Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae (order Rodentia), and 19 species are divided into 7 genera. They have established themselves as popular small pets. The golden or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), most commonly kept as a pet, is the best-known hamster species. Three dwarf hamster species, Campbell's dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), Winter white dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus), and Roborovski hamsters are also popular pet hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii).
Hamsters are gloomy rather than nocturnal, and in the wild spend the day underground to avoid being caught by predators. They usually eat seeds, fruits, and leaves, but occasionally also eat burrowing insects. They have unique traits such as a sturdy build and extended cheek pockets that extend to the shoulders. These sacs are used to return prey back to the burrow. It has a short tail and fur-covered paws.
Classification
The most acceptable position of the subfamily Cricetinae within the superfamily Muroidea is controversial among taxonomists. Some classify them into the family Cricetidae, which includes voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice, while others group them all in the family Muridae. Their evolutionary history in Europe and North Africa can be traced back to 11.2 to 16.4 million years ago, up to the middle Miocene. In Asia, it can be traced back to 6 to 11 million years ago to the Middle Miocene. Extinct species are found in 4 of 7 extant genera. For example, the single extinct Cricetus hamster flourished in North Africa during the Miocene, but the European or common hamster of Eurasia is the only living member of this genus.
Relationships between different hamster species
Neumann et al. (2006) performed a molecular phylogenetic study of 12 of the 17 aforementioned species using the DNA sequences of three genes: 12S rRNA, cytochrome b, and von Willebrand factor. They found the following connections:
Phodopus
The genus Phodopus turned out to be the first division of hamsters. Both species were included in the study. Cricetulus kamensis (and possibly related Cricetulus alticola) may belong to this group of Phodopus or occupy a similar basic position, according to other studies.
Mesocricetus
Mesocricetus is also part of the clade. All four species were investigated, with M. auratus and M. raddei forming one subclade and M. brandti and M. newtoni forming the other.
Remaining genus
The remaining genera created the third major clade of hamsters. Two of the three species studied within Cricetulus exhibit the oldest failures. C. barabensis (and related C. sokolovi) and C. longicaudatus belong to this group.
Miscellaneous
Members of Allocricetulus, Tscherskia, Cricetus, and C. migratorius make up the surviving clade. The taxa Allocricetulus and Cricetus are related. Their closest cousin was Cricetulus migratorius, and Tscherskia was the most rudimentary.
History
Although George Robert Waterhouse scientifically characterized the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) in 1839, researchers could not properly breed and tame the hamster until 1939. Syrian hamsters appear to be descended from one sibling in both laboratory and home populations. Israel Aharoni, a naturalist at the University of Jerusalem, kidnapped these cubs and imported them from Aleppo, Syria in 1930. Hamsters grew up really well in Jerusalem. Animals from early breeding colonies were eventually shipped to the United States, where Syrian hamsters became popular pets and research animals. Studies have shown that domestic Syrian hamsters have less genetic diversity than wild Syrian hamsters. On the other hand, the behavioral, chronobiological, morphological, hematological, and biochemical variations are insignificant and fall within the range of strain-to-strain variation expected in other experimental animals.
Etymology
The term "hamster" comes from the German hamastra, which originated from a used German hamastra. It is a combination of the Russian omk (khomyak) root of "hamster" and the Baltic term (cf. Lithuanian staras "hamster"), Old Church Slavonic khomestoru or Persian origin (cf. Av hamastar "oppressor"). "Horde" is a generic term for a group of hamsters. The German verb "hamster" is derived from the word "hamster". "Boarding" is what it means.
Explanation
Hamsters have small, fluffy ears, short, stocky legs, wide feet, and a tail that is usually shorter than the body. Depending on the species, they have long and short coats that are thick and soft, which can be black, gray, honey, white, brown, yellow, red, or any combination of colors. Two species of grapepus, Campbell's dwarf hamster (P. campbelli) and Djungarian hamster (P. Sungorus), and the Cricetulus species, Chinese striped hamster (C. barabensis) and Chinese hamster (C. griseus), have black stripes. hair on their tails. The genus Phodopus has the smallest bodies, measuring 5.5 to 10.5 centimeters (2+14 to 4+14 inches) in length. The European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is the largest, reaching a length of up to 34 cm (13+12 inches), with a short tail not counting up to 6 cm (2+12 inches).
