All About Hamster Adoption : Read Before Owning a Hamster
Are you thinking about adopting a hamster?
All types of hamsters
The term "Hamster" refers to any of the eighteen Eurasian rodent species (subfamily Cricetinae) that have internal cheek pouches. Syria's golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a popular pet. The hamster has a robust build, small, hairy ears, short, stocky legs, and wide feet. Its tail is significantly shorter than its body length. Depending on the species, their thick, long fur can range in color from gray to reddish brown, while their underparts can be white, gray, or black in various shades.
A dark stripe runs down the middle of the back of both the striped dwarf hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) and the Dzhungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus). The smallest hamsters are dwarf desert hamsters (Phodopus genus), measuring 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) in length. The largest is the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), which can grow to a maximum length of 34 cm when its short tail (up to 6 cm) is removed.
Hamster behavior
Though they are occasionally active in the early morning or late evening, hamsters are typically solitary and nocturnal animals. Although they are not climbers, they are skilled diggers, digging burrows with one or more entrances and galleries leading to chambers for food storage, nesting, and other uses. They also steal tunnels dug by other mammals; the pika's paths and burrows are utilized by the striped hairy-footed hamster (P. sungorus), for example. Though they also eat fruit, roots, green plant parts, invertebrates, and other small animals, grains make up the majority of their diet. Food is carried by hamsters in their roomy cheek pouches, which they store in their burrows. While not hibernating, some go through periods of torpor that can extend from a few days to several weeks during the winter.During the 13–22 day gestation period, two to five litters of 1–13 young are born during the breeding season, which runs from April to October.