Overview
The Syrian hamster, also known as the Golden hamster, is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. They were first discovered in Syria in the early 1930s and have since become beloved pets around the world.
With its endearing round body, twitching whiskers, and adorable button eyes, it’s no wonder why these tiny creatures have become such beloved pets worldwide.
The Syrian hamsters boast their beauty in every hue ranging from Golden umbrous, cinnamon, and dark grey to sliver grey, black, and white and with bands or patches of different colors. They have small rounded ears, large dark eyes, and stubby tails. Their soft and silky fur makes them more adorable to touch and pat.
Syrian hamsters typically grow to be about 5-7 inches long and live 2-3 years in captivity.
The Syrian hamster, scientifically known as Mesocricetus auratus, hails from the arid regions of Syria and Turkey. Also referred to as the golden hamster or teddy bear hamster, these solitary creatures have been domesticated for decades, making them one of the most popular choices for small pet enthusiasts.
A wide range of color and pattern mutations have now been observed in Syrian hamsters, which were originally only found in one color—the natural wild agouti. These variations include cream, white, blonde, cinnamon, tortoiseshell, black, three distinct shades of gray, dominant spot, banded, and dilute. Additionally, a range of coat types, including long-haired, satin, and rex, have been generated by selective breeding.
Their cuteness, small size, and friendly temperament make them a suitable pet.
Syrian Hamster Life Expectancy
The Hamsters are short-lived creatures with an average life expectancy of 2-3 years. You can get an idea about the age of a hamster by observing its teeth.
If your hamster has white, eggshell, or off-white teeth, then they are likely under a year old.
If your hamster has yellow, gold, or light orange teeth, then they are likely 1-2 years old.
If your hamster has dark yellow or orange teeth, they are likely 2 or older.
You can refer to the given comparison with human for short life span of your furry companion.
MALE Vs FEMALE
Bothe male and female are solitary creatures and should be housed separately. However, there are some physical and behavioral distinctions between them.
Behavior And Temperament
As pets, they are nocturnal and quite active at night when they love to run in hamster wheels and explore tubes and tunnels. During the day, pet Syrians sleep in soft nests made of bedding or nesting materials. You should not try to wake up your hamster during the day instead evening or early morning time is preferred for interacting with your hamster. You should not house two hamsters in the same enclosure as they will fight with one another.
Syrian Hamsters are in general very friendly and love gentle handling. These intelligent creatures can be tamed for handling, starting their training at a young age.
Care Sheet Of The Syrian Hamster
An important topic I would cover is how to properly care for a Syrian hamster. Your furry companion will require spacious cage with ample bedding to burrow in. Moreover , there should be some places to hide in and comfort themselves.
Hamster Cages
While setting up the house of your furry friend there are certain points to be considered such as size, bedding material, litter area and self grooming area. To meet these requirements, the cage of a hamster should be spacious enough.
For example, I use 24” L X 12” W X 16” H with a deep base that accommodates 24cm/9.4 inches height thick layer of bedding for my hammy to tunnel in and digging. Its base should be either made from metal or plastic which is water and rust-resistant and hence very easy to clean.
I prefer a,4 view window that allows me to see my hammy frolicking around in an environment designed to simulate natural conditionals from 360 angles. It should be water and rust-resistant that’s fairly easy to clean.
The wooden enclosures are not suitable for hamsters due to varied reasons. The bedding of the hamster can be laid easily on a solid surface. The bars of the habitat should not be too widely spaced preferably cages with bar spacing of ½ “ or less will be apt. You should also check for an escape-proof lid of the enclosure.
Specific Substrate Needs- Bedding Of Syrian Hamster
The bedding should be deep enough to provide comfortable and cozy bedding to your hamster. There are certain points to be taken care of while setting up the bedding with a particular material. For instance, coarse sand is a great option which is a natural substrate but at the same time, it is difficult to handle as well. Coco Peat can be suitable but sometimes discolors the animal’s coat.
Therefore, dust-free aspen wood shavings, granulated corn cob, and hemp bedding are great options. These should be free from preservatives, or other chemicals for maintaining the good health of your hamster.
Good quality hay, shredded paper, and cardboard are also convenient to be used as a nesting material. You should not use cotton wool or similar bedding products as the strands of cotton get struck in their legs and pose a serious risk to their health.
Hemp Bedding has good odor control and better absorption. These are 100% biodegradable and great for composting after the usage.
You must create a small bathing zone with desert sand inside the enclosure. A designated area will be less messy and easy to clean. It helps them to stimulate their natural digging behavior.
Benefits Of Creating A Bathing Area
A designated litter area is very beneficial in an enclosure in terms of cleaning. The hamster can be tamed to use the litter area and you can scoop the spot and refill that area easily.
Exercise And Toys For A Syrian Hamster
The golden hamsters love to keep themselves busy by hopping from one point to another in their cage. You can provide an exercise wheel to roll and enjoy. They explore every corner of their cage and enjoy wandering around.
