Do hamsters live in nature? Where do common wild steppe hamsters live?

Wild hamsters can cause enormous damage to crops. The field hamster is omnivorous, so summer cottage he will try everything to the best of his ability. In addition, these rodents are carriers of various infections. These cute animals have nothing in common with domestic hamsters, which is why farmers are fighting a real fight with them.

Rodents prefer steppe zones and forest-steppe. They settle in fields, in areas near ponds and meadows. One of the decisive factors in choosing their habitat is the presence of a nearby food source. If the found initial source of food after a while ceases to satisfy the needs of hamsters, then in search of food they are able to cover a distance of 2-3 km.

One of the decisive factors in choosing a habitat is the presence of a nearby food source.

They do not eat all the food they get. Some are stored as reserves in underground passages and storerooms. Their long labyrinths have many passages and branches. Some burrows reach a length of 10 m. Here you can hide a huge amount of various food.

Why do hamsters appear in the garden?

Very often, rodents dig their burrows near grain fields and fields where various crops are grown. In summer and early autumn, the main harvest of the entire crop takes place, which is why hamsters have to move to neighboring summer cottages and vegetable gardens, where they can still find something to eat. Therefore, the reason for their appearance in gardens is quite simple. Rodents come here in search of food and new supplies. If no action is taken, they can quickly ruin most of the crop, and sometimes the entire crop.

The first signs of a wild hamster appearing in the garden

Rodents are absolutely not bothered by close proximity to people. On the contrary, often settling close to summer cottages and garden plots, hamsters constantly make forays in search of food. The fact that uninvited guests have appeared on the site can be judged by the following signs:

tracks from small paws. They can be difficult to distinguish on the ground, but sometimes it is still possible to see exactly where the hamster passed;
minks. Rodents dig a huge number of holes and passages, which farmers will sooner or later stumble upon;
damaged vegetables and fruits. A sure sign of a pest in the garden is the appearance of bites and damage to the crops being grown;
Undermining. The presence of numerous tunnels to plants;
bark damage. Traces of rodents in the form of missing bark are often found on the lower parts of bushes and trees.

The presence of numerous tunnels indicates the appearance of hamsters in the garden

Sometimes farmers and gardeners blame moles and voles for crop loss. You can determine the culprit by the size of the minks. For example, in mice they have a significantly smaller diameter than in hamsters (about 5 cm).

A wild hamster in the country can cause significant damage to the crop. That is why many gardeners, after the first signs of pests appearing, take active measures to combat them. First of all, the soil of the site suffers. Hamsters dig numerous passages and holes. One hole can reach 10 m, and its depth - up to 2 m. All these voids make it difficult to grow various crops.

Other reasons for fighting field hamsters include the following:

Being in constant search for food, hamsters greatly damage trees, shrubs and vegetable crops. They peel off the bark and damage the lower branches of shrubs.
Despite the fact that hamsters prefer to live alone, they willingly bring their relatives to the fertile area they find.
Rodent fertility poses a particular risk to farmers. lasts only 16 days. During one pregnancy, she gives birth to from 5 to 18-20 cubs. Not all of them, of course, survive, but in any case, from spring to October, the female gives birth to about 100 individuals. After just 2 months, newly-mature females can produce their own offspring. Such a threatening ability to produce offspring is dangerous for the crop, since the grown young animals begin to sharpen their teeth on the bark of trees and plants and look for food for themselves.
Hamsters have many methods of self-defense. They try not to enter dangerous areas, ignore baits placed by humans, and also create large number false passages to unused holes.

Fighting hamsters in the garden can take some time, as they are quite cunning

Fighting hamsters in the garden can take some time, as rodents actively defend their territory and can even attack humans. dangerous. There are about 30 known infections that are transmitted through a hamster bite.

The problem of rodent infestations in summer cottages is not new, so resourceful gardeners and farmers have plenty of effective ways, how to protect your harvest and crops.

