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, as well as insects.
The hamster is a solitary animal, unlike group animals. Hamsters are solitary and extremely territorial, especially females. Only when the breeding season arrives 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 after 20 days or so the babies are forcibly expelled by the mother and start to live on their own. It can be seen that hamsters, no matter a male and a female or parents and siblings, should not be kept together as adults, which may easily lead to death or injury, the correct practice is to keep one rat in a cage separately. Please always remember that solitary animals do not have such feelings as loneliness, they will never be happy to share their own territory and food, it is absolutely not advisable to impose our human thoughts on hamsters and do things that go against their nature.
The hamster is small and delicate, lively and sensitive, very amusing, and the odor is not strong, with ornamental value, suitable for pets kept indoors, so it is regarded as a pet in all parts of China.
Precautions for hamsters
If you are going to keep hamsters, please be decisive and separate cages for the hamsters, preferably one mouse per cage - putting two hamsters together ends up in a situation where they just keep on having babies and babies (of different genders)... ...and in serious cases, they will fight each other to death! That's why people still don't combine cages.
Why do hamsters bite?
Why do cute hamsters bite? There are a few reasons.
1. Your hands smell of food. Hamsters have a very sensitive sense of smell, so if you've taken food that it loves, it's likely to sniff it out and think you're food so it bites you. It is recommended that you wash your hands before and after touching your hamster.
2. Your hamster was originally bred in a pet store, and often fights with other hamsters, so it has a short temper and is wary and hostile to other creatures. It is recommended that you follow a schedule with your hamster to eliminate its hostility.
3. You don't know the hamster well 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 to your hand, if you don't keep your fingers together, the hamster will probably take a bite out of your finger as if it were 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 minimize the risk of being bitten.
5. Hamsters have a strong sense of territory, so if you touch another hamster and get the scent of another hamster on your hand, the hamster will have no problem expelling the unfamiliar hamster -- your hand, in fact -- so touching another hamster and getting bitten by mistake is not uncommon. So, it is not uncommon to be bitten by mistake after touching another hamster. It is advisable to wash your hands after petting another hamster before petting your own.
Hopefully, if you know this, you won't be bitten by a hamster.
What to do if a hamster bites you
Many of you have been bitten by a hamster, and you will ask if you need to get a rabies vaccine. A hamster bite can also be infected with rabies (perhaps unlikely, but rabies has a 100% mortality rate), and it's up to you to decide whether or not to get vaccinated.
If rabies is a concern, the wound should be treated as soon as possible according to specifications and rabies vaccine should be given. Rabies passive immunization preparations are also required if necessary. Specific questions about how to treat wounds can be found in the Rabies Exposure Prophylaxis Disposal Practices, which can be searched online. Antitetanus treatment and antibiotics, etc., as appropriate, are given to control infections other than the rabies virus in deeper, more contaminated wounds.
If the bite wound is red and swollen or there are other symptoms of discomfort, it should be checked out at a hospital.
How to pick a hamster
How can you pick a healthier hamster? Here are a few ways for you to take a look:
1. Choose a hamster that has good eyes and no eye droppings.
2, see if the hamster has runny nose, don't pick it 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 to be bullied and bitten by other hamsters.
4. Teeth are not sticking out, fur is shiny, check for hair loss or tumors.
5, the tail must not have spots, and the vicinity of the stomach is not good, indicating 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 should be no urine stains on the buttocks, and if there are, don't pick them. Don't pick it because it's probably sick.
8, whether the nose is bitten, whether it is red and 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 hamster that is bright and energetic means it is healthy. A floppy wilted 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 its back has no signs of being bitten. You can also observe whether the hamster runs around energetically, if so, it means the rat 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, and in addition to the color of the fur you should also consider seeing if it will be close to people.
Usually, 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 little more difficult to get along with, especially since Roborovski's hamsters are very timid and sensitive, so it may take a little more time to gain their trust in you.
After mating, the female will be grumpy due to her pregnancy, so it's best not to touch her at this time to avoid being bitten by her. This is the best time to avoid touching her to avoid being bitten by her, except if she is docile enough to listen to you. Don't put male and female rats 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.
Twelve Taboos of Hamster Feeding
(1) It is forbidden to feed human food, which is too high in salt and seasoned, and will increase the body burden of the rats. Especially snacks and other foods. But unprocessed roughage can be fed, corn and barley are allowed.
(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 and having someone throw a flashbulb at you.
(3) If it is not necessary, it is forbidden to 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 the male and female hamsters are forbidden to be kept in a combined cage, and the male and female species 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, and please discard any raw insects or mold, do not feed!