With the exception of Chinese hamsters, which have tails the same length as their torso, hamster tails are usually not very long (about 16 times their body length), so they can be difficult to distinguish. A hamster's sharp incisors are one of its most striking features. They develop continuously throughout life and have upper and lower sets that must be worn regularly. Hamsters are highly adaptable, but their bones are brittle. It is very vulnerable to sudden temperature changes and drafts, as well as excessive heat and cold.
Sense
Hamsters have poor eyesight. They are colorblind and myopia. They have poor eyesight, so they have no sense of distance or know where they are. Just because hamsters have poor eyesight doesn't mean they climb us up or go on adventures. Hamsters are very aware of their surroundings. In the wild, this sensation helps defend itself, but at home it helps to detect when the owner is nearby and is about to take him home. The scent glands on the flanks of hamsters (the belly of Chinese hamsters and dwarf hamsters) seep into the substrate and create odor traces. Hamsters use their sense of smell to identify sex and find food. Mother hamsters can also use their sense of smell to find their children and identify those that do not. They may also use scent glands to indicate their territory, youth, or lover. Hamsters have high ears so they can hear sounds. They hear similar sounds and eventually learn the sound of the meal and even the owner's voice. They can also hear and communicate in the ultrasound field and are particularly sensitive to high-pitched stimuli.
Diet
Hamsters are omnivores and can eat both meat and plants. Seeds, grass and even insects are eaten by wild hamsters. Pet hamsters can thrive on only commercial hamster chow, but they can also be fed vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. Hamsters can eat store-bought food, but to stay healthy, they must include fruits and vegetables in their diet. Hamsters can eat both fruits and vegetables, but it is important to know which ones they can eat and how much each. As with most green leafy vegetables, low-citrus fruits are good for hamsters. Junk food, chocolate, garlic or other salty/sweet foods must not be served to hamsters. Peanut butter is a hamster's favorite food, but it is important to give it with care as it can get into the balls. Hamsters from the Middle East have been seen hunting insects in herds. Hamsters are asshole fermenters. That is, they consume their own excrement to recover nutrients that have been digested but not absorbed in the asshole.
Feeding
Stocking up on food is a behavioral trait of hamsters. They carry food to cellars in large cheek pouches. Cheeks can double or quadruple your head when full. To prepare for winter, hamsters lose weight in the fall. This also happens when you have a hamster as a pet and it has been linked to increased activity.
Social etiquette
Most hamsters live alone. When housed together, they can experience acute and chronic stress and fight violently, sometimes fatal. When introduced at a young enough age, dwarf hamster species can accept hamsters that are not sibling or same-sex, although this is not guaranteed. Hamsters interact with each other and even their owners through body language. They communicate by using smell glands to convey unique scents and by using body language to describe feelings.
Chronological Biology
Hamsters are classified as nocturnal or dark (mainly active at dawn and dusk). While Khunen asserts that "hamsters are nocturnal rodents that are active at night," others claim that hamsters are mostly somber and spend most of the day underground, leaving their burrows for only about an hour before sunset, then returning when dark. claim to be coming. . Certain species have been found to be more nocturnal than others, but Fritzsche said they are all generally sombre.
Syrian hamsters can hibernate in the wild, dropping their body temperature to near ambient levels. This kind of temperature control lowers the metabolic rate by approximately 5%, allowing the animal to significantly reduce food consumption throughout the winter. Hibernation can last up to a week, but it is more common to last 2-3 days. Syrian hamsters do not hibernate when kept as pets.
Digging oysters is a natural habit.
All hamsters are well digging burrows with one or several entrances, galleries and rooms for nesting, food storage, and other activities. Digging consists of forelimbs and hind legs, snout and teeth. In the wild, oysters provide protection from predators by buffering severe ambient temperatures and generally providing consistent climatic conditions. Syrian hamsters make burrows to an average depth of 0.7 m. The burrows have steep inlet pipes (4-5 cm in diameter), nests and stockpiles, and blocked branches for urination. Lab hamsters have not lost their ability to dig burrows. In fact, given the right temperament, they will do so with great enthusiasm and professionalism.
Tunnels from other animals are also used by wild hamsters. For example, Djungarian hamsters use pika's route and burrows.