Ultrasonic rodent repellers

The use of ultrasonic repellers is considered the most in a modern way rodent control. This method requires financial costs, but the device saves a person’s time and effort. The operation of all devices is based on the use of ultrasound of certain frequencies that only hamsters can detect. These waves emanating from the repellers cause the rodents to flee.

Ultrasonic repeller Tornado-400

The table shows the most popular device models

Device name	Positive aspects	Flaws
Tornado 400	The advantage of the device is the automatic switching of different frequencies, due to which rodents cannot adapt to ultrasound waves of a certain frequency. The use of the device does not harm humans. The device operates silently and has an impressive range. It is also important that there is no interference with the operation of other household appliances.	Among the shortcomings, many users note the inability to operate the device on battery power.
Chiston-2 PRO	This device is very popular as it has a range of about 500 square meters. m. The emitted signal from the device is absolutely safe for humans and pets, except for rats, guinea pigs and hamsters. The model works from the network. This device is perfect for protecting farm plantings, warehouses and cellars.	The disadvantage of the device is not too high quality assembly, and hence the fragility of service if not used carefully.
Typhoon OG.01	Thanks to its reasonable price, the device is accessible to many farmers and summer residents. In addition, many consumers are attracted by the low electricity consumption and compactness of the device. An undoubted advantage is the ability of the device to operate at limiting temperature values. The device provides reliable protection against rodents within a radius of 400 square meters. m.	Among the disadvantages, it was noted that the radiation of the device does not have any effect on some species of rodents.

Repellers are actively used to protect warehouses from rodents, summer cottages, cellars. Ultrasonic waves are safe for humans and do not cause any negative impact on people's health or well-being. Rodents will be forced to leave the hotspot for them and go in search of another source of food.

Various measures to combat hamsters

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to rodent control is catching pests with the help of pets. Cats and dogs hunt hamsters with great zeal. However, there are several nuances here. Firstly, wild hamsters are quite large in size, so not every cat can cope with such prey. Secondly, by fighting off its pursuers, the hamster can infect the pet with an infection.

Other most common methods of pest control are:

filling hamster passages and holes with water;
placement of traps and traps;
digging and destroying holes;
filling holes and passages with gas.

Filling holes with water and gas will be successful if most of the exits are filled in and traps or traps are placed near the remaining exits.

The table shows the comparison in various ways, with the help of which summer residents and gardeners fight rodents.

Everyone needs to control pests in the garden. accessible ways, otherwise there is a risk of being left at the end of the summer season without a good harvest. Getting rid of rodents in a summer cottage can be guaranteed only if a whole range of measures are taken to expel them from the summer cottage.

No need to confuse it cute creature, which lives in your home in a cage as a pet and a pet, and its wild counterpart, living in any territory, from steppes to mountains, from forests to vegetable gardens. The most disturbing thing from the first is the habit of running on a wheel at night and making some noise in the sleepy silence of the apartment. The second one is quite dangerous, and not only to the future harvest, but also directly to humans.

External characteristics and description

The wild species is quite similar to its domestic counterpart. But their dimensions are completely different. A male with a tail reaches a length of 35-39 cm and a weight of up to 700 g. The female is a little smaller, but also very impressive.

The body of such an animal is round, without a neck, it seems that the head is planted directly on the shoulders. The body is covered with dense hair with undercoat. The animal's ears are small, and its limbs are short, but very strong. The claws are hard and sharp, just right for digging holes or holes in the ground. The teeth are also strong, throughout life cycle are regularly polished and updated.

Attention! The bite of a wild hamster is very dangerous. Not only do his teeth leave wounds with jagged edges, he is also a carrier of infectious diseases.

The muzzle is equipped with stiff mustaches and black beads of shiny eyes. The color of the animal is varied.

Most common:

Brown;

Yellow.

Less common:

Black.

Spotted.

White.

Reproduction

The wild hamster is distributed throughout to the globe. He is not afraid of drought, cold, rain. Its hole reliably protects the animal from any weather. The main condition for a hamster to settle is the presence of food nearby. Therefore, the rodent prefers places near vegetable gardens, fields, orchards, etc. They fearlessly approach cultural plantings in vegetable gardens and summer cottages, replenishing supplies through human labor.