(7) Prohibit the rats to drink raw water, please let them drink boiled cold water, or mineral water, pure water.
(8) Prohibit the use of bamboo chopsticks, popsicle sticks and other things to make the rats grind their teeth, please use the special teeth grinding products and feed 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) It is prohibited to keep rats in a space that is too small; the space should have at least a roller, a water bottle, a bathroom, a den (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.
(12) Although melon seeds, bread worms and other high-calorie food is what rats love to eat, it can not be used as staple food, which is easy to cause fire, and the staple food is still the best brand food on the market.
Hamster feeding environment
The optimal temperature of 20 ~ 28 ℃, to avoid direct sunlight or direct wind blowing to the place, but pay attention to ventilation. Don't be too close to the TV, stereo, computer, hamsters can hear the sound that humans can not hear, should avoid radiation and noise.
Summer: It's best not to turn on the air conditioner, because if you turn it off when you go out, and turn it on when you come in, the temperature difference inside the house will be too big, and the hamster is very sensitive to the temperature, and will easily 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 to do this is to put the whole cage in a cardboard or plastic box, but keep an eye on the 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 their feet or other parts of their body, and some can become dangerously entangled in their necks, causing them to suffocate and die. So don't put any threads in there.
Basic hamster supplies
Cages
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.
Don't use wire mesh on the bottom of the cage, as the rats are prone to fracture and injury
Hamster food If you don't have good financial conditions, please choose Hamada fruit food for about 20% of the food, or about 50% of the food in Belgium if the food is good.
Food bowl
Most cages come with a food bowl. If you need to buy your own, general small containers can be used, as long as it is not easy to knock over, and the edge is not too high, or the hamster can not climb in. Commonly used containers: glass cigarette jar, soy sauce dish, all kinds of small bowls, microwave oven box, small preservation box.
Drinker
Most cages come with a drinker, and it's a good idea to install one when DIYing, because hamsters need to drink water. Drinkers are generally designed with stainless steel beads on the front end, and there are also half-plastic and half-glass drinkers. When buying, pay attention to test whether the water leaks. Never take a bowl to hold the water, 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, feed your hamster some vegetables and fruits first.
Toilets
A plastic box with cat litter is a simple toilet. Remove the clumped litter every day or change it all out, depending on your personal hygiene habits. Some hamsters will use it, not necessary.
Bathroom
Some hamsters will bathe in the toilet with cat litter, which is unhygienic but is the hamster's preference, and at this point there is no longer a need for a bathing room. However, some hamsters are very clean, and the owner should buy a bathroom for them, and put in the bathing sand for the hamster to roll around, and play holes as much as they want. 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 the right amount of exercise is very important for hamsters, and without enough exercise, the hamster will be too stressed 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.
Bedding
As the bedding material for the rat cage, many materials are available, such as wood shavings, wood pellets, paper pellets, skimmed cotton, heat-reducing sand. However, most people choose wood shavings because it is cleaner and easier to buy (preferably in its original flavor). The purpose of bedding is to deodorize and absorb moisture, they are very absorbent and can remove individual dirt from hamsters. It is recommended to use wood pellets, paper pellets, and heat-reducing sand in summer as it is cooler; and wood shavings river skimmed cotton in winter so that the rats will feel warm.
Teething stone/teething stick
The hamster's teeth will continue to grow, so a teething stick is needed to grind down overgrown teeth. Many hamsters grind their teeth in other ways, such as chewing on their cage. Don't worry too much when you don't use the teething stone/teething stick you provide. This is because everyday food usually contains teething properties.
Hut
The hut has ceramic, wooden, grass, plastic, hamsters love it, because hamsters are animals that love to live in holes, and if you have the conditions, you should match a hut with a hamster, but of course you can DIY.
DIY
The first one: you can use a 50cm square tank for keeping tropical fish to feed your hamster, and use a wire mesh to make a lid on top. wire mesh to make a cover (easy to swelter in summer, to be taken care of). When using a wire cage, the hamster grabs the wire and climbs upwards, risking a fall, so it is best if the cage is not very high and the wire at the bottom of the cage is removed and used. 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.
Drinking water can be done with a water feeder, mounted at a height where it is easy to drink, and add water to a vessel-type pitcher. You can let hamsters 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.
The temperature in the sink will rise during the hot summer months, so it's best to move it to a cage during the summer. Keep the cage in a well-ventilated place and be careful not to let direct sunlight. When it's hot, hamsters don't like to eat solid rations, 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 big. You can put a plastic bag over the cage or put the cage into a paper-shell box to keep warm.
