Care of Hamsters

Hamsters as pets - If hamsters are handled gently and often, they become good pets; however, if roughly handled or startled, they may bite. Hamsters are adept at chewing on and escaping from their cages.  Female hamsters older than 14 months produce progressively smaller litters. Hamsters usually have a life span of 18 to 24 months, but older individuals have been reported.  Except for the few hours of estrus occurring once during the 4-day cycle, the female will usually attack the newly introduced male. Breeder male hamsters are frequently injured by unreceptive females. Following copulation, the male is removed from the breeding cage. Females may fight other females, and males other males. Hamsters fight less often if housed together before sexual maturity or awakened simultaneously from anesthesia in a neutral cage.

Housing

Several types of hamsters cages are available, some equipped with a variety of wheels, tunnels, and nesting areas. In research colonies, hamsters are usually housed in plastic, solid-bottom “shoe-box” cages, fed from a wire hopper, and watered from sipper- tube bottles or automatic waterers. Because hamsters have blunt noses, they may have difficulty eating from the slotted, sheet metal hoppers used for mice and rats. Bedding of wood shavings or other plant products are used. Hamsters chew plastic, wood, and soft metals and will readily escape from poorly secured or constructed cages.

An adult hamster (over 100 gm)requires a floor area of at least 123 cm (19 in) and a cage height of at least 15 cm (6 in). A female with litter requires approximately 786 cm (121 in) of floor space.  Hamsters are housed at temperatures between 18° and 29° C (65° to 85° F) with a suggested level at 22° ± 1° C (72° ± 2° F). The environmental humidity should be between 30% and 70% saturation.

Hamster cages are washed when dirty or once or twice weekly with detergent and hot (82° C or 180° F) water or with a nontoxic, effective disinfectant and thorough rinse. Bottles and hoppers are cleaned at the same time as the cages.

FEEDING AND WATERING

Hamsters should be fed a quality, commercially prepared, complete pelleted rodent chow ad libitum. Fresh, clean water must be continually supplied. Young begin drinking water at 10 days of age, and the sipper tube should be accessible to the small animals. Hamsters eat approximately 10 gm feed per 100 gm body body weight and drink approximately 14 ml water per 100 gm body weight. Laboratory rodent feed contains around 24% protein and 5% fiber.

HAMSTER SYNDROMES

Spontaneous disease in the golden or Syrian hamster are, with some notable exceptions, uncommon; therefor, the differential diagnoses are limited and often stated in nonspecific terms.  The more common clinical syndromes in the golden hamster include cannibalism, diarrhea (wet tail), skin wounds, dermatitis, polyuria, and sudden death.

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