Some Of The Safe Toys
Small House
Rattan Ball
Hamsters enjoy to roll these light weight rattan balls when given outside the enclosure area.
Slider For Syrian Hamster
Syrian Hamster’s Toy Kit
The toy kit for a hamster includes, Seesaw, Loofah slices, Dumbbell, Unicycle, Bell Roller and many more items to keep your furry friend engaged.They also love to climb on blocks, pass tunnel tubes, slide on ladders, and roll a ball.
Hamster Wheel
The Syrian hamsters enjoy to run on this wheel. You should opt for a solid sides wheel rather than wire mesh type slider to comfort movement of hamster without any injury.
Tunnel tubes
The transparent design of tunnel tubes will make it easy to observe your pet hamster exercising, and curious pets will be drawn to the fun tunnel. You can play with your pet and satisfy your pet’s natural instincts to add even more fun.
Hay Sticks And Apple Branch Chew Sticks
Theses chewy materials are a must for teeth care of your hamster.
Use a play ball for no more than 20 minutes at a time to allow them to securely explore your home.
Another excellent option is to create a hamster-safe open space with tubes and boxes they can climb into. Why not build a maze for them to explore?
These activities along with building nests, hiding food, and burrowing keep them busy throughout the night. These activities are a must for maintaining the overall health of your hamster.
Grooming And Dental Care
The hamsters do not require any special grooming. They are self-groomed and maintenance-free pets. A sand bath is a great way to keep your hamster clean in an entertaining manner. However, if you find any dirt or debris in their paws, it can be easily cleaned with a wet wipe.
The front teeth of hamsters keep on growing therefore chewy materials like wood chews, mineral chews, and chew tubes are a must in its habitat. Apart from that trimming from a vet is also needed at times.
Food For Syrian Hamster
Maintaining a healthy diet is essential for keeping your Syrian hamster happy and thriving. I prefer to offer it a combination of commercial hamster pellets or a mixture of different seeds for nutritional balance.
Fresh vegetables, and occasional treats like fruits and nuts along with some chewy substances. As the front incisor keeps on growing, you should give them some material to gnaw such as willow wood. The willow wood has crispy bark and a juicy interior. These materials wear down their teeth as they grow.
The hamsters can be given small quantities of greens, cleaned root vegetables such as radish, carrot, or a piece of fruit like apple once a day. You should not give grapes or rhubarb to your hammy as these are poisonous for them.
When To Feed Your Syrian Hamster?
As it is nocturnal and active at night, you can feed them at dawn. These creatures love to hide their food in different spots and therefore never out of stock for food. However, the food dish can be refilled regularly.
To provide water to your hamster, a water bottle is preferred over a shallow dish filled with water. The hanging water bottle with a valveless sipper tube is a good option. You should check the water bottle regularly as it may get blocked at times. Using a water bottle keeps the cage neat and clean.
How To Handle Your Syrian Hamster?
Handling the hamsters is an enriching experience young hamsters can be tamed for handling. Due to their sensitivity to touch, Syrian hamsters might become frightened and uneasy when handled by grabbing or nudging. When picking them up, always carefully scoop them up with both hands and give them very gentle strokes (avoiding the nose and whiskers).
You can start with a plastic cup if your hamster is a little too jittery to handle comfortably. You can move them safely by scooping them into a cup.
It is better to lie low while handling if you are a novice handler. Creating a playpen is also a great idea to play with your hamster where your hamster gets a chance to explore a new area other than the enclosure.
Do’s And Don’t
Potential Health Issues With Syrian Hamster
If your hamster shows behavioral changes like loss of appetite, sluggishness, watery eyes, discharge from the nose and wet tail are some of the indications of ill health.
Hamsters may enter a false hibernation if they are housed in an environment where the temperature falls below 5 ̊C or 40 ̊F. They might seem to be dead or even asleep. A covered heat pad or hot water bottle can be used to comfort your hamster.
If at any point you believe your pet is unwell or appears lethargic, you should seek veterinary advice.
You can also check for droppings , if these are not well-formed or moist, there is a need to consult a veterinarian.
Moreover, as a regular practice, the Syrian Hamster should be weekly checked for its overall health.
Up Keep Cost
The biggest expenses you will incur each month for a hamster are its food and bedding. Depending on the style of bedding you select as well as the enclosure’s size, budget between $30 and $50 for the same. Apart from that you will have to replace some chew blocks, nests, and other items in the enclosure.
Interesting Facts About Syrian Hamster
A hamster’s teeth never stop growing and they have a self-sharpening system, where incisors grind against each other while gnawing.
They have large eyes and retinas dominated by rods therefore they can see in dim light.
Whiskers vibrate at rates of up to 30 whisks per second.
They tend to hoard their food.
They have a well-developed sense of smell and hearing.
Hamsters are intelligent and learn quickly.
Wild hamsters can run up to 5 miles a day.
Similar Hamsters To The Syrian Hamster
- Chinese hamster
- Winter White Russian Dwarf
- Campbell’s Russian Dwarf
- Roborovski Dwarf Hamster