Sexual activity in hamsters is very high level. Maturity occurs at the age of 4.5-5 months. The male is polygamous. His family is a "harem" with several "wives". The hamster's offspring are born helpless, blind and bald, but they grow rapidly and soon actively replenish the hamster family.

Cubs appear in the spring, but if conditions permit, the hamster is capable of breeding more than once a year. Litters are large - 6-18 cubs. It is not surprising that the hamster population is growing literally exponentially.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The wild variety of hamsters is omnivorous. But cereals remain preferred, as does feed plant origin: potatoes, peas, etc. Loves to eat seeds, wild herbs, and bush roots. If necessary, will not refuse insects, mollusks, crustaceans, smaller rodents such as mice or rabbits.

Rodent activity is at its peak at night. They prefer to spend the day in the cool of the hole. In winter it sleeps, but not all the time; it wakes up periodically to feed itself. It comes to the surface with the first warmth (March-April). Male hamster in mating season friendly with his females. The rest of the time is a clot of aggression towards everyone, including humans. Moreover, the animal does not choose an enemy based on size, attacking anyone who encroaches on its “personal” territory.

Differences from other species of the rodent order

Cheek pouches. Elastic folded skin formations. They hold a volume of up to 50 g, inflating several times. Used to carry food and building materials.

Biphasic stomach:

The proventriculus is where food is processed by enzymes and acid to break down food.

The stomach, where digestion takes place using gastric juice.

Dimensions and level of aggression. Great danger to humans, especially children and animals.

Harm to farms

The extent of the damage is simply enormous! Farmers, summer residents, and gardeners are groaning from the invasions of wild hamsters. Perfect unpretentiousness rapid growth populations and the ability to build complex burrow shelters make it very difficult to fight this malicious and embittered animal. Hamster burrows are up to 150 cm deep and 800 cm wide! They “dispossessed” the hamsters’ dwellings, where there were reserves of 90 kg!

Control measures and how to get rid of them in the country house or garden

One of the oldest and most proven methods is flooding of holes. True, you will have to look for and block all the exits, except one, into which you will have to pour water until the rodent crawls out. Then he can be caught. The disadvantage of this method is that. that it is not always possible to find all the exits from the home. Then the hamster will simply get out where you won’t see him and hide with impunity.

Manual burrow excavation and catching. Disadvantage: danger of attack, bite and labor-intensive in terms of time and effort.

Hunting a hamster with pets. Dogs and cats are capable of catching a rodent, but then the dog will trample all the plantings. A hamster can bite and infect pets. Minus: large sizes are not suitable for all pets.

Traps. Traps and various devices for catching. Minus: it is not always possible to determine where the animal is moving.

Poison. Bait with poison can be scattered around the garden. Cons: May be eaten by pets or birds. The hamster population cannot be greatly reduced in this way.

Ultrasound. Effective, but very expensive. Disadvantage: difficult to cover a large enough area.

The wild rodent is not only fearless, but also very cunning and agile. Fighting it is not an easy task, but it is necessary for your safety and the safety of the harvest, into which so much work is invested.

Video "This is what a hamster looks like in nature"

In the wild, they do not live as long as their domesticated counterparts. After all, it can be very difficult for these furry animals to maintain their lives in an environment uncontrolled by people. Rooks, herons, foxes, kites, weasels, ferrets - that’s far from full list mortal enemies of cute fluffies. And farmers, whom the little gluttons manage to alienate with their raids on fields and vegetable gardens, are not always kind to these animals. Let's talk about the secrets of survival of wild hamsters.

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Description of wild hamsters

Hamsters belong to the class mammals, order rodents and family hamsters.

Out of 19 existing species There are 12 of these animals living in our country, belonging to six genera:

real;
average;
gray;
hairy legs;
rat-like;
Eversmannov.

