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caring for your hamsters

Origin

Hamsters are considered part of the rodent family. Their scientific name is “Mesocricetus auratus”.

Life Span

Hamsters have an average life span of 1.5-2 years.

Physical Characteristics

There are four types of Hamsters.

The “Golden Hamster”
The “Chinese Hamster”
The “European Hamster”
The ” Hungarian Hamster

Sexing

To properly sex a Hamster, the distance between the anus and the genital opening is measured. Males have a space twice the distance of females.

Other

Hamsters have cheek pouches on each side of the mouth, which are used to hide food and, occasionally, baby hamsters (pups).

Behavioral Characteristics

In general, hamsters are very cute and popular pets that require minimal care. They do tend to get sick once in a while, and when they do, it is usually severe. Hamsters are definitely cute and small, but they can bite hard. They are usually territorial of their own surroundings. Your Hamster should feel safe and not try to bite with routine handling. Never abruptly awaken your hamster as they tend to hibernate and can scare easily and bite if not approached carefully and gently. It is best to house your Hamster alone and away from your other pets. He or she will feel safer this way.

Helping your hamster feel safe

Here are some of the conditions that can help Hamsters feel safe.

Controlled Environment (people, other animals, cage and room they are in)
Consistency (handling, diet, schedule)
Love and Attention (gentle handling, attention)

Here are some things that may make some Hamsters feel unsafe.

Loud noises
Indifference (handling them with out talking to them)
Inconsistent surroundings
Traveling
Inconsistent diet
Dirty environment
Inconsistent handling
Startling while sleeping/hibernating

What happens if a Hamster becomes afraid?

There are three basic reactions Hamsters can have to fear.

Fight
Flight
Freeze

All hamsters will react in one of these 3 ways to fear. These are characteristics that are a result of instinct and the genetic code. There are no bad hamsters. If a hamster is afraid enough it may bite (fight response to fear). Even if we don’t like an animal’s behavior (and the behavior is “bad”), the animal is not bad. Of the three responses hamsters can have to fear, let’s look at each one and see how they affect our hamster.

Fight

This is one way hamsters react to fear. This presents itself in the form of chewing or biting. These animals are not bad, they are simply afraid, and this is how they deal with it. Unfortunately, it can be challenging in a household to have hamsters that react to fear with a fight response. Since they are simply afraid (just like hamsters who react with freeze or flight), if we are emotionally hurt or offended and fight back (hitting, yelling, etc), this will only make them more afraid.

Freeze

Hamsters that freeze stay very still. Sometimes they even hold their breath for long periods of time. They can continue chewing or stop chewing. If you see this (and you probably will), just notice it. If you are observant you will start to notice what you can do to help your hamster feel less scared.

Flight

This is when a hamster feels unsafe and runs away. Some hamsters freeze first, then, when the time is right, they run away. Since hamsters can run from fear, chasing them makes them more afraid, so if you can it’s best to give them the space and let them come to you. Some hamsters will do this quickly; some may not come to you for weeks to months (or longer). But it always helps to know it’s not you but simply that your hamster is afraid. Don’t feel bad or guilty or wrong, just notice when your hamster is the least afraid and interact then.

The way Hamsters operate

When a hamster is afraid they can react in any of the three ways we discussed, but there are several interesting points.

Whichever way they respond (based on instinct), they will probably always respond this way. This is why it helps to know your hamster.
They can respond in more than one of these ways. For example, some hamsters will always follow this pattern: they become afraid and they run (flight), then, as they become even more afraid, they eventually get afraid enough to go to the next level (fight or freeze). Once you know their pattern you can always predict it.

This is vital information because you can notice where your hamster is, and you can make changes to help your hamster feel more safe (such as putting your baby down, picking your baby up, stopping petting your hamster, or changing the environment).