Reproduction/fertility
Depending on the species, hamsters will breed at various ages. Syrian and Russian hamsters develop rapidly and can breed at a young age (4-5 weeks), but Chinese hamsters start breeding at 2-3 months and Roborovskis at 3-4 months. The reproductive lifespan of female hamsters is approximately 18 months, but male hamsters can reproduce much longer. The female goes into estrus every 4 days, her vagina is red, she smells musk, and herss when she thinks the male is approaching.
Sexually mature female hamsters have a truncated tail when viewed from above, but the male's tailline is convex on both sides. This may not readily occur in all species. Male hamsters have disproportionately large testicles for their overall size. It is more difficult to detect adults in young hamsters before they reach sexual maturity. When examining female hamsters, the anal and genital orifices are close together, while males are farther apart (the penis usually goes inside the coat, so it appears as a hole or pink pimple).
Fertility and pregnancy
Syrian hamsters breed seasonally and give birth to several pups each year, each giving birth to numerous pups. In the Northern Hemisphere, the mating season is from April to October, with 2 to 5 litters of 1 to 13 pups after a gestation period of 16 to 23 days. Dwarf hamsters breed all year round. Syrian hamsters 16-18 days, Russian hamsters 18-21 days, Chinese hamsters 21-23 days, Roborovski hamsters 23-30 days. Syrian hamsters have an average litter size of seven, but can have up to 24 pups, which is the maximum number of pups that can be housed in the womb. Campbell's dwarf hamsters typically give birth to 4 to 8 pups per litter, but can have up to 13 pups. Winter White Hamsters, Chinese Hamsters and Roborovski Hamsters have smaller pups.
Cannibalism and sexual hostility
Female Chinese and Syrian hamsters are known to be hostile to males if they stay together too long after mating. It is reported that a male hamster was attacked by a female and died. If you are breeding hamsters, keep the couple apart after mating. Otherwise, they attack each other.
Female hamsters are very sensitive to disturbances when giving birth, and even if they carry them in their cheek pouches, they may eat them if they think it is dangerous. If captive female hamsters are left with their pups for long periods of time (more than 3 weeks), they can eat themselves, so pups should be removed until they can eat and drink on their own.
Hamsters are born hairless and blind in a nest made by their mother in advance. They start exploring outside the nest after a week. Every month the hamster can give birth. Hamsters can be bred after reaching 3 weeks of age. At this time, it may be difficult for a newborn to stop feeding her mother dependent on her, so food should be provided to facilitate her transition from feeding to feeding on her own. Hamsters are considered mature at 3 weeks of age.
Longevity
Syrian hamsters only live 2-3 years in captivity. They live much less in the wild. In captivity, Russian hamsters (Campbell and Zungarian) live two to four years, while Chinese hamsters live two to three years. In captivity, the smaller Roborovski hamsters can survive up to three years.
Hamsters can be kept as pets.
The golden or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), most commonly kept as a pet, is the best-known hamster species. There are different types of Syrian hamsters, including long-haired hamsters and colored hamsters. According to British naturalist Leonard Goodwin, most hamsters raised in England are derived from colonies introduced for medical research during World War II. Domesticated hamsters were already domesticated as pets in the United States in 1942.
Three types of dwarf hamsters are also popular pet hamsters. The most common is the Campbell dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), often known as the "Russian dwarf". However, as many hamsters come from Russia, this confusing name does not adequately distinguish them from other species. During the winter, the fur of the winter white dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus) becomes almost white (when daylight hours decrease). The Roborovski Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) is a small hamster that is difficult to keep as a pet.
Hamster show
The hamster show is a gathering of hamsters where they are judged against each other. The hamster show is also a place where individuals can share their love for hamsters with those in attendance. The hamster show includes the display of hamsters competing in competitions.
The purpose of hamster ratings is to promote hamsters that generally adhere to natural or known hamster strains. The hamster show promotes planned and thorough breeding of hamsters by rewarding hamsters that match the existing hamster types.
Backlash from business owners
When the first case of animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in Hong Kong via imported pet hamsters, researchers struggled to find some of the virus mutations in a global genomic data bank, and a city official said in December 2021. Every hamster purchased after 22 days affects about 2,000 animals. After the government 'strongly urged' local residents to give up their pets, around 3,000 people across the city facilitate the adoption of abandoned hamsters and join a secretive effort to maintain pet ownership through counterfeiting pet store purchase documents. I did. Some activists have tried to persuade their pet hamster owners to surrender and adopt them, warning the administration will face police action.