Posts Tagged ‘Hamster’

The immune system of hamsters is very fragile and they can easily get affected by foreign elements. The humans do transmit and receive such viruses that causes multiple diseases, you should be very careful as most of them were reported upon getting bitten by a Hamster or the hamsters transmitted them when they were carried by a sick owner; though they shouldn’t be straight away threw outside but should be dealt with care. The common diseases that can be transmitted to humans from Hamster are listed below:

Salmonellosis:

These infections are usually used by Salmonella enteritidis bio typhimurium. If salmonellosis occurs in a child who has a rodent pet, the pet’s feces should be cultured for Salmonella. Negative cultures may occur because shedding may be only intermittent. So the feces of the Hamsters should be carefully put away and avoid any excessive contact with it.

Lymphocytic choriorneningitis:

LCM virus is found many rodent species and spreads to humans through contact with infected aerosols, direct animal contact or rodent bites.

The LCM virus (an RNA virus of the arenaviridae family) is transmitted among rodents horizontally through secretions (urine, saliva, feces)

In hamsters LCM virus infection can be detected only by laboratory tests. In humans the course of infection varies from clinically inapparent to a flu-like infection with fever, headache and severe myalgia, occurring 5 to 10 days after infection.

Humans should avoid contact with hamsters upon having cough, cold or suffering from flu, as that can easily be transmitted and vice versa. Hands should be properly washed before and after handling hamster for the health of both hamster and humans. Try to avoid the hamster bite as this can be the primary source of receiving diseases from Hamster.

They are very small in size and so is their voice, to convey their happiness or displeasure over something unlike other pets; Hamster can not express itself using the vocal means, so it is left with only one thing that is their body language though Hamsters can convey their distress by biting as well.

Having said that; Hamsters convey their feeling through body language but for a moment we have to imagine that how many feeling are there; so how can they be translated through body language but Hamster are very good at it. They have different convulsive moments and every Convulsive movement, as well as sudden continual face washing, signifies fright. Defensive raising of both front paws can be observed in males that have been unexpectedly attacked by females and have no way of escaping.

Puffing up the cheeks and showing the abdominal regions are to be construed as a threat. Lying motionless on the back shows resistance and fear. Stiff-legged walking of a young animal, with its tail stiffly stretched up and its hindquarters turned toward the adult hamster, denotes fear and submission. This can also often be observed in vanquished adult hamsters. Stretching and yawning with half-closed eyes is an expression of cosines and inner peace.

Hamsters are very active creatures and they also like running a lot; also they can run very fast but the problem is that they are not like dogs or some other pet that you tie a belt around their neck and take them out for a walk or you can just leave them in the open so they would run tire themselves and upon exhaustion they would come back to you. So what to do now, God with every problem created a solution for that and a solution for hamster’s recreation and exercise do exist; their exist toy in the market that can be handy to address the above factor of Hamster’s liking for moving around and that can also be handy if you are tired of you hamster chewing and biting the things around him or climbing to places where he shouldn’t be.

One toy to specially deal with hamsters urge to run for long distances is the Hamster wheel; this is a very great creation and hamster just can not get enough of that, you will notice that as soon as the hamster eats his food or gets done with the rest session he would climb into the wheel and run, run and run..

A very interesting situation arises when the hamster inside the wheel after running for hours look around to see that where is he now after running so long and he gets sort of confused that still its where I started from.

Another very frequently used toy Is the hamster ball; it can play for hours in that ball and it’s a very interesting thing though you should be very careful because your hamster can injure itself if fallen from even a little height with the hamster inside.

Hamsters are also living beings; they also need fresh air, new places and new things to explore but before going for an expedition you need to be careful about certain things. Hamsters don’t like extreme temperatures and due to cold weather they can even get into a hibernation state therefore choose when the temperature is decent but not too hot either. Always carry it inside the cage when marching towards a destination or coming back to home as it can jump off your hands and meet some trouble.

Consider going to a place outside where there is some nice green grass as Hamsters like to eat grass and if they do so don’t stop them it wouldn’t hurt. They also like clover, so if there are any clover patches around, let the hamster have some fun running on those clover patches

You have to be very careful as Hamsters run very fast, so keep it close to you possible even under its cage top if it’s helpful.

This change of atmosphere is definitely going to take some time for the hamster to settle down with, as the world will seem huge to such a tiny little thing, it is probably going to be scared at first and it is recommended to keep the Hamster around yourself so that it feels protected. You can sit in middle in nowhere they wouldn’t run away from you as it can be very scary but do keep an eye on it.

Make sure it never gets lost and if it does then it’s very difficult to find.

That can really be a very tough job but if some of the things are taken care of no doubt you are going to end up with one of the most memorable experiences of your life. First of all you have to make up your mind as if you are ready to have a hamster as if you are some one who can not bother even a little bit of mess around the house or even the place where you have placed the cage then simply don’t go for it. As with a hamster in house you should prepare yourself for wood shaving and hamster feces on your floor.

Buying a hamster is a much deliberated process and you should consider it out thoroughly before hitting your nearest pet store; there are some do’s and don’ts that you have to follow.

Always go in the evening to buy a hamster as the day time is rest time and they are active at night because they are nocturnal. So if you go in the day they will all be hiding, as naturally we all would like to have a hamster that is active and playful and when they are resting they are not.

One very important thing is that while always buying a Hamster watch closely for any signs of illness that is weeping eyes or a wet area around the tail. Wet tail is a very serious disease.

Always think before buying a hamster as where you are going to place it; as they are nocturnal creatures and needs not to be disturbed while they are resting and they are of solitary nature so keep them away for places that are very noisy.