The second type is to make a mesh panel with three-dimensional embroidery. It's a great way to work with your hands, and it's breathable in summer and warm in winter. For more information on how to make this, please see the expanded reading section
The third way is to buy an organizing box and make it. 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
Timetable
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 people, bite the cage, do not rest, refused to eat, and so on, and this period is the hamster and you to build up trust! This is the key period to build trust between you and your hamster! Here's a timetable for getting used to your hamster:
Day 1: Allow your hamster to get used to its new environment, don't harass it at all, don't touch it, and don't take it away from you. It's a good idea 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 out the food bowl either.
Day 2: Hand feed the hamster 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 harassed 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 doesn't want to, so that it doesn't get 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 the 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 disinfect the cage 1-2 times a month.
Note:
(1) Please don't look at the rat too cute and give too much sunflower seeds or high calorie food, the rat is easy to grow lipoma, also easy to get fat and unbalanced nutrition. Overfat rats, easy to heat stroke in summer, skin fat is too thick, easy to hair loss.
(2) Please don't think that rats don't need to drink water! Water must be supplied and the drinking water is changed once every two days.
(3) Please don't feed too much fruits and vegetables at one time, as it may cause wet tail and death. Most fruits and vegetables contain pesticides, so please wash and dry them with water before feeding. Do not feed fruits and vegetables with too much water. Generally, you should choose commercially available fruit and vegetable snacks that are suitable for small animals (especially for hamsters).
(4) snack part with the main food, snacks increase, please reduce the main food, do not give too many snacks, fire fat rats are easy to get sick.
(5) Please keep the feed and snacks in sealed cans, or place them in the refrigerator, and discard any food that breeds insects and ants.
Admissible food:
Hamster food, breadworms, barley worms, small dried fish and shrimp for pets
Feeding amount: It is easy to supply hamster with more or less food, because hamster has the habit of storing food, and it will be very uneasy if there is less food. So, if you find the food bowl always empty every time you add food it means the food is added too little, and also pay attention to clean up the uneaten food in time, especially the fruits and other things with moisture to prevent spoilage.
Hamster Emotions
Hamsters are less likely to communicate with their owners than dogs and cats. However, it is still possible to understand the emotions of hamsters if you observe them carefully every day. Hamsters can also express their emotions, so look carefully at these actions and messages to understand the hamster's mood.
Finishing the body hair (washing face)
When a hamster finishes its body hair, it is in a relaxed state. Otherwise it is the state where the hamster's own smell disappears after the owner strokes the hamster and wants to apply the smell on top of the body again. Hamsters love their own flavor.
Turning over
The hamster will turn over when the owner's hand reaches inside the cage. This is due to the state of being startled or feeling annoyed when the hand comes in. The hamster has almost no weapon to fight against the enemy, so it will roll over and use all four legs to resist. At this time, just go over slowly and reassure the hamster. Especially when the hamster is sleeping, don't scare the hamster.
Rolling up in a circle
It's easy to see that this is the hamster's sleeping position, so keep your voice down. However, it will also roll up when its health is not good, so pay more attention to it. It also rolls up when the weather is cold, and this is when it is keeping warm.
Cage chewing
When a hamster chews on the wire of its cage, it may be trying to escape, and some hamsters rub the hairs on the top of their noses between the wires, making the top of their noses bald. This behavior is to allow the hamster to grind its teeth and control the length of its teeth. It's best to get a teething stone for your hamster, as chewing on the cage can cause minor damage to the nose and may cause the hamster's teeth to become crooked.
Droopy ears
The easiest thing to see to understand a hamster's mood is the ears. If the ears are drooping, it must be when they are feeling nasty or scary, and they are also drooping when they have just woken up from a nap.
Body stiffness
The hamster will suddenly stand still after spinning on the wheel. This is because the hamster is trying to use the wheel to move to a faraway place, and stops and stands still to make sure that it has reached a certain place.
Standing up and shaking
Standing up is to understand the situation in the distance, feeling to observe the surrounding, paying attention to the sound, and also standing up when reacting to the sound of the feed bag.
Plopping down on the floor
When coming out of the cage, the body is scrunched together, lying on the floor and sniffing around. This is nervousness about the new place and wanting to sniff around. Don't make a lot of noise at this time .
Hiding in narrow places
Hamsters were originally wild animals that lived inside narrow tunnels. When playing indoors, hamsters will always look for narrow and dark places in order to feel at ease, so be careful if the hamster runs to the corner of the room.
Also
The hamster is such a small thing, be sure to put more food in its cage, to slightly exceed its own needs, it will feel comfortable and happy. On the contrary because hamster has the nature to collect food, food scarcity will cause it to panic, even if it has enough food to survive, it will cause it to be upset and irritable.