Chinese name: hamster

Chinese alias: 、 rat, Kui rat

Latin name: Cricetidae

English Name: Hamster

Kingdom: Animalia Animalia

Door: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodent Order Rodentia

Family: Hamsteridae Cricetidae

Hamster

History of the hamster  

In 1880, Mr. Skye, who served at the Consulate General in a city called ALEPPO in northwestern Syria, captured golden rats and brought them back to Scotland to raise them. Their breeding lasted for nearly 30 years before the end.

In 1930, Professor Ahaloni from Heberley University in Israel captured hamsters again in ALEPPO, and the local tour guide who accompanied him also discovered the hamster's nest in the wheat field, and found it after excavation. 1 female mouse and 11 new-born mice were collected, and they were all captured and placed in wooden boxes. But the mother mouse found something wrong and bit one of the mice to death, so Professor Ahaloni had to keep the mother mouse and the mice separately, and brought the mice back to Israel to raise them.

Professor Aharoni's hamsters escaped and died, and only four remained. As a result of later breeding, it increased to 150 a year later. A part of it was brought to England in 1931 and handed over to Professor Seton at the Institute of Science in London, where it was bred at the London Zoo and then sold to the general public. Therefore, hamsters really became human pets from this time, and the hamsters raised in the UK are also descendants of that time.

The hamster that became a pet in the UK was exported to the US in 1938. It was originally used as an experimental animal in a research institute, but it has gradually become a pet because it can be obtained by ordinary people. Later, in 1971 and 1978, other zoologists successively captured hamsters in ALEPPO, Syria, and brought them back to the United States to breed them. Today, the bred descendants are still built and raised by Professor Aharoni. of these hamsters become families of different bloodlines.

The wild hamsters were originally brown short-haired species, but as a result of mating, hamsters of various colors and long-haired species appeared, which were more endearing.

History of medical laboratory hamsters

Hamsters were originally used as experimental animals, and were mostly used before golden rats were discovered. Chinese mice to test. However, because the golden rat has the advantages of easy reproduction, shorter pregnancy period, and coarse food can be raised, the golden rat was gradually used for experiments.

The Chinese rat was first used for pneumococcal experiments in 1919, and the golden rat was used for bacterial culture research when it began to breed in 1930. Now most of the experiments are on congenital abnormal genetic diseases, tooth decay, protozoal infection, aging disease, respiratory tumors, cholelithiasis, diabetes and other diseases.

Hamsters are not only human pets, but also experimental animals, and they are animals that make great contributions to human beings, so everyone should be grateful to hamsters!

Hamster

Origin of hamster

The hamster (Hamster) was born in 1829 They were found in a city near Siberia. They belong to the Rodent family. The scientific name Rodentia comes from the Latin word gnawing, which means that the teeth are constantly growing and need to be constantly grinded. Hamsters belong to the family Cricetidae, and are then divided into several groups: Mesocricetus, Cricetulus, Phodopus and Calomyscus. Chinese hamsters belong to Cricetulus; Syrian hamsters (golden mice) belong to Mesocricetus; and Phodopus campbelli, Gakkalia (little gray bully, little silver fox, little purple king) Phodopus sungorus and (old man) Phodopus roborovskii are hairy feet Phodopus.

Distribution

Most of the hamsters currently kept are Dowav hamsters and golden mice. The golden rat (Syrian Hamster) is native to Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, and was officially introduced as a pet after being introduced to the United States in 1938. Among the other Dwarf hamsters are Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster, also known as Maple Leaf Rat, Short-tailed, Lying Rat, and native to eastern Baikal, Mongolia, Heilongjiang Province, Hebei Province, and Inner Mongolia. ; Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster (Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster), also called Maple Leaf Rat, Short-tailed Squirrel, Lying Squirrel, and Three-Lined Rat, is native to eastern Kazakhstan and southwestern Siberia; (Roborovski Hamster), some people call it, native to Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang Uygur, southwestern Mongolia and other places.

Hamster

The hamster has a pair of growing incisors and three pairs of molars. The tooth type is: 1 0 0 3, which are arranged in a staggered three-edged manner. body. Molars with or without roots and can grow throughout life. All kinds of animals in this family are basically small and medium-sized rodents. The body length is between 5 and 28 cm, and the weight is between 30 and 1000 grams. Stubby body. The tail is short, generally not more than half the length of the body, and some species are not more than half the length of the hind legs, or even barely visible. The main food is plant seeds, and it likes to eat nuts, tender stems or leaves of plants, and occasionally small insects. Most do not hibernate and live by storing food in winter. A few species enter a less active quasi-hibernation state during cold weather.

Hamsters are mainly active at night and have poor eyesight. Complicated fur. Breeds throughout the year, 5-12 per litter. The average lifespan is 2-3 years.

Some species of hamsters have become popular pets in recent years because of their closeness to humans, such as Syrian hamsters, Gakkalia hamsters, Campbell hamsters, Roberov hamsters, etc.

