Dogs
Hamsters, which belong to the rodent family, are one of the most popular pets found around the world. They are cute, clean and easy to take care of, which make them a favorite pet for people of all ages. They can be really entertaining companions for the keeper if proper care of their mood and diet is taken.
The only inconvenient fact about having a pet hamster is that it only lives up to 1000-1100 days, i.e., about 1-3.5 years. The time span varies slightly according to the particular species - Russian hamsters may live up to four years - but the rule of the thumb states that hamsters don't live for much more than 2.5-3 years. While this can be really heartbreaking, especially for youngsters, a few people think of it as an opportunity for children to understand the inevitability of it and learn the responsibility.
Types of Hamsters
There are mainly three types of hamsters found:
Syrian Hamsters: This type is also called black bear, golden, teddy bear, fancy hamster, etc. They are generally golden brown in color with dark-colored markings on parts like jaws, cheeks, etc., of their body. They are the largest of all the types and are very easy to tame and take care of, which make them the most commonly adopted pets. They grow about 6-8 inches in length, and their lifespan is around 2-3 years. They are strongly territorial animals and cannot tolerate the presence of other hamsters in their territory, which makes it very important to keep them alone in a cage/home. They are mainly nocturnal and are quite active from the early hours in the evening and night.
Dwarf Hamsters: They are also called Campbell's Russian Hamsters, Winter White Russian Hamsters or Roborovski Hamsters. Dwarf Campbell's Russian Hamsters are the most common type people like to keep as a pet. They grow about 4-5 inches in length and have almost the same lifespan as other types of hamsters. They prove to be good mates for hamsters of the same species rather than other species (given that they are introduced to each other at a young age).
Chinese Hamsters: These types are often misinterpreted to be dwarf hamsters as they exhibit similar physical characteristics like them, but they are actually different. They grow same in length as dwarf hamsters, and have a lifespan of about 2.5 to 3 years. They are also nocturnal but are not as lazy as Syrian hamsters during the daytime. Female Chinese hamsters generally are not comfortable with the other hamsters and so should be kept alone or with the hamster they get along with easily.
Ideal Homes for a Hamster
Consider how you would feel if you were to be confined to a very small place with no room for you to even walk around it? You would surely get frustrated and would wish to get out of the place as soon as possible. The same is true with hamsters. The first and the most important thing to take into consideration is that the house for these pets should be as large as possible, with a dry and hygienic bedding. Hamsters can easily contract diseases from an unhealthy environment, so the cage must be regularly cleaned.
You should avoid choosing a wooden house for hamsters as it cannot withstand their teeth (rodents have sharp incisors that never stop growing), and you might one day end up having your pet lost. Nowadays, there are many varieties of cages/homes available in the market like simple wire cages, large cages, with bedding, wheels and tunnels, etc. While choosing one out of these, all you need to understand is how happy your pet will be in the new home. There should be plenty of space available for your pet to gambol around, there should be a small metal plate where you can keep food, a small metal bowl for water and some space for the hamster's bedding. If you are willing to allow your hamster to be its own home decorator then you can provide it with some tissue papers (chemical-less or non-scented), straw, softened wood shavings, etc. Your pet will love to make its own bedding.
If you are not planning to let the hamster free in your house, its cage must have a running wheel. Hamsters are not designed to curl up in a cozy spot and sleep off half the day; they are designed to be mobile and active. It has been speculated that not providing a hamster enough exercise heavily increases the chances of it becoming paralyzed. An underworked and overfed hamster will also become bored quite easily and may display behavioral changes.
Food for Hamsters
Hamsters can eat a variety of foods which you will never find hard to get hold of. They can eat vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers etc., fruits, such as grapes, apples etc., cereals, seeds, raisins and even worms. Nowadays, you can choose from a variety of food mixes. These food mixes are prepared using corn, sunflower seeds, cereal, alfalfa etc., which hamsters happily devour.
Whatever you feed your pet hamster, all you need to understand is that it should be fresh and you should not give a mixture of different foods. If you put everything in the food plate, chances are your pet hamster will eat only those items which it likes, cultivating the taste for them and may reject other foods in the future. You should also understand and note down the daily food habit of your pet hamster, which will help you in feeding it in the right way and also monitor any unusual activity that can help you find out if your pet hamster needs special attention.
