Campbell hamster: breed features, maintenance and care

Very often, owners of city apartments and houses prefer to choose small animals as pets. One of such individuals are hamsters, represented in a large variety of species. Campbell's hamster is a rather popular small rodent, which can very often be found in city dwellings as an amusing little pet.

There are several species of small animals in the family of the rodental rodents, one of which is Campbell's hamster, so named after one British consul. However, domestic scientists were engaged in more detailed study of the small animal, therefore its second name also exists. Russian dwarf hamster.

Breed in the natural environment actively inhabits most of the post-Soviet space, prefers to settle in the steppes and deserts, creating burrows and whole tunnels under the ground.

These are nocturnal rodents that can control body temperature, raising it to + 40 ° C while awake, for sleeping the temperature of the rodent's body drops to + 20 ° C. Such features make it possible to economically expend power, even if the hamsters are quite active. Such characteristics of a small animal should be considered when choosing a place for placing their house in a dwelling.

Adults have a rather modest size: the length of the body of a rodent is about 7 centimeters with a mass of 50-60 grams. The head of the animal is round, with a pointed muzzle and small ears. The paws are covered with fur, the pupils of Campbell's hamsters can be black or red, which increases their decorative appeal.

The tail is so small that it is almost imperceptible under the hair sticking out in different directions. Rodent coat can have several color options. Today the most common types are:

• auti - animal with a dark stripe along the back, light belly and sand back;
• self - A rodent with a single-colored fur coat all over the body, sometimes whitish spots can be found on the animal's stomach.

Initially, this hamster was attributed to the Dzungarian subspecies, however, these small rodents are quite easy to distinguish from each other due to external characteristics.

• First of all, it concerns the color of the eyes. Only Russian dwarf hamsters can have red pupils.
• Campbell's hamster has fur on its limbs.
• Russian dwarf specimens do not change the color of their wool, focusing on the time of year.
• The differences relate to the characteristic strip on the back. In rodents Cambell it is thin and does not go to the muzzle.
• In addition, individuals have different body shape. Thus, the Djungarian hamster, when viewed from above, will have an egg-shaped form, whereas the dwarf rodent, rather, will be visually similar to the figure eight.

The character of small animals deserves special attention, since individuals stand out for their aggressive behavior not only when they come into contact with the rest of the hamsters, but can also be hostile to their owners.This is expressed in bites, which can be obtained from the rodent upon contact with it. Therefore, it is often possible to meet recommendations regarding failure to purchase such a pet for small children.

However, such reactions of hamsters are most often caused by a response to external stimuli. Therefore, breeders of dwarf animals emit a number of situations that should be avoided if Campbell's hamsters live in the house.

• In contact with one individual or several hamsters, no sharp movements should be made. This applies to feeding, games and other collaborative activities.
• If there is a desire to take the animal in his arms, then they should not smell like food, otherwise the hamster can take limbs for a potential source of food.
• Reducing the aggression of pets will be possible if you place a stone in the animal house, which they will use to grind their teeth.
• It should be right to take rodents on your hands - only from the bottom or from one side. An alternative option would be to place the hand next to the rodent so that it can settle on it on its own.

From the diet will directly depend on the life expectancy of animals. In the wild, their life cycle averages about three to four years. The owner of dwarf hamsters should thoroughly approach the issue of feeding, so that the acquired pet lived in the house as long as possible.

In addition to the main point that determines the life cycle of a rodent, in captivity animals may face a potential danger in the home. This applies to other pets, such as cats or breeders who can leave the hamster out of the cage unattended.

Sometimes for breeders, the question of the sex of a person being acquired or born is of fundamental importance. In ordinary hamsters, it will be much easier to determine the sex, as for dwarf breeds, in order to establish the sex, it is required to be guided by certain external distinctive features.

• The animal must be lifted by the nape of the belly to itself. Such a position of the body will force the hamster to push the lower limbs apart.
• The task of determining sex is reduced to establishing the distance between the genital organs and the anus of an individual. In females in this area in most cases there will be no fur. As for sexually mature individuals of the male, their belly in this area will always be wet. This is due to the active work of the glands.
• In females, the distance will be minimal, the gland is practically not visualized. From the breast will be two rows of nipples. Males of iron will be pronounced, you can note its external similarity with the navel. In addition, there will be a substantial distance between the anus and the sexual organ.

