What wild hamsters don't like. Where do common wild steppe hamsters live?

Appearance wild hamsters in the garden or summer cottage brings a lot of trouble to their owners. Unlike domestic furry pets, which cannot eat a lot of things, a wild hamster is omnivorous and is capable of destroying fruits, vegetables, root crops and grain crops in the countryside.

Owners of household plots, in order to protect and preserve their crops, must know the basic rules for dealing with hamsters, which cause a lot of trouble.

Before you start breeding animals, you need to remember that their mucous membrane is a breeding ground for numerous infections (more than thirty species). When you start hunting for hamsters, you first need to think about protecting your hands from bites and how to kill a hamster without harming your own health.

The main difference wild species from domesticated individuals is a tri-color coat color. You can also distinguish them thanks to physiological feature animals - the appearance of cheek pouches intended for transporting food, the reserves of which they constantly replenish.

The main reason why you need to get rid of hamsters is that even though these animals are loners, if a nourishing place is found, their relatives will immediately find out about it. Also, the wild species of rodents is quite prolific. In a year, one female can give birth to up to three litters (this is about forty babies), which in two months will independently reproduce and in the warm season can quickly populate vast territories and destroy almost everything that can be eaten.

Signs of hamsters appearing in a summer cottage

Wild species of rodents are not afraid of humans. Fighting hamsters in the garden is a troublesome task. If there is a lot of food in your area, then the animal will live peacefully and often not in one copy.

At a time when his reserves are in danger, he can put up violent resistance and attack a person, protecting his bins.

Signs of a rodent appearing in a suburban area are:

Presence of holes and tracks.
Numerous passages and paths along which animals move.
Digging for tubers.
Damaged fruits or their remains after being eaten.
The bark at the bottom of trees or bushes has been eaten.

If you discover trails, burrows or other signs of rodent habitation, you should immediately look for effective ways how to get rid of hamsters in the garden.

One effective way extermination of wild hamsters has not yet been invented. Everyone chooses for themselves the most acceptable method from many existing ones.

Methods for controlling field hamsters

To expel pests, the following control methods are considered the most common:

Everyone chooses for themselves the most appropriate way to deal with hamsters. The choice of control method depends on personal preferences and capabilities.

Traditional methods of rodent control

They are also used to clean gardens from pests. traditional methods fighting hamsters:

Usage wood ash. It is crushed and poured into burrows. The alkali contained in it corrodes the paws of rodents.
Place a mixture of wheat flour and alabaster near the burrows, next to which a container of water is placed. After eating the dry mixture, the animals drink water. When it enters the stomach, the alabaster hardens and the pest dies.
The wine cork is crushed and mixed with bread, adding sunflower oil to the mixture to bind the components. After entering the rodent's stomach, the pieces of cork swell and clog the intestines, which leads to the death of the animal.
Sugar is mixed with quicklime and placed in holes. After eating, the stomach gets burns and after ten to fifteen minutes the hamster dies.

Also, to prevent the appearance of pests, you can plant the area with plants whose aroma rodents cannot tolerate.

Conclusion

The considered methods of combating the field or common hamster have both advantages and disadvantages. The destruction of rodents in gardens, preserving the integrity of the harvest of vegetables, fruits and other crops is the main task of every owner of a personal plot. Existing methods allow everyone to choose the most suitable large quantity presented.

Common wild hamster ( Cricetus cricetus) is the only true representative of his kind of Hamster family and lives freely in natural environment a habitat. About its features appearance and life functions, as well as the possibility of keeping them at home later in the article.

What does a wild hamster look like?

The wild hamster has the following distinctive features:

body length reaches 27-34 cm;
average weight – 700 grams;
muzzle of moderate length;
the ears are relatively short, covered with thin dark hair;
the tail is thick at the base, tapering towards the end, 3-8 cm long. Covered with short, stiff hair;
the hand and foot are wide, the fingers have developed claws;
limbs are short. Sometimes it seems that the hamster is crawling;
The body hair is dense but soft.

The color of the animal is yellow or reddish-brown with black undercoat. There is a black and white pattern on the body. The abdomen is black, on the sides there are light spots separated by black areas. There are light spots behind the ears, on the sides of the head (may be in the area of the shoulder blades).

There are exclusively black specimens (melanists), some black with white spots on the paws and throat. The color becomes lighter in the direction from north to south within the range.

Did you know? According to a translation from the ancient Avestan languagethe word "hamster" means "an enemy who throws to the ground." To pick up seeds, rodents bend plant stems to the ground.

Where do hamsters live in the wild?

The hamster prefers meadows, mixed-grass steppes and forest-steppes. The distribution area extends from Southern and Central Europe in the west to Minusinsk steppe zone in the east, in the south it descends to Northwestern China. There is an expansion of the range due to the destruction of forests.