Characteristics of hamsters

Hamsters are peculiar in appearance, small and exquisite, lively and sensitive, very cute, and have no peculiar smell. They are kept indoors and are therefore considered pets throughout our country.

Most hamsters are solitary animals (except Roberowski). Unlike social animals, hamsters are loners and have a strong sense of territory, especially female hamsters. Hamsters mate in pairs only when the breeding season arrives. But hamster couples only live for a few minutes during mating, after which they go their separate ways. The mother rat will take the responsibility of taking care of the children independently, and in about 20 days, the children will be forcibly expelled by the mother mouse and begin to live independently.

Hamsters are nocturnal animals, sleeping during the day and moving at night. They are usually most active until 7pm-10pm (some 0-4pm). Therefore, the main feeder gives the mouse a good rest during the day, and only plays with the mouse at night. Arbitrarily changing the habits of nocturnal animals can easily lead to short lifespans. Why do hamsters always hide? Because hamsters live in burrows in the desert, they sleep in burrows during the day to avoid being attacked by wild animals. It is their instinct to hide in the dark, and they think that the only way to feel safe is in the dark. But hamsters get along with people for a long time, their alertness will be lower, and their wild instincts will also change, and they can sleep soundly anywhere.

Hamsters live in deserts and other areas. nocturnal. Good at digging caves. Likes to hide food on both sides of the gills, and then go to a safe place to spit it out, so the name of the hamster. The incisors will keep growing, so their upper and lower incisors must constantly gnaw on something hard to grind their teeth, on the one hand to prevent the incisors from growing too long and hinder chewing, and on the other hand to keep the incisors sharp. Feeds on weed seeds and insects.

Growth and Reproduction

Produces multiple litters each year. Each litter produces 1-20 cubs. The lifespan is 2 to nearly 3 years. (Breed from April to October every year, with an annual output of 4-5 litters, each litter of 4-8 cubs)

Their lifespan is very short, about two years on average, and male hamsters are sexually mature in one and a half months , female hamsters are sexually mature at 2 months. Of course, different species of hamsters will have slightly different lifespans.

Relatively speaking, the Robowski hamster has the longest lifespan, 3-3.5 years.

Hamsters are double ovulatory tubes so hamsters can have a litter every 20 days.

Hamster

Characteristics of hamsters

The most common coat color in hamsters is from cheek to The abdomen is white and the back is mostly brown, but there are also spots formed by dark and light brown, and the coat color is mostly gray, and then a variety of varieties such as gold, piebald, and even long hair have been cultivated. All kinds of hamsters look alike, but the body shape and coat color are slightly different, and their personalities are similar. Among them, the Roberovsky rat is the smallest among the Dowav hamsters. It moves fast and has a timid personality. The color of the fur on its back will change from black to brown during the growth period. Hamster is one of the very cute pets, so many children or women will fall in love with it when they see this "living doll".

The hamster is 5-12 cm long and has skin pouches on the cheeks. The upper and lower jaws each have a pair of sharp incisors. The body hair on the back of the body is light tan or brownish yellow, and the ventral side, the inner sides of the forelimbs and the hind limbs are black. There are 3 white or light khaki spots on the front end of the body side. Feet white, slightly yellowish. Unlike mice, they have a very short tail, or even no tail. Except for Chinese hamsters, which have longer tails, other species of hamsters have tails less than one centimeter. The most interesting thing about hamsters is that they know how to hide food on both sides of the gills and spit it out in a safe place, so some people call hamsters big-cheeked mice. The hamster (hamster), the origin of the name is from. hamstern, which means to store.

The way hamsters tell the difference between males and females is simple.

The buttocks of male hamsters are generally larger, and the anus is long and large;

The buttocks of female hamsters are generally inverted triangles, and the anus is small and closed. In some cases, round objects can be seen.

Hamster Criteria -Hamster Display Jury

In the UK, US and Sweden, hamsters are also Dogs have the same "hamster show jury". The criteria for the review are divided into hair quality, color, appearance, overall posture, health status, eyes and ears, and the full score is 100 points.

For example, there should be a balanced posture, the distance between the ears, the rounded nose, the curved body shape, etc. are all based on the score. The hair of the short-haired species must be short, soft and uniform; the hair of the long-haired species should be as long as possible, especially the hair near the belly should be dense. Then the eyes should be sparkling, and the ears should be large, and it is ideal to be able to stand upright when standing up. The points deducted are whether the front and rear feet, eyes, ears and tail are missing, whether they are sick and infected with parasites, whether they are too fat, whether their body is clean, etc.