Handling Hamsters
Hamsters' popularity as household pets owes much to their cuddly nature and their 'oh-so-cute' appeal. Although very easy to tame, they need special handling until then. Initially, you may need to use a glove to pick up an untrained hamster, since it may bite. As stated before, their teeth can burrow through wooden cages, so a bite can be excruciatingly painful. You should be careful not to stress or frighten them, as they often resort to their instinct to bite when under shock/stress or frightened. You will also have to learn how to hold your pet without making it feel uncomfortable in your hands. Once tamed, however, it will come to recognize you, and will allow you to feed and pet it.
If you are planning to set your pet hamster free inside your home even for a small amount of time, it can easily be trod on by someone or might get into some hiding hole from where you will find it very hard to retrieve it, so make sure it is only left free when you (or someone else) can keep an eye on it. Make sure that your hamster gets enough space to play and run in order to meet its daily exercise requirements, it should get enough privacy, there should be no harmful element (such as electric wires, any harmful chemical, anything that might cause cuts or scratches) within its reach and its home should be kept very hygienic.
What if Your Pet Escapes
If you suddenly find out that the door of the hamster's cage had been inadvertently left open and that the poor animal is now nowhere to be seen, all you can do is to set a tempting trap and wait. Provided it hasn't left your house, you can usually lure it back with its favorite food.
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Dogs
Taking Care of Pet Hamsters
Hamsters, which belong to the rodent family, are one of the most popular pets found around the world. They are cute, clean and easy to take care of, which make them a favorite pet for people of all ages. They can be really entertaining companions for the keeper if proper care of their mood and diet is taken.
The only inconvenient fact about having a pet hamster is that it only lives up to 1000-1100 days, i.e., about 1-3.5 years. The time span varies slightly according to the particular species - Russian hamsters may live up to four years - but the rule of the thumb states that hamsters don't live for much more than 2.5-3 years. While this can be really heartbreaking, especially for youngsters, a few people think of it as an opportunity for children to understand the inevitability of it and learn the responsibility.
Types of Hamsters
There are mainly three types of hamsters found:
Syrian Hamsters: This type is also called black bear, golden, teddy bear, fancy hamster, etc. They are generally golden brown in color with dark-colored markings on parts like jaws, cheeks, etc., of their body. They are the largest of all the types and are very easy to tame and take care of, which make them the most commonly adopted pets. They grow about 6-8 inches in length, and their lifespan is around 2-3 years. They are strongly territorial animals and cannot tolerate the presence of other hamsters in their territory, which makes it very important to keep them alone in a cage/home. They are mainly nocturnal and are quite active from the early hours in the evening and night.
Dwarf Hamsters: They are also called Campbell's Russian Hamsters, Winter White Russian Hamsters or Roborovski Hamsters. Dwarf Campbell's Russian Hamsters are the most common type people like to keep as a pet. They grow about 4-5 inches in length and have almost the same lifespan as other types of hamsters. They prove to be good mates for hamsters of the same species rather than other species (given that they are introduced to each other at a young age).
Chinese Hamsters: These types are often misinterpreted to be dwarf hamsters as they exhibit similar physical characteristics like them, but they are actually different. They grow same in length as dwarf hamsters, and have a lifespan of about 2.5 to 3 years. They are also nocturnal but are not as lazy as Syrian hamsters during the daytime. Female Chinese hamsters generally are not comfortable with the other hamsters and so should be kept alone or with the hamster they get along with easily.
Ideal Homes for a Hamster
Consider how you would feel if you were to be confined to a very small place with no room for you to even walk around it? You would surely get frustrated and would wish to get out of the place as soon as possible. The same is true with hamsters. The first and the most important thing to take into consideration is that the house for these pets should be as large as possible, with a dry and hygienic bedding. Hamsters can easily contract diseases from an unhealthy environment, so the cage must be regularly cleaned.