Appearance

Behind this dry textbook list are cute, nimble creatures with beady eyes, sharp teeth and soft thick fur. Depending on the species, wild hamsters are the size of a small mouse or a good rat. – The body length of the smallest hamster is five, and the largest is 34 centimeters. The tails also vary in length: from 0.7 to 10 centimeters.

You can find out what adult individuals of individual species look like from this table:

Species (genus)/ Exterior parameters of an adult	Common hamster (sort of real)	Roborovsky's hamster (genus of hairy legs)	Rat hamster (rat-like genus)
Body length	20–34 cm	5 cm	18–25 cm
Tail length	6–7 cm	The tail protrudes a few millimeters	Up to 10 cm
Weight	0.5 kg	0.01 – 0.03 kg	Up to 0.24 kg
Color	Yellowish-brown with black, with white markings on the sides	Sandy with a golden tint, the fur above the eyes and on the belly is white	On the back it is brown and grey-brown, softly turning into white in the belly area.
Peculiarities	The ears are small, the muzzle is blunt, the front legs resemble human hands	The ears are large, vertical, and there is a white “mask” on the muzzle.	The tail resembles a rat's only in length: in individuals of this species it is pubescent, often with a white tip

Sexual dimorphism in some species of wild hamsters is unusually expressed: males are smaller than females. All types of hamsters are very strong sharp teeth and developed cheek pouches.

Interesting facts about hamster teeth:
Hamsters have only four teeth;
hamster teeth have no roots;
Hamsters' teeth never stop growing;
Hamsters wear down their teeth on a stone.

Habitat

Geography of hamster habitat – Central European and Eastern European regions, Syria, Iran, South Korea, China, Mongolia, Siberia. Animals can be found in deserts, mountains, and forests, but wild hamsters most readily inhabit the steppe and forest-steppe zones.

However, to meet a hamster, you don’t have to go deep into the forest, climb the mountains or look for feather grass steppes. – These wild rodents happily settle in cultural landscapes near human buildings. Their raids on agricultural lands cause significant damage to farmers.

A video from the TERRA television and radio company will tell about the battle for the harvest waged by summer residents from the suburbs of Samara with wild hamsters. Details of this battle are in this video.

Steppe hamster

The steppe hamster (common) bears little resemblance to its domesticated relatives. This is one of the most warlike species of the hamster family: it can attack both a large dog and a person. Cases have been recorded of common hamsters eating rabbits.

The aggression of steppe hamsters is often directed at their own brothers: rival candidates for a menstruating female are simply torn to pieces by the strongest male.

The animal leads night look life, during the daytime hiding in a dungeon at a depth of up to one and a half meters. His hole is complex structure: a real labyrinth up to 8 meters long, where light and sounds do not penetrate.

It is impossible to count how many different rooms there are in this home. However, among them there is one in which the common hamster sleeps, and a pantry, and even a toilet.

A thrifty owner, the common hamster stores up to 90 kilograms of food in its hole. Of course: in the wild, the animal constantly lives in its hole during the 5 coldest months of the year.

Like any member of the hamster family, the common hamster is a territorial animal. He protects the area in which he lives and which he considers his own. The zone of male common hamsters covers an area of up to 12 hectares! Females also have their own territory. It is smaller and is protected by its nearest neighbor. As a rule, males take several females under their wing at once.

forest hamster

Despite their name, forest hamsters do not only live among trees. Their predominant habitat is North American forests, deserts and prairies. The forest hamster can be found near human buildings, in gardens and vegetable gardens.

There is no single way of life among forest hamsters. They live together and alone, and sleep both day and night.

The forest hamster, which lives not far from people, sleeps during the day. And at night, people will be reminded of his presence by the sounds of brushwood that the animals collect for their hut nests. Rodents build their structures on rocks, at the base of trees, and on the trees themselves. It happens that the forest hamster climbs to a height of six meters!

The forest hamster does not sleep in winter, but can fall into torpor. Like other hamsters of the hamster family, baby forest hamsters are born blind, but with teeth!