The animal does not climb high into the mountains, maximum height above sea level, where you can meet it - 1.5 kilometers. The hamster does not shy away from human proximity; it can make a home in the garden, vegetable garden, and sometimes in residential premises.

Lifestyle and character

The animal is endowed with decent size and reaches the dimensions of a large rat. Leads alone, more twilight image life, likes to make new passages in its burrow, and stores food for the winter.

Likes dry ones sandy soils steppes and forest-steppe regions, where it does not cost him much effort to dig underground passages in a hole. It is also often found in meadow and agricultural areas, and can adapt to existence in mountain areas.

In the cold winter time hides in a deep burrow underground (where there are storage rooms and bedrooms) and hibernates in winter, but can wake up to eat. For convenience, the hamster lines the burrow chambers with grass, which it replaces as it becomes dirty.

What does a common hamster eat?

The animal has an excellent appetite and is not picky about food, but the food plant origin prevail in his diet. In the spring and summer, the hamster loves to feast on insects and their larvae, and does not disdain small mice, reptiles, and amphibians (small vertebrates).

In autumn-winter, switches to food from different types seeds and tubers, the reserves of which are in sufficient quantities (from 0.5 to 16 kg) in his bins. In some cases, storerooms with supplies up to 90 kg were discovered.

The granaries are dominated by grains of wheat, rice, millet, buckwheat, lentils, lupine, as well as potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn. The animal feeds on them at the moment of temporary wakefulness from hibernation And in early spring until young green shoots appear.

Special pouches behind the hamster’s cheeks are designed for short-term storage of food. He is able to carry about 50 grams of grains (other food) to his home at a distance of more than a kilometer, supporting the bags with his front paws, and with them he takes food out of them.

Often the cheeks hang down to the animal’s shoulders due to the overfilling of the sacs.
The hardworking, thrifty hamster also separates the grains by variety and puts each one separately.

The process of absorbing food occurs while sitting on its hind legs, and the hamster eats with its front legs: it stuffs food into one cheek, then the other, and quickly chews the contents.

Did you know? The common hamster is an excellent swimmer. The cheek pouches filled with air help him a lot when swimming.

Reproduction

The lifespan of the described animal reaches four years in natural conditions, and in captivity - six.

The breeding season begins in April and ends in October. The female is ready for mating at the age of 2.5–3 months. Since the embryos stay in the mother’s womb for only 16 days, during the specified period of time the female manages to bear 2-3 offspring.
The number of babies varies from 8 to 20, but more often it stops at 10. Males appear in females’ burrows only for mating, immediately leave their partner and do not take part in raising the offspring. Newborns weigh only 4–6 grams.

Babies develop extremely quickly. The lactation period lasts 3 weeks, but after a week the cubs are able to eat solid food (for example, grass). Two-week-old hamsters open their eyes and become covered with dense fur. The mother is responsible for the safety of the children.

In case of danger, the female carries the babies to a safe place in the cheek pouches.

It is not uncommon for first litter babies to give birth to their babies by the end of summer.

Conservation status

Until 1960, the soft-haired animal was the object of the fur trade in Czechoslovakia, Germany and the USSR. A sharp decline in numbers forced the cessation of fur harvesting in the middle of the 20th century. Countries Western Europe approved national programs to ensure the conservation of this species.
These include Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Belarus and Ukraine. It is also protected in five constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The number of animals is unchanged in Siberia and Kazakhstan, and the number of animals in Krasnodar region, Azov region Rostov region deals significant damage agriculture. Although the total number of the species continues to decrease.

Did you know? Smart hamsters can remember their name and perform some tricks.

Is it possible to keep in captivity?

The common hamster is extremely unpretentious. A low, medium-sized cage made of metal is quite suitable for him, while a wooden cage will not resist a gnawing animal. Liberation threatens you with damaged furniture, chewed up books, shoes, and clothes.
The animal arranges the comfort in its home according to its taste and the level of illumination of the room. The dark place will belong to the rest area, the light place to the toilet, and opposite it he will arrange a pantry (often next to the nest).

He will do the rest himself, just put pieces of fabric, cardboard, soft paper. All you need to do is cover the floor with fine sawdust.

Omnivorous hamsters, in addition to grains and tubers at home, like to enjoy bread, lean boiled meat (raw is not allowed), sometimes you can offer unsalted lard. Add oil solutions of vitamins A, D, E to food once a week, a drop per animal.

For convenience, install a feeder and drinker. Change the water to clean water daily.