Of course, these scoring items may vary by host country, but most of them are based on these benchmarks to select excellent hamsters. These little episodes are for your reference, but unfortunately there is no similar event in Taiwan at present.

hamster

hamster's Species

Jacalia hamster (commonly known as three-line) Scientific name: Phodopus sungorus

Common name: Maple-leaf rat, short-tailed, lynx , Trinensis

Origin: Eastern Kazakh Province of the old Soviet Union, southwestern Siberia

Overall length: about 7-12 cm

Weight: about 35 males ~45 grams

Female mice about 30-40 grams

Mature period: male mice about 6-8 weeks

Female mice about 4-8 weeks

Pregnancy period: 18-25 days

Litter size: 1-10

Remarks: Among the small hamsters, the mouse is the easiest to keep and the easiest to get close to.

According to the coat color, it can be divided into: three-line wild color (brown, with three distinct black lines on the back); purple warehouse (or called amethyst, lavender, with faded topline); silver fox ( White, with a black topline on the back); Golden Fox (black eyes, snow-white coat, and a yellow topline on the back); Pudding (light yellow), all eyes are black; Milk Tea (hair color is like the color of pearl milk tea, Eyes are black); winter white (wild or purple barn turns white in winter).

Campbell hamster(commonly known as first-line)

Scientific name: Phodopus sungorus campbelli

Common name: Maple rat , Short-tailed, Lymphoma,

Origin: Eastern Baikal, Mongolia, Heilongjiang Province, Hebei Province, Inner Mongolia

Full length: about 7-12 cm for males

About 6-11cm for females

Weight:About 35-45g for males

About 30-40g for females

Mature Period: about 6-8 weeks for males

about 4-8 weeks for females

Pregnancy period: 18-25 days

Litter size: 1- 10

Remarks: Slightly larger than Gakkalia hamsters, with more personality and much more fur.

According to the coat color, it can be divided into: first-line wild color (the most irritable hamster); snowball (much like a mouse, only a long tail and red eyes.); white bear (white bear) The eyes are dark red, and the nose is shorter than that of the silver fox); black bear (compared to the white bear, the whole body is black); amber (the body color is amber between khaki and tan, and the eyes are red); piebald ( The species with the most flowers in the line, the body is white and amber called amber piebald, sometimes referred to as piebald, the eyes are red, the body is white and black, called the bear or called the cow, with red eyes, Also available in black); winter white (wild or purple barn turns white in winter).

Jerboa

Body length: 20cm Tail length: 20cm

Origin: Southwest Africa

Diet: Plant-based

Feels like a miniature kangaroo, often hopping on its hind legs, and has clumps of black hair on the tip of its tail

Other than that There are also breeds with hairless tails or smaller bodies.

The air is also dry in the area, so it is not resistant to humidity and heat, so choose a well-ventilated cage

And they often jump, so they need a larger cage.

The import quantity is small and hard to see in the market.

Syrian hamster (Golden Rat)

Scientific name: Mesocricetus auratus English name: Golden hamster

Chinese translation: Golden hamster

Common name: Bear cub

Origin: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and became a pet after it was introduced to the United States in 1938

Body length: female 15cm-20cm; Male 15cm-18cm.

Weight: female 90g-150g; male 80g-130g.

The tail is about 1.53cm long.

Maturity: about 7-8 weeks for males

about 6-7 weeks for females

gestational period: 15-17 days

The most common are those with yellow, cream-colored body hair (commonly known as golden bear). The golden rat has a larger face than other hamsters. There are different breeds, with long and short hair, glossy and non-glossy. The number is the largest among the hamsters, and the size is also the largest. The brain capacity is larger than other hamsters, so it is smarter and more docile in temperament, but the bear cubs are still more afraid of people when they are young, and they are slightly more aggressive than adults. Bear cubs are the first hamsters to become human pets and are very popular with pet lovers in many countries.

Scientific name: Phodopus roborovskii

Common name: old man, old woman Origin: Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang Uygur, southwestern Mongolia

Full length: about 4 to 5 cm

Weight: about 15 to 30 grams

Mature period: about 6 to 8 weeks for male mice

Female mice are about 4 to 8 weeks old

Pregnancy period: 23 to 30 days

Litter size: 1 to 10 mice

Remarks: Dowa The smallest of the hamsters, very fast, relatively timid

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Cricetidae

Subfamily: Cricetinae

Genus: Dwarf hamster Phodopus

Species: desert dwarf hamster P. roborovski

scientific name

Phodopus roborovskii

(Satunin, 1903)

They are easily frightened and shy but curious. They are social animals and usually sleep together. They are not suitable for families with young children. They are the fastest hamsters in the world. They are obviously also not suitable for people who like to play with pet hamsters. The size of the body is only the size of the thumb and can easily get out of the gap of the cage, so the choice of the cage must be carefully considered. Because of their size and speed, they are best suited for people who prefer to watch their pets rather than play with them. Old man (slightly yellow hair, with white beard and eyebrows, round ears, he feels like an old grandpa, so he is called "old man"); old woman (the color is lighter than the old man's color. Because the reproduction is rare, the price is twice that of the old man) . Both the old man and the old woman have black hair roots. There is also a kind of white mother-in-law, the whole body is white, very rare! So the price is high. (Image credit: PConline Photography Tribe)