Field hamster

The field hamster, like the forest hamster, is a “foreigner”. After all, he lives in Ecuador, Colombia and Canada. These animals very rarely encroach on agricultural land, preferring to settle in tropical forests: mangroves are just right for them. You can find field hamsters both on the prairies and in the swamps.

By appearance field hamsters resemble house mice in black, gray, orange and brown colors. Not really normal appearance What makes a field hamster unique is its scaly tail. True, it is not easy to see the white scales, since they cover the inner (lower) part of the tail. The outer (top) is covered with fur, painted in dark colors.

Adults of field hamsters vary greatly in size: their body length can be 5 or 20 centimeters!

Living conditions in nature

One way or another, even the largest individuals are just small animals among the huge number of predators surrounding them. What is it like for a hamster in conditions wildlife? What helps him survive?

Nutrition

Hamsters cannot get enough of food of plant origin only. Although in the spring they eat the first shoots and young greens, their main food is tubers, seeds, berries, carrion and insects.

These thrifty animals store tens of kilograms of seeds, legumes, grains and potatoes in their underground storerooms.

Being crepuscular animals, wild hamsters begin to hunt after dark.

Reproduction

The love language of female hamsters is their smell. It is by smell that the male finds his girlfriends (as a rule, there are several of them). The season during which wild hamsters breed begins in April and ends at the end of October, when the animals do not sleep.

Exactly how long the pregnancy of hamsters lasts depends on their type (from 15 to 22 days). The first litter of the season appears by May. The number of cubs in one litter ranges from several to a dozen (rarely - up to eighteen individuals).

Having impregnated his girlfriend, the male does not stay with her. His mission is over; he does not take part in raising the cubs.

All babies are born with their eyes closed, and only on about the tenth day do small hamsters begin to see clearly. Two-week-old animals are already completely covered with fur. At the same time, along with mother's milk, the cubs eat greens.

Female hamsters are caring parents. But only before their children reach “coming of age,” which occurs in hamsters at 21 days. From this day on, the young animals are able to take care of themselves, so everyone is looking for their own territory. Hamsters can become parents at the age of 42–56 days.

Lifespan

How do these rodents manage to survive in the changing and difficult conditions of the wild?

Due to the high fertility of hamsters, these animals manage to survive, even despite such a large number of enemies.

However, two species of hamsters - the Syrian and Newton's hamsters - are already endangered. Therefore, the life of each individual of these species is protected by law: they are listed in the International Red Book.

Animals are often saved from attacks by enemies by their remarkable ability to respond to sounds. Hearing an unfamiliar sound, hamsters become wary. –

A barely audible distant sound forces rodents to seek refuge in a hole.
If the sound is sudden and distinct, the hamsters freeze in place: there is no time to hide, so as not to get caught rushing about in the enemy’s eyes!

Failed to remain unnoticed? – Brave animals standing on their hind legs scare small offenders with a threatening pose. The hamster often uses its teeth to attack the enemy.

The sounds that the hamsters themselves, inhabiting the Panama highlands, can make are also life-saving. These sounds are similar to singing.

Therefore, these hamsters were nicknamed singing:

With these sounds they notify other hamsters of their rights to the territory where their rivals accidentally wandered.
With these same sounds, in their “hamster” language, the animals ask each other for help.

Nature itself protects wild hamsters from enemies. She gives some species of hamsters a white coat for the winter instead of the usual one, which blends into the background created by the habitat. By becoming invisible in the snow to a larger predator, the hamster is almost invulnerable to its teeth and claws!

Those who are not entitled to such a “dowry” have to sleep in their mink for almost five months a year!

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Video “Forest black hamster”

This video was shared by a summer resident who accidentally came across an amazingly beautiful forest tree in his garden.

Hamsters are the most popular pets along with guinea pigs And decorative rabbits. Most often, these rodents are the first animals that parents buy for their children - after all, caring for hamsters is easy, they are active and eat almost everything.

