this will make the hamster feel happy and comfortable.
Reproduction
Reproduction is very continuous, however, the proper months for hamster reproduction are between April and September, during these months they cannot be together in the same nest.
When these animals are in the wild, the mating season lasts all year, this causes the female sex of this type of hamster to die prematurely, thanks to the fact that giving birth often causes serious damage internally. Its pregnancy can last twenty-five days and the number of copies per birth is eight maximum, this action causes each birth to be more dangerous for the hamster.
They can be committing the sexual act for up to thirteen continuous hours, so it is necessary that when this happens and they are in captivity, these animals separate them after the first sexual act.
During the winter they do not mate because they lose a lot of weight and fur.
behavior and character
This hamster is not aggressive at all, it is the perfect pet as a birthday present, however, with other animals of the same species they tend to be a bit aggressive, as we had previously mentioned.
Regarding their behavior, during the day they usually sleep a lot, while at night they play for hours, exercise, among other things, in conclusion, their usual behavior is nocturnal, that is, their schedules are reversed.
When it's time to hibernate, it does, it can spend days without leaving its nest, it even seems like it's dead, since it doesn't come out, doesn't eat, doesn't drink water, but don't worry, when the two weeks it lasts its hibernation, it comes back out and plays again, hydrates and feeds.
Food
Normally they feed on seeds or insects, however, this is not something usual, when they are in captivity the hamster eats food that is sold in pet stores, especially for them.
Although sometimes it can happen that the hamster eats fruits, seeds such as corn, sunflower or semolina, the fruits should be sweet and the vegetables only like green ones, such as cucumber, broccoli, lettuce and sometimes cauliflower, although the latter it is not accepted by many specimens.
In the same way, it likes protein drinks such as smoothies of fruits, vegetables and some seeds, this in small quantities makes the hamster more energetic and healthy. Once a week you can get him used to feeding him cheese, boiled egg or turkey, in small portions, so that he doesn't get used to the taste and only wants to eat that.
There are a number of foods that are prohibited for this type of hamster, as they can cause poisoning:
- Onion
- Tomato
- Orange
- Lemon
- Lima
- Mango
- Parsley
- passion fruit
- Celery
The hydration of the Russian hamster is very important, since, by eating foods with a high sugar content, the hamster can suffer from obesity or sugar, water plays an important role, since it makes the hamster digest everything correctly. that eats.
However, this issue can represent a problem since sometimes the owners do not like to clean the hamster's cage, but this will be a topic that we will touch on next, as for the water, it is necessary to change it with new, clean water and fresh every day.
Russian Dwarf Hamster Care
It is a very easy animal to care for, however, thanks to its nocturnal habits, you must be very aware of what it does while you sleep, the Russian hamster is capable of keeping you awake all night and just at the time you should get up from the bed the Russian hamster is going to fall asleep.
Adapt a spacious cage where he can run, bathe, rest and feel free, he will feel very comfortable if you place in cages like this even for females who are a little more sedentary.
It is necessary that during the mating season the couple is separated or with the cage divided. Toys are necessary in all cages, for the hamster's entertainment, he is like a baby, he needs all the attention of his owner, he likes to be pampered and if he gets used to playing with his owner at night, forget about going back to sleep in the cage. night, since the day you don't do it it will make a scandal where it won't let you sleep, but because of the noise.
The cleaning of the cage is important for this hamster, because it does not resist dirt, it is an animal that bathes with the water it has in the cage to drink whenever it can, that is the reason why the water should be change every day. At the bottom of the cage, the floor of the cage, it is necessary that it be full of sawdust, this will allow the cage to be easier to clean.
Where to put the cage of my Russian hamster?
The cage must be in a place with room temperature, remember that it is used to cold and if we place it in a place like the kitchen, the hamster is not able to withstand that heat capacity.
The ideal place is the living room and although it does not sound good or look good, the cage should be on the floor, not for fear of the disasters that the hamsters can make, rather it is for their own good that way they receive the cold from the floor and they feel free, maybe this is the reason why they are so active at night.
If you have the possibility of buying the spheres in which they move around the house, much better, so that they drain the most energy during the day, although it is usually at night when they feel encouraged to play.
It is important to take into account that, if we have other animals as pets at home, keep the hamster out of their reach, the animals that can harm the Russian hamster are:
- hunting dogs, German shepherd, Pitbull, among other dogs that are usually aggressive towards other animals.
- Lizards, such as the higuana, snakes or snakes.
- Felines, whatever kind, let's remember this is a rodent and cats eat rodents.
Daily physical activities for the Russian hamster
To take care of the well-being of your heart, it is necessary that you do daily exercises, the exercises for them are habitual, since they are always on their wheel or on their ball, however, they need to exercise at a particular time to get used to them.
Also as physical activity it is necessary to exercise the jaw and for this reason we recommend that you place small pieces of wood inside the cage.
Will having a dwarf hamster at home work?
It will work as long as the hamster owner maintains his obligations to the animal and takes care of it, although this applies to all pets.
The best thing about having a Russian hamster at home is that they do not give off any odor and they are hypoallergenic.
Russian Hamster Diseases
It can usually suffer from stomach upsets, this is because the hamster is very gluttonous and usually eats too many vegetables that normally make its feces watery and in quantity. That is why you should always remember that you can only feed this hamster two or three times a week, since they can also suffer from obesity and their legs cannot withstand being overweight.
If the diet is not rich in vitamins, the hamster can suffer from total loss of fur, this is not common, but if you begin to notice that it is losing excess fur, change its diet and feed it with slightly less sweet fruits and with lots of lettuce They can also supply you with some vitamins that you buy at pet stores.
Due to the cleaning of the cage, it can suffer from conjunctivitis, if it is not cleaned as it should be, the cleaning is not complete, with chlorine or detergents that are harmful to the health of any animal, the hamster, being so small, does not support these strong odors, if the case of conjunctivitis is very strong you should take the hamster to the vet, so that he can provide the necessary treatments.
In the same way, it can suffer from neurological paralysis that leads to immediate death, this usually happens hours after the hamster falls in an inexplicable way and hits itself.