In the wild, the Russian dwarf hamster lives together with its many relatives, however, it is nevertheless advised to keep rodents in captivity separately. This is especially true for adult hamsters who regularly fight for territory.

The hamster will feel great in an aquarium or cage with very small twigs, located as close as possible to each other. The optimal size of the house is 40x60 centimeters. In an aquarium or cage, it is necessary to equip a rodent house, in the light of its natural instincts a hamster needs a place in which he can hide, sleep and store his supplies.

You should also choose the right litter, it can be wood chips or sawdust. In specialized departments for animals sold compounds that can be used as a filler for the house of animals. Cotton wool, yarn and paper should be discarded.

It is necessary to select such a variant of litter that will be convenient for cleaning, it is necessary to clean up the house several times a week, otherwise the smell of rodent excrement will quickly fill the whole dwelling, they should be cleaned daily.

Place for a house with animals should be chosen away from heating appliances, batteries, direct rays of ultraviolet radiation and drafts. Feeding trough a rodent should be heavy so that the animal does not overturn it. This also applies to drinking troughs, it would be more correct to purchase a product that can be fixed to the bars of a house. As an additional necessary things for a hamster in the house you can put a bath for water procedures and even a toilet tray.

In the course of routine cleaning, it is impossible to remove all litter from the cage, since the pet is rather sensitive to the change of environment. All hygiene measures should be carried out without the use of household chemicals, as an alternative, you can use baking soda or tooth powder.

In addition to issues relating to the arrangement of the house and its hygiene, for the health of the animal living in the house, you need to take care of its diet and leisure.

The menu of the rodent should be balanced and varied, most often breeders prefer to use specialized food to feed dwarf hamsters. However, in addition to the mixture, fresh food should be included in the pet's diet. This may be zucchini, cucumber, corn, carrots. You can offer bananas, apples, pears, grapes from the sweet seasonal berries and fruits of the rodent.

For the health of the body, the hamster will need to regularly replenish its protein reserves, therefore, no more than once every seven days he needs to enter into the menu boiled lean fish, cottage cheese. Rodents eat greens well.

In addition to food, the animals will need drinking water, which should constantly be in their home. Lack of liquid can cause dehydration of the animal, which is fraught with its death. Add acetylsalicylic acid to the water, it is recommended to change the liquid every other day. Many breeders recommend every six months to give pets vitamins, which are sold in vetaptekah and stores. To care for your teeth, the animal will need a chalk stone, thanks to which it will be able to grind down its growing teeth.

Since the animals are distinguished by high activity, it is important for them to organize good leisure inside the home. As a favorite toys should be allocated a maze, ball, wheel. The last game item in a house or aquarium will act as a pet's obesity prevention, which will have a positive effect on its lifespan.

Mature dwarf hamsters become quite early: as a rule, the female at the age of three months is already able to reproduce offspring. However, upon reaching one year, it will be harder and harder for her to give birth to babies each time, this is due to the characteristics of the skeleton. Over time, the bones of the females become too hard.

The breeding process begins in early spring and continues until the arrival of autumn. During this period, the young individual can bring up to four litters. Campbell hamster breeders do not recommend crossing close relatives with each other, as this is fraught with different gene mutations.

Creating a pair of hamsters in captivity should be gradual, because individuals are distinguished by an aggressive disposition. First, the future parents are placed in the same cage, but with a special partition, which will exclude fights between the animals. After they get used to each other, you can proceed to a closer contact. When mating occurs, the male should be separated from the female again. A pregnant female must be provided with materials for building a nest.

Pregnancy lasts only three weeks, at this time the rodent needs to enter into the diet as much as possible of food containing protein, and also regularly give the female dill, parsley. Hamster cubs are born without hair, their organs of hearing and vision are not developed yet, it is impossible to touch them to a man, since a female with alien odors can eat her offspring. Therefore, the first time a person should not contact with new pets.

Look at what Campbell's hamster looks like in the next video.