In the broad sense of the word, the suborder hamsters includes more than 530 species of cheeky rodents, but only 19 of them are considered real, and the rest are more close to mice and rats.

Description of hamsters

The body size of hamsters is small: length varies from 5 to 15 cm, large species can reach 35 centimeters in length.

The main difference between hamsters and other small rodents is their short tail, about 4-6 cm. But with their squat legs, small ears, sharp incisors and dark beady eyes, they, on the contrary, are very similar to other mice. But one part of their body is much more developed - the so-called cheek pouches. They are located along the inner surface of the cheeks and reach the ears. These formations, for example, in a large common hamster 30 cm long, are capable of storing up to 50 g of grain. Thanks to their cheek pouches, hamsters can collect and carry large amounts of food.

The color of hamsters' fur is quite uniform: dark (gray or brownish) back, white throat and belly. Some species have a black "strap" along the upper body. Sexual dimorphism is practically not expressed; females can be slightly larger than males.

Hamster distribution

Hamsters are common in Western Europe, on Far East. Their habitats are predominantly dry open steppes, deserts and fields. South African hamsters, as their name suggests, live in South Africa.

Since hamsters inhabit open spaces, they have to travel considerable distances every day in search of food. This task is easily accomplished by agile and nimble animals. But at home, in a cramped cage, in addition to easily accessible and high-calorie food, little fluffies quickly gain weight, get sick and die early. A wheel in which he will enjoy spending time will help preserve the hamster's longevity.

Habitat and lifestyle of hamsters

Living in temperate climatic zone, face winter cold. Animals solve this problem in different ways: some lead an inactive lifestyle, others fall into short-term sleep, and still others, for example, common hamster, — they spend the entire cold season sleeping, interrupting only for a hearty snack.

Hamsters are very thrifty animals.

By the way, all types of hamsters are thrifty. In the fall, they fill the storage facilities with impressive volumes of grub. It happens that in one hole they find from 10 to 90 kg of food. In China and Korea, peasants search for hamster holes from which they can extract a bag of good grain. The burrows of these rodents are quite long (up to 2.5 m).

Hamster nutrition

The basis of the hamsters' diet is plant food - cereal seeds, grains, sometimes they give preference to green shoots and root vegetables. From time to time, in order to saturate the body with protein, animals eat larvae and adult insects (ants, locusts). There have been situations where hamsters killed mice.

Khomkas are loners in life and do not tolerate neighbors. This must be taken into account when keeping a hamster in captivity, since long-term cohabitation of several individuals in the same cage can provoke aggression. In such cases, even romantic feelings may not save a male who lingers in the female’s territory after mating - she can easily kill her partner.

In addition, when under stress, a hamster can be aggressive towards its owner and even towards its own offspring. But, if in the first case the animal is able to bite painfully, then in the second - it simply eats the cubs. Otherwise, we can say about the hamster that it is a timid, curious animal that quickly gets used to its owners.

Reproduction of hamsters

According to the type of sexual behavior, hamsters are polygamous animals. This means that males can mate with multiple females.

As a rule, fathers do not take part in the further care of their offspring. Some species do raise young offspring together, such as Campbell's hamsters. In captivity, all parental instincts somehow fade away.

Pregnancy in all types of cheeky fluffies lasts on average 18-20 days. Often, after giving birth, the female can mate again. It turns out that the newly pregnant hamster is feeding the first litter. A hamster's litter ranges from 5 to 18 hamsters. During the year, one female living in natural environment, can give several offspring. In captivity, the fertility of hamsters increases significantly, but frequent mating greatly weakens the female’s body.

Hamsters grow very quickly, and at the age of 20 days they no longer require feeding from the female. Puberty they experience it at 6-8 weeks. In nature, these animals rarely live to the age of one year, as they have a huge number of enemies - these are foxes, wild cats, birds. And in captivity, rodents can live for several years.