Place the sleeping house in a secluded place in your home - make it from a wooden box with a side entrance corresponding to the size of the hamster, or use an inverted, overstuffed clay flower pot.
Thrifty hamsters continue to organize food warehouses, even when there is no need for this. Feeders filled with provisions are emptied not only during feeding, but also by putting what they need into the pantry.

Important! For the sake of your pet's peace of mind, do not destroy its storage, just check for spoiled food.

A clean hamster loves cleanliness and maintains it. He arranges the toilet in one place and uses it carefully. Cleaning of the cage and the contents of the toilet should be carried out regularly and in a timely manner - at least once a week, the toilet more often.

Do everything calmly, without sudden movements or noisy exclamations. Unpleasant odors can be eliminated with a 0.2% bleach solution.

good physical fitness A running wheel will help keep your hamster healthy: without movement, the animal will lose its attractive appearance and quickly grow old. You can make it yourself or purchase it in specialized stores.
It is vital for rodents to sharpen their teeth daily, otherwise they will grow too large and can harm the animal. The best option in this case, it will become a mineral salt stone, which will also supply the body with useful mineral components.

Plant foods (predominant in the animal's diet) contain a lot of potassium, but no sodium. Table salt eliminates this deficiency, as it is sodium chloride. In addition, chlorine and sodium are present in the blood. Buy a stone with a special attachment to the cage - this will make it cleaner.

Important! Do not replace the mineral salt stone with a piece of regular table salt. Excessive amounts of salt accidentally eaten can cause poisoning.

Having obtained the necessary knowledge with the help of our article, apply it in practice - and then hamsters will delight you with their presence and excellent health for a long time.

Wild hamster in natural environment does not live as long as its domestic counterpart. This is due to more harsh conditions life, daily forcing these little animals to fight a number of negative external factors. They have many enemies: foxes, ferrets, kites, weasels. And this is not the entire list. And farmers have a negative attitude towards them, since with their raids in search of food they cause significant damage to agricultural land.

Description

Hamsters are mammals from the order Rodents and the Hamster family. There are about 19 species of wild hamsters, differing in appearance and size. The smallest representative has a body length that does not exceed 5 cm, and the largest - 35 cm.

The body is dense, the head is small, with a sharp muzzle and mustache. They have 16 teeth that do not stop growing throughout their lives. Therefore, they mercilessly grind them off on various hard objects.

Young animals have soft and silky fur, but with age it begins to coarse. Color may vary:

sandy;
creamy;
brown;
golden;
gray;
white.

Black hamsters are rare.

A characteristic feature of all species is the presence of capacious cheek pouches in which the animals hide food.

In wild hamsters, females look much more respectable than males. These rodents - excellent swimmers and divers.

Wild hamsters have a fairly extensive habitat, covering Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia, as well as Syria, South Korea, Iran, China and Mongolia, Siberia. Mostly animals live in steppes, forests, and deserts. Some species rise high into the mountains, up to 2.5 thousand meters above sea level. Rodents love to nest near human settlements.

The most common types of hamsters are shown in the table.

Name	Description and habitat	Photos of species representatives
Steppe or ordinary	The most aggressive representative, capable of attacking even larger animals and humans. They often attack their fellows in mating season to eliminate an opponent. Lead nightlife, and during the day they hide in underground passages at a depth of up to 1.5 meters. In their lair they are able to collect quite substantial reserves of food, about 90 kg. This is quite understandable, since for the winter they settle in a hole without leaving. This hamster zealously protects his personal possessions from any encroachment from the outside. Females and males settle separately
Forest	Despite this name, these hamsters live not only in forests, but also in deserts and prairies. Often found near human habitation, in gardens and vegetable gardens. They do not have a single way of life: they live in pairs and alone, sleep and wake in different time. When near humans, hamsters prefer to sleep during the day and at night steal brush and build nests for themselves. They are usually located on trees. On winter period do not hibernate, but can become numb
Field	Found in Canada, Ecuador and Colombia. Mainly live in thickets tropical forests, beware of farmland. Sometimes found in swampy areas and prairies. They have an unusual multi-colored color. The tail is covered with small scales below and fluffy above. The body is from 5 to 20 cm long, depending on age
Dzungarian	The most studied species, which is most often subjected to domestication. Habitat: Central and Central Asia, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan. They were spotted in Altai. They prefer steppe and semi-desert areas. They are small in size: body length is about 10 cm. They are active at dusk and at night. They dig intricate labyrinthine holes with several entrances. They don’t sleep in winter, sometimes they jump outside to get food.
Syrian (golden)	It has a dense build, with a body length of up to 15 cm, a tail of 1.5-2 cm. It can be golden or light cream in color with a whitish belly. The weight of an adult reaches 130 grams. They live about 4 years. They live in Siberia and Turkey. Due to its limited range, the population is included in the Red Book

Lifestyle and nutrition

A characteristic feature of all hamsters is their solitary existence. Females and males live separately and only unite at the time of mating. Each has its own territory, which they jealously protect from the invasion of their own kind. Rodents dig holes for themselves in the form of long and intricate labyrinths underground, sometimes with a total length of up to three meters, and equip several spacious compartments there. They store food in them. This is how they prepare for non-stop living during the winter.

