Many consider the hamster to be the perfect pet. He sits in a cage, does not require special attention to himself. He eats little, toys are not needed, and most importantly - an adequate animal, distinguished by kindness. Great option for a child! The situation with the Chinese hamster looks a little different.
About origin
From the name it’s obvious - our hero is from China. More precisely, hamsters live in the northern regions of China, distributed in the territory of Mongolia. Full name - Chinese dwarf hamster. With the last moment it is worth arguing, because the animal is quite large.
Size and weight
The Chinese hamster reaches 10-12 centimeters in length. The animal weighs from 30 to 45 grams, males are larger than their girlfriends.
Description and color
A rodent is more appropriate to compare with a mouse, because it has a small tail. The description of the Chinese hamster says that the animal is somewhat elongated, with long legs. On the forelegs are four fingers, the hind legs are five-fingered. The muzzle is very expressive, rounded cheek pouches are striking.
Chinese hamsters have neat, rounded ears and expressive beady eyes. The animal is easy to recognize due to its non-standard colors, characteristic body proportions and the presence of a tail.
The color of the rodent may be as follows:
- the main color is brown, a dark stripe runs along the back, the stomach is white;
- spotted hamsters are distinguished by a mixture of white and gray shades, a strip is present on the back;
- white rodents are common enough, for such Chinese hamsters are characterized by black eyes.
About the content
How finicky is the little inhabitant? In fact, hamsters from China are easier to maintain than their counterparts. To keep a Chinese hamster you need:
- A cage with rare vertical rods. This is a prerequisite for a comfortable and safe life of the pet. Hamsters are brisk and mobile comrades, due to their own size they are able to climb through wide bars and go to explore the master's apartment. In the best case, such a trip will result in researchers discovering and placing them in a cage. At worst, after a nth amount of time, a dead corpse can be found behind the furniture. Therefore, it is advisable to take the choice of a cell seriously if the owner wants the little pet to live longer in this world.
- Be sure to purchase rodent filler. Pet shops offer a huge selection of different fillers, ranging from cheap sawdust to a corn product. The main fillers that are popular among rodent owners are sawdust, wood and corn filler. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Sawdust is cheap, but quickly contaminated and practically does not retain odor. From the wood filler in hamsters, corns on the paws can appear, corn - a little expensive. However, corn filler is the best of these. The product does not cause allergies, the hamster can taste it, but there will be no harm. Corn filling perfectly absorbs odors, dirty to clean is changed once a week.
- Drinking bowl and feeder. It is recommended to choose a heavy ceramic or metal feeder so that the hamster could not turn it over. Plastic bowls look more elegant, but the pet is able to launch such a feeder at the other end of the cage and sprinkle food. As for the drinkers, you should pay attention to the fixer. In the pet store you can ask a drinker for a hamster with a fixer, they will offer several options to choose from.
- Do you need toys and houses? The house is needed for the Chinese hamster, whose photo can be seen above. This is a shelter for a rodent, where you can sleep peacefully, hiding from prying eyes. As for toys, numerous tunnels and loopholes will be very helpful. Hamsters are mobile, they love to wind kilometers. This is not a joke, the baby is able to run up to 20 km per night, because it is very energetic. Take care of the presence of the wheel, so that the pet can get rid of excess energy, actively running in it. Just pay attention to the material of which the wheel is made. Metal mesh wheels, which are the safest, are preferred. Avoid wheels with wide bars. Hamsters have small paws that easily fall between the rods. This will lead to their fracture.
Care
The main question that interests new owners is how to care for a hamster. In fact, the task is quite simple. It is enough to monitor the purity of the cage, wash the drinker on time and add water, feed and love the pet.
Let's find out about cage cleaning. The frequency depends on the filler that is used. If it comes to sawdust, you have to clean the pallet once every three days. When using a granular (wood) filler, the cells are cleaned every five days. The longest-playing - corn filler. The cell is cleaned once every 7-10 days.
How is the cleaning done? The old filler is removed, the pan thoroughly washed with hot water and soap or powder. Ideally, children's products are used. Be sure to clean the hamster’s house, because many interesting and important things from the point of view of the pet are stored inside. The remains of the feed, filler and other paraphernalia found in the cage will end up in the house. The feeder and drinker are washed without soap, thoroughly rinsed with hot water.
The pallet is allowed to drain, wiped dry. Do the same with other cellular accessories. A Chinese hamster sits in a jar with a tightly closed lid during cleaning. Only in the lid is it necessary to make holes for air, so that the animal remains alive. This is not sarcasm, there have been cases when the owners neglected it.
After the done manipulations, fresh filler is poured into the cage, the house, feeder and drinker are returned. The hamster can be planted out of the can.
Nutrition
Let's move on to feeding the animal. Another question that newcomer owners face is whether Chinese cabbage, white and red cabbage, can be used for hamsters. There is an opinion that cabbage is categorically prohibited for rodents.
You can give Chinese cabbage, but you should refrain from treating with other types.
In general, the basis of the diet is dry food for hamsters. In pet stores, a huge selection, ranging from domestic manufacturers and the cheapest types, ending with expensive foreign ones. Pay attention to the composition of the product. Grains, fruits and vegetables - the minimum norm for a hamster's diet.
List of allowed products:
- Vegetables - lettuce, Beijing cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, occasionally tomatoes.
- Fruits are anything but citrus fruits, bananas.
- Berries depending on the season.
- Chicken meat, boiled without salt and spices.
- Lean beef.
- Fat-free cottage cheese, kefir is given once a week.
Banned sweets, fatty, salty, smoked, pickled. Hamster and chips with sausages are completely incompatible.
The pet is fed twice a day, the evening portion is more than the morning.
Breeding
Breeding representatives of this breed at home is very problematic. The fact is that pregnant Chinese hamsters are aggressive towards their young father. Females are able to show aggression on the owner, it is worth the animal to get nervous, as the birth occurs. Premature babies are born who immediately die. Often, the female herself dies, so it is better to keep one animal.
Content Issues
People believe that a pet is bored, it is necessary to have a friend or girlfriend. However, this opinion is deceptive, Chinese hamsters are the sole individuals. Males will begin to sort things out before bloody battles, females are hardly inferior to them in aggressiveness. Cohabitation of same-sex animals is possible only if the hamsters are littermates, kept together since childhood and bought by a couple.
Conclusion
These are the requirements for keeping adorable hamsters. These cute animals live very little - from 1.5 to 2.5 years. It is up to you to get a pet with such a short life span or not.