To do this, you should organize a cage with frequent metal bars. It will be easy for the animal to escape through the large gaps between the bars, and then it will take a long time to search for the rodent around the apartment. For the same reason, a cage with wooden rods or a cardboard box is not suitable as housing, because it costs nothing for an animal to gnaw through its home and run away. You can set up an aquarium for a hamster, but a tall and narrow glass container is not suitable for keeping it pet, since it exhibits the greenhouse effect.

It must be remembered that hamsters are characterized by cleanliness and housekeeping, so you should divide the cage into sections: a common area, where the rodent will rest and run; a house where he can hide, sleep, and breed; and a “pantry” where the animal can always hide its supplies, return and refresh itself; a drinking bowl is also installed here. A wheel is installed in the general compartment.

The wheel is an indispensable attribute in a hamster cage.

The hamster's house should have a removable roof to make cleaning easier. You should also make sure you have a tray with odor-absorbing filler and change it once a week. Periodically, the pet needs to place a container with sand in the cage in which the hamster will bathe.

At home, these rodents are fed dry food: oats, wheat, millet, corn, peas, and cereals. It is also necessary to include in their diet carrots, beets, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet pepper, zucchini, pumpkin, dill, parsley, lettuce, dandelion leaves, plantain, clover. After a meal, the remains of such food must be removed so that fermentation does not begin.

Periodically, especially during the period of pregnancy of the female and feeding of the offspring, the hamster needs to be given protein food: boiled eggs, meat. In addition, it is important to provide mineral supplements so that the animal’s body is saturated with calcium and its incisors are sharpened correctly.

A hamster “house” should have many rooms.

In addition to products that are important for a hamster, there is a list of foods that are strictly contraindicated for fluffies. Rodents are excluded from the diet pasta, sunflower seeds, nuts, bananas, pears, apples, grapes, berries - all this leads to obesity and development diabetes mellitus at the animal.

It is strictly forbidden to give spicy, sour, sweet and starchy foods: currants, gooseberries, barberries, melon, watermelons, any citrus fruits. In addition, your hamster should also be kept away from potatoes, onions, garlic, sorrel and cabbage.

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Many people are well acquainted with hamsters as pets, cute animals, funny and friendly.

But in nature, these inhabitants are dangerous animals, which even outwardly differ significantly from their tamed counterparts. They pose a threat to both humans and the crops grown on garden plot.

Features and habitat

In 1930, they were caught in Syria hamster-like animal. Interest in this animal was based on the search for the “Syrian mouse”, with which children played back in Ancient Assyria. His offspring became the progenitors of the modern large family of hamsters.

Distribution of rodents in Central Asia, steppe areas Eastern Europe, and then widespread expansion to China and the United States was partly due to the use of animals as laboratory material and the domestication of unpretentious creatures. In total, there are over 20 species of self-spreading rodents of the main breed of the steppe hamster (common).

Pictured is a steppe hamster

This is a small animal up to 35 cm long, with a dense body, a large head on a short neck. The tail reaches 5 cm. Weight averages up to 600-700 g. Small ears, antennae on the muzzle and black expressive eyes in the form of large beads create a cute appearance for a fluffy bun on short legs with fingers armed with short claws for digging holes and holes.

The animal is protected by sharp and strong teeth, which are renewed throughout its life. A hamster's coat consists of a base of hair and dense undercoat, which provides protection even on sub-zero cold days. The coat color is most often yellow or brown; tricolor spotted, black and white individuals are less common.

There are over 40 bred varieties in shades of red, orange and gray, spots different forms and locations. Distribution area animal hamsters wide due to their unpretentiousness. It can adapt almost anywhere: mountainous places, steppes, forest belts, suburbs - it takes refuge in burrows from enemies and bad weather.

The main living condition is the availability of food. They are very fond of areas along grain fields, often placing their burrows directly on arable land. Various pesticides and herbicides in land cultivation force animals to leave their homes and move to other places. Human settlements attract people with an abundance of food, so steppe inhabitants often visit barns and courtyard buildings with supplies.