Hamsters are top of the line pets especially as the children first pet. Its temperament and clam nature is usually claimed to be responsible for its popularity but the list does not ends here.

Hamsters grow very rapidly and they re short lived. As compared to other pets children don’t have to wait long for them to grow up so that they can play with them. They are very small creatures, so the children can easily handle them and the element of fear would never exist because of the size of the rodent.

Hamster also don’t need much looking after, they are solitary creatures and are nocturnal; they are active at night and rest in the day. So they will be ready to play when your children arrive from school and in due course the hamster can rest.

The great thing about hamster is that they are happy without a pair. So it wouldn’t be a compulsion to always buy a pair, as they are happier when alone. Having said all that; as to why hamsters are best considered for pets, it’s in expensiveness is another element for its popularity, as they cost no more than 7-15 dollars and their small size is enough to indicate that how much they are going to eat.

Hamsters get fertile at different ages depending on the specie they belong to; Hamsters can get pregnant at the age of 4 to 8 weeks, as few are fertile at the age of 4 weeks, some at 6 weeks and all are at 8 weeks. Usually it’s recommended for them not to breed before they are 4 months old and after the first gestation they should breed after 7-9 months.

Male Syrian Hamster become fertile around 10-14 weeks old, where as female Syrian hamster is fertile by 6-10 weeks old. One gestation can produce 4-12 Hamsters. The life of female Syrian Hamster can shorten if she has multiple gestations; Syrian Hamsters are fertile for 12 months.

Roborovski Hamster are fertile at 4-5weeks. The gestation can produce 3-5 hamsters. It is recommended for them not to conceive until female are 3-4 months old and male 2-3 months of age. Gestation period for Roborovski Hamster is 18-21 days.

Chinese dwarf Hamsters are fertile at the age of 6-8weeks. However they should not breed until they are 4 months old. Gestation period is 23-30days.

When the pregnancy is over the male and the female should be separated, the gestation takes a lot of energy from the female and getting pregnant immediately after one can have serious repercussions on her health.

Don’t disturb the nest at the time of gestation and provide some privacy at the time when the female is giving birth to her pups. After the period of delivery let the female take care of all her pups because if you make noise or otherwise disturb them the female is going to eat the pups out of fear to save them from any threat.

There is a wide array of Hamsters to choose from that are kept as pet, the one that is most commonly adopted as pet is the Syrian or Golden Hamster; this specie of Hamster is called by many names mostly for commercial reasons as Fancy Hamster, Honey Bear, Panda Bear, Black Bear, European Black Bear, Polar Bear, Teddy Bear and Dalmatian depending on their coloration.

People also like Dwarf Hamsters; it has four different species that are popular and kept as pets, Russian Dwarf is the common of all those four species, there is a very interesting fact about the Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster the coat turn almost white during winter when the hours of daylight decrease.

Another specie in the Dwarf Hamster category is Roborovski Hamster; which is recommended for those who need a pet that is fun to watch and required less personal handling, they are very small and active. They are very hard to catch and are very social as opposed to some other species of Hamster if the two are introduced properly they can easily live together and do anything

Chinese Hamster Is another specie of Hamster though it is not related to the social dwarf category but they are very calm, easily handled and gentle as compared to other and one of its endearing trait is that it cling to finger with all four paws commonly used at laboratories for research. It is the only Hamster that has a prehensile tail.

Hamsters are inexpensive and they are very popular choice for child’s first pet. Children usually tend to pick up a hamster and carry it around. This is very delicate process and should be thoroughly supervised by parents at start. As if not done the right way it can cause danger to both the pet and owner, as an accidental fall from couple of feet can cause sever injuries to Hamster because incase they are not handled the right way or at the right time that can result in Hamster biting you and that really hurts; so most of us would agree avoiding that.

For which you need to know how and when the Hamster should be handled. Initially It should be under parents supervision and use a cloth before handling the hamster; soothe your Hamster with one hand from top and pick it up placing your other hand at bottom but delicately keep your hold softer, not so stiff that it gets irritated and not even that loose that it jumps off and injure itself.

Hamsters don’t always like handling and they always communicate that when they are not in a mood. If the Hamster rapidly thumps or whirls its feet or hisses at you, it is not a good time to pick it up.

If you come near the cage and Hamster comes over and paws at the sides it’s trying to seek attention and should be duly answered by awarding with a treat of special snack or fresh food.

Hamsters are very cuddly creatures and when the bond between the owner and pet hits off it is one cherish able memory then provided that it starts off well and for that an enabling environment Is required for which you have to make sure that the time you adopt the hamster it is no more than four or six weeks old. The first thing you should do is think of a cute name for you hamster and then don’t forget to take Hamster’s name before giving it the food. The Hamster gradually gets used to its name and when you call it your Hamster is going to respond to it.

The next phase is making Hamster feel that you are not a threat and hence they have poor eyesight; they rely more on smell and hearing. Therefore we are going to focus on these things as it is Hamsters prime source of determining about its surroundings. First put some food next to your hand and let the hamster come and eat the food so that it can get familiar with the hand and establish it as a harmless thing which is around food. Now put that food inside your hand and let it climb or without climbing eat but out of your hand.

Once it becomes a routine then always make sure that you wash your hands before offering food in your hand as even if you fingers exhibits the slightest smell of food, the Hamster may bite you.

Hamsters are nocturnal creatures and their life style should be respected and shouldn’t be disturbed while they are resting because if you do then they even may bite you. Hamsters are very shy; they take time to settle down with new surroundings and get used to being handled, therefore you should be patient when your Hamster become quite tame.