Breeding hamsters:
Female hamsters are usually aggressive with males, but they accept the presence of males during their fertility period, and after mating, the pregnant female becomes fatter than usual two or three times, becomes less active, and tends to eat more food, and the female hamster can carry two or three times in One year, the gestation period varies from one type to another, and ranges between (18-22) days, and gives birth at one time between (3-12) puppies depending on the type of hamster, but the mother does not necessarily breastfeed all the young, and can eat Some of them.
When the birth date approaches, the mother’s activity increases, and she starts building a nest to receive the puppies, gives birth while she is standing, and cuts the umbilical cord, and all puppies take between (10-30) minutes to complete, and the mother takes advantage of the period between a small exit and another by sleeping, or by reorganizing the nest, Then she starts cleaning the puppies that are blind, and remains so during the first two weeks of birth. Puppies start drinking water after a period ranging between (13-15) days after birth, and begin eating food between today (16-21). Puppies are weaned at the age of (3) weeks, and become sexually mature between the sixth and seventh weeks of age.
But why do hamsters eat their young? There is more than one theory to explain the mother’s hamster’s eating of her young, including that she eats some puppies, to provide her body with enough protein to breastfeed the remaining pups, or because the place where she lives does not accommodate all the young, and that she may eat her young if she estimates that there is not enough food for everyone Another theory says that a mother may suffer from trauma during childbirth, and looks at young children as a threat to them and eats them, or it may only do so to reduce the burden of caring for them, as it eats weak and abnormal puppies. One tip that anyone wishing to keep a hamster as a pet should stick to is not to touch and carry the hamster early. Because it will capture the smell of people, which leads to the mother treating it as a source of food, because the smell of a person is linked to food.
Hamster feed:
The name hamster is derived from the German word “hamstern” meaning treasure, because the hamster collects food in a special pod in each cheek to move it to the burrows and stores it for eating at a later time. The hamster feeds on fruits and vegetables, seeds, grains, nuts, corn, and insects , Lizards, frogs, and other small animals. And when buying a hamster as a pet, be sure that its food contains (16%) of protein and (5%) of fat at least.
General information about hamsters:
- Golden hamsters, or Syrian hamsters, are considered to be endangered animals according to the International Federation for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources red list, due to the loss of their natural habitat as a result of human expansion in agricultural and development projects.
- The hamster's visual sense is weak, compensating for it thanks to the special glands on its back, which secrete easily recognizable odors, while walking the hamster begins rubbing its back with things that it passes by, and uses this smell to infer its way back to its hole.
- Hamster teeth are constantly growing, and they need to be twigs, and wood to keep their teeth short, otherwise they will grow and increase in length and injure the lips and roof of the mouth.
- A female hamster puts her young pods in the pod inside her cheek when she feels danger, and moves them to a safe place.