A special feature of hamsters is their amazing thriftiness. The holes reach gigantic size compared to the size of animals: up to 7 m wide and up to 1.5 m deep. In storage facilities, the weight of accumulated food is hundreds of times greater than the weight of an average-sized hamster.

Special cheek pouches in the form of elastic folds of skin make it possible to carry up to 50 grams of food by increasing the volume several times. Farmers suffer losses from hamster robberies. Entire systems have been developed to counter rodent infestations. They themselves are also the object of hunting in nature for birds of prey and , and .

Character and lifestyle

By nature, hamsters are loners, aggressive against anyone who encroaches on their territory. They protect their possessions up to 10-12 hectares in size. The size of the enemy does not matter; there are known cases of rodent attacks on.

If related rodents run away from meeting a person, steppe hamsters may attack. Rodent bites are painful, can cause infection with many diseases, and leave lacerations.

Ruthlessness manifests itself even towards its own individuals. The weaker ones will not escape alive from their strong and toothy relatives if they consider them an enemy during mating time or simply notice an unwanted guest near their reserves. The activity of the animals manifests itself at twilight. Hamsters are nocturnal animals. During the day they hide in holes, gaining strength for fearless hunting.

Deep dwellings are located 2-2 meters underground. If the soil allows, the hamster will go as deep as possible into the soil. The living chamber is equipped with three exits: two “doors” for ease of movement, and the third leads to a pantry with supplies for the winter animal life.

The hamster uses the accumulated food only during hungry, frosty times and at the beginning of spring. In other seasons, food consists of feed external environment. Above the burrows there are always dug piles of earth, sprinkled with grain husks. If cobwebs have accumulated at the entrance, then the home is abandoned; hamsters keep the houses clean.

Not all hamsters hibernate; some species even turn white so that their forays into the snow cover are unnoticeable. Those who severe weather They wait in shallow sleep, periodically staying awake to refresh themselves with accumulated reserves. When the earth begins to warm up, in February, March or early April, it is time for the final awakening.

But before leaving completely, the hamster will still feast on supplies, gain strength, and then open the entrances and exits of the hole. The males emerge from the burrows first, and the females a little later.

Peaceful relations between them are established only during the marriage period, otherwise they exist on equal terms. Hamsters' ability to swim well is amazing. They inflate their cheek pouches like a life jacket that keeps them afloat.

Hamster nutrition

The diet of rodents is varied and largely depends on the region where they live. Grain crops will predominate near the fields, and vegetable and fruit food will prevail near human habitation. It is not uncommon for hamsters to attack young chicks if there is no one to protect them.

On the way to vegetable gardens or orchards, animals will not refuse medium-sized and small animals. The diet is dominated by plant foods: corn grains, potatoes, pea pods, rhizomes of various herbs and small shrubs.

Near a person's home hamsters eat everything, he is an excellent poacher. Residents always try to get rid of such neighbors. Whatever hamsters eat, winter supplies are collected from various grains and plant seeds.

Reproduction and lifespan of a hamster

Hamsters reproduce quickly and actively due to the fact that the male has several families. If he is defeated by a strong relative in a mating dispute, then he will always have another female to continue the race.

Offspring are born several times a year, each litter consisting of 5-15 cubs. Having appeared blind and bald, hamsters already have teeth, and on the third day they are covered with fluff. After a week they begin to see. At first they live in the nest under the close supervision of the mother.

The female can even take care of other people's babies. But the children, if they don’t accept the foundling, they can crush him. In nature, animals do not live long, up to 2-3 years. In captivity, with good care, lifespan pet hamsters increases to 4-5 years.

It is interesting that small cubs, 1-2 months old, when entering the home world of people, are not aggressive. Buy a hamster for a child, you can fearlessly, you just need to remember that his quick departure can become a psychological trauma.

At the same time, it is useful even for children to distinguish Norman the hamster popular cartoon And living creature with your own needs and character.

Tame and playful hamsters, for example, will bring joy and excitement to any family. But the little steppe resident requires care and attention to his needs. A hamster can become a favorite of both children and adults.