You should avoid choosing a wooden house for hamsters as it cannot withstand their teeth (rodents have sharp incisors that never stop growing), and you might one day end up having your pet lost. Nowadays, there are many varieties of cages/homes available in the market like simple wire cages, large cages, with bedding, wheels and tunnels, etc. While choosing one out of these, all you need to understand is how happy your pet will be in the new home. There should be plenty of space available for your pet to gambol around, there should be a small metal plate where you can keep food, a small metal bowl for water and some space for the hamster's bedding. If you are willing to allow your hamster to be its own home decorator then you can provide it with some tissue papers (chemical-less or non-scented), straw, softened wood shavings, etc. Your pet will love to make its own bedding.
If you are not planning to let the hamster free in your house, its cage must have a running wheel. Hamsters are not designed to curl up in a cozy spot and sleep off half the day; they are designed to be mobile and active. It has been speculated that not providing a hamster enough exercise heavily increases the chances of it becoming paralyzed. An underworked and overfed hamster will also become bored quite easily and may display behavioral changes.
Food for Hamsters
Hamsters can eat a variety of foods which you will never find hard to get hold of. They can eat vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers etc., fruits, such as grapes, apples etc., cereals, seeds, raisins and even worms. Nowadays, you can choose from a variety of food mixes. These food mixes are prepared using corn, sunflower seeds, cereal, alfalfa etc., which hamsters happily devour.
Whatever you feed your pet hamster, all you need to understand is that it should be fresh and you should not give a mixture of different foods. If you put everything in the food plate, chances are your pet hamster will eat only those items which it likes, cultivating the taste for them and may reject other foods in the future. You should also understand and note down the daily food habit of your pet hamster, which will help you in feeding it in the right way and also monitor any unusual activity that can help you find out if your pet hamster needs special attention.
Handling Hamsters
Hamsters' popularity as household pets owes much to their cuddly nature and their 'oh-so-cute' appeal. Although very easy to tame, they need special handling until then. Initially, you may need to use a glove to pick up an untrained hamster, since it may bite. As stated before, their teeth can burrow through wooden cages, so a bite can be excruciatingly painful. You should be careful not to stress or frighten them, as they often resort to their instinct to bite when under shock/stress or frightened. You will also have to learn how to hold your pet without making it feel uncomfortable in your hands. Once tamed, however, it will come to recognize you, and will allow you to feed and pet it.
If you are planning to set your pet hamster free inside your home even for a small amount of time, it can easily be trod on by someone or might get into some hiding hole from where you will find it very hard to retrieve it, so make sure it is only left free when you (or someone else) can keep an eye on it. Make sure that your hamster gets enough space to play and run in order to meet its daily exercise requirements, it should get enough privacy, there should be no harmful element (such as electric wires, any harmful chemical, anything that might cause cuts or scratches) within its reach and its home should be kept very hygienic.
What if Your Pet Escapes
If you suddenly find out that the door of the hamster's cage had been inadvertently left open and that the poor animal is now nowhere to be seen, all you can do is to set a tempting trap and wait. Provided it hasn't left your house, you can usually lure it back with its favorite food.
- How To Train A Papillon Not To Bite
Papillons are small dogs that are also referred to as "continental toy spaniels." They are known for having long, furry ears that can either droop low or stand erect, depending on the dog. Papillons are intelligent canines compared to some other breeds...
- Is A Goldfish A Pet?
By Anna Lee There are many people who do not want the responsibility of a dog or a cat, no matter how many times their children beg for one. When you bring a dog or cat into your home it is a huge commitment. Cats are a little easier to deal with, but...
- The Glamorous Gerbil + Fast Facts
Here's a dozen interesting facts about Gerbils... 1.) Gerbil has been recently introduced to the pet industry. 2.) There are many colorful varieties of Gerbil available in pet shops. 3.) Mongolian Jird is the most widely known species of Gerbil....
- The Cutest Hamsters In The World
A Hamster is a rodent and is a popular pet. There are 25 known species of Hamster. It is nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Its diet includes a variety of foods such as dried food, berries, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. Hamsters...
- Low-maintenance Pets
Pets make perfect company and in their own way, they can make us feel wanted and cared for. But it isn't easy looking after a pet. One needs to devote time and energy to truly be in sync with the pet. Only then, can one get the best out of the...