All hamsters are very thrifty and in the fall they fill their storage rooms with a fairly impressive amount of food (up to 90 kg). In Korea and China, poor people conduct a special search for hamster holes in order to collect grain for food.

The diet of hamsters includes both plant and animal foods., depends on the habitat. If there are grain fields nearby, then they will eat mainly grain.

Hamsters do not disdain insects and dead animals. If hamster settlements are located near summer cottages, then the menu is dominated by vegetables and other crops grown in gardens. Only they are not suitable as a winter reserve, so hamsters have to periodically raid barns in search of grain. In a particularly hungry year, there are cases of rodent attacks on chickens.

Hamsters eat:

berries;
young shoots of trees;
foliage and plant roots;
fruits;
seeds and grains;
wheat, corn;
potato tubers, carrots, cabbage, beets;
legumes;
insects: locusts, grasshoppers, moths, ants, caterpillars, earthworms.

The animals usually go out for prey at night. Taste preferences they may differ depending on the species and place of residence. Thus, dormouse hamsters love to eat avocados and bananas, and mouse-like hamsters love pistachios.

Membranaceae periodically feed on seafood:

crayfish;
shellfish;
crabs;
fish.

Many types, for example common hamster, they hibernate for about five cold months. Only when very hungry do they wake up to refresh themselves and fall asleep again. As a result of a slowdown in metabolism during this period, they can easily survive harsh winter. Others continue to lead an active lifestyle and periodically go to the surface for food. Awakening usually occurs in February, when the ground thaws.

Getting out doesn't happen right away. For about a month, the underground inhabitants still sit in their burrows, eating up the remaining supplies. Only after a month do they open the passages. Immediately after hibernation, hamsters begin to collect preserved seeds and grains in the fields, then the turn of young shoots comes. The animals are not averse to tasting meat if weakened or wounded animals are encountered along the way.

They themselves do not hunt, with the exception of steppe hamsters. These are the most aggressive members of the family, and sometimes they even attack rabbits.

The lifespan of rodents is determined not only by living conditions, but also by belonging to a particular species. On average, the period varies from 2 to 7 years. In the wild, most die prematurely because they become prey large predators and birds: foxes, gray herons, kites, badgers, owls. There are frequent cases of their young being eaten by rooks and crows.

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 cereal crops remain preferred, as do plant-based foods: 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). The male hamster is friendly with his females during the mating season. 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 fast 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 you put so much work.

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

Where does a hamster live in the wild and what varieties are there? You may need to know the answers to these questions if your children ask to have a furry animal at home. Knowing how many years hamsters live and what kind of care they need, you can take optimal solution regarding whether you need such a pet. First, let's look at the features of the species.

Where does a hamster live?

In the mid-nineteenth century, a small furry animal was captured. Zoologist Waterhouse had never seen such a creature before. Having been brought to Europe, the animals began to breed in captivity. They were called Syrian golden hamsters. It turned out that they can become one of the most unpretentious pets. Where does it live in nature? Its habitat is the foothills, meadows and steppes of the Balkans, Turkey and Iran.

Another variety of these animals - Djungarian hamsters - lives in Central Asia And Southern Siberia. They adapt well to a wide variety of climate conditions. The mouse-like hamster lives in the mountains; it prefers semi-desert areas with rocky areas. It is very small in size. It is often confused with In the voids among the stones where the hamster lives, it makes burrows and can easily climb up embankments and cracks. For these small animals, winter is not an easy test; they prepare for it in advance. By autumn, the hamster's weight increases. Moreover, if the winter promises to be harsh, more fat appears around the neck and in the front of the body. This not only protects the animal from the cold, but also provides a source of nutrition during the cold months. In addition to subcutaneous reserves, the hamster also makes preparations in its underground pantry.

Some species of these animals can store up to ten kilograms of seeds and grains in their burrows. After the first frost sets in, small animals close the entrance to their home from the inside. But they do not hibernate, but continue to lead a less active lifestyle. Sometimes they come to the surface. Hamsters living in the northern regions change color in the winter - their fur coat turns white to provide good camouflage in the snow.

Should I have a furry animal at home?

Hamsters live (the years during which they will stay with you are enough to become attached to them) do not last long - one and a half or two years. So immediately think about the stress your family members (especially children) will experience when your pet dies