The Dzhungar hamster is an extremely attractive, cute rodent, which the most numerous animal lovers are happy to contain at home. What conditions are required for such a pet? What are these creatures fed with? How long do Dzungarian hamsters live? How do they breed? What is sick? I would like to talk about all this in our publication.
General information
Dzungarian hamsters are rodents that are able to grow up to 10 centimeters in length. Their fur is short, smoothly laid. As a rule, hamsters have a grayish-brown color. However, in the off-season, their fur may lighten or darken.
These creatures are distinguished by a good disposition and almost instantly get used to the hands of the owner. Such pets never refuse contact with a person. Hamsters are extremely playful, which children like.
Dzhungariki do not belong to the category of social animals. Representatives of the species are real loners. To live normally in captivity, they do not need a company, like rats and other rodents. Such hamsters prefer to completely control the subject territory. And if necessary, they are ready to zealously defend their own home.
How long does a Dzungarian hamster live?
In natural habitats, representatives of the species rarely live to a very old age. After all, they have to face many dangers every day. These miniature creatures are the prey of a wide range of predators. Not only carnivorous mammals hunt them, but also some birds. In addition, miniature animals have to withstand harsh climatic conditions, suffer from a lack of food and disease. All this, of course, affects how much the Dzungarian hamster lives in nature. The difficulties of survival lead to the fact that rodents die at the age of 1.5-2 years.
In captivity, these creatures do not suffer from food shortages and do not risk being in the mouth of a predator. Thanks to this, the answer to the question - how long does the Dzungarian hamster live at home - can please their owners, as some rodents are able to remain healthy and energetic until the age of more than 4 years.
How to choose a house for a hamster
Since Dzungarian hamsters are rodents, it is absolutely not recommended to lodge them in a cage. After all, rods made of plastic or wood will very soon be bitten and completely damaged. The cage with metal partitions, which will also be seriously affected by the powerful jaws and strong teeth of the hamster, will not save.
A spacious glass aquarium should be used as a pet house. Best of all, if the container will have a length of about 70-100 centimeters and have a height of at least 40 centimeters. Choosing a smaller aquarium is not worth it. Because the hamster will suffer from a lack of free space and insufficient circulation of fresh air.
The bottom of the home for the rodent should be lined with an impressive layer of sawdust. It is desirable that such a pillow had a thickness of the order of 3-4 centimeters. Alternatively, you can use special hamster pellets made from recycled, pressed wood.
Care Features
Now we will discuss how to care for the Dzungarian hamster. Everything is pretty simple. First of all, you need to regularly clean the pet's home. To clean his house should be at least 2 times a week. In places where the litter has become wet, you need to use a new filler. Once a month, it is recommended to transfer the hamster to another container, carrying out a comprehensive cleaning of the home. It is important not only to discard the old filler, but also to treat the container walls with a disinfectant. This approach to cleaning will avoid the spread of pathogenic bacteria and the development of infectious diseases in the animal.
There are other rules for how to care for a Dzungarian hamster:
- The animal house should be placed away from windows, heating appliances and household appliances, in particular, a computer and a TV. Loud sounds, drafts and an abundance of light - all this will cause nervous stress in the pet, which can become fatal for him.
- Do not hesitate to bathe Dzungarian hamsters. You should not resort to such procedures. After all, the rodent independently performs hygiene of its own body. To do this, the hamster licks itself with its tongue and uses its paws to comb out the hair.
- When keeping Dzhungar hamsters, it is important to create conditions that will allow them to splash out the abundance of accumulated energy. For this reason, it is recommended to install a special running wheel with transverse rods in the rodent's house.
- Among other things, the hamster will need a shelter where he can take refuge when he senses danger. It will not be superfluous to install a special feeding trough and drinking bowl in the pet's house.
Nutrition
And how to feed the Dzungarian hamsters? These rodents should eat twice a day. Moreover, feeding should be carried out at about the same time. In the morning, it is recommended that the pet offer juicy food. Toward evening, give dry food and all kinds of goodies. The basis of the daily diet of the dzhungariks is:
- Special dry feeds available at pet stores.
- Boiled and fresh vegetables with low starch content.
- Fruits, berries.
- Cereals and cereals.
- Nuts, seeds.
- Crackers.
When deciding what to feed the Dzungar hamsters, do not forget to offer them fresh foliage of fruit trees, as well as boiled egg squirrels, as a treat. Several times a week, pets need to be given cottage cheese, low-fat kefir or yogurt, boiled fish and chicken.
If we talk about pregnant females, they are periodically fed with baby mixtures without the addition of salt and sugar. And in case of digestive upset, it’s important to include sticky boiled rice and a small amount of vegetable oil in the hamster’s diet.
How to determine the gender of the Dzungarian hamster
As a rule, it is not difficult to distinguish a female from a male in dzhungars. If, when such a need arises, difficulties are felt, it is worth paying attention to several points.
So, in order to determine the gender of the Dzungarian hamster, it should be noted that the male sex glands look more textured, since they are noticeably lowered in the scrotum. In addition, in males, the urethra and anus are located quite far from each other. In females, the opposite is true. These holes are in close proximity.
Breeding
For mating and successful breeding of Dzungarian hamsters, you need a female about four months old and a three-month-old male. For breeding purposes, they need to be transplanted for a while in a separate container, protected from relatives.
Pregnancy in dzhungariki takes about 20 days. After the specified time, 4 to 12 cubs may be born. Hamsters are born blind and helpless. Over the next month, they are under the care of their mother, regularly absorbing milk.
There are a number of other important points when breeding Dzungarian hamsters. So, shortly before birth, it is necessary to place the female in a pre-cleaned, disinfected cage. And after the babies are born, they should not be picked up or touched by them. Smelling foreign smells from the cubs, the female can reject the offspring. In such situations, cases of cannibalism are often noted.
Diseases
The danger to these pets lies in the high probability of receiving accidental injuries. The fact is that dzhungariki are extremely energetic, mobile animals. During endless running around, they can fall, get bruises and damage limbs. To help the pet in such situations, you must show it to the veterinarian.
A common disease of Dzungarian hamsters is the defeat of the body by viral infections. In such situations, the animal becomes lethargic, inactive. The pet has difficulty breathing, he often sneezes. Unfortunately, there are no drugs for hamsters that will get rid of a viral disease. The only thing the rodent owner can do in this case is to provide the pet with an abundance of fresh drink, as well as saturate his daily diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Among the diseases of the Dzungarian hamsters, conjunctivitis is also worth noting. Therapy in this situation should be performed using slightly salted water, which is used to wash the eyes of the pet.
Often, hamsters begin to sharply refuse the food offered by the owner. The cause may be tooth damage. The owner should check if the incisors have broken off in the animal. Sometimes this behavior is caused by the excessive length of the teeth, which interfere with the grinding of food. The procedure for cutting or sawing cutters is not recommended to be performed independently. It is better to entrust the operation to an experienced veterinarian.
Finally
As can be seen from the above, keeping Jungar hamsters is quite simple. This requires only the selection of suitable housing, providing the pet with fresh drink and food, regular cleaning of the cage. Paying attention to the important points noted in our publication, you can give the animal a happy life and continue to enjoy the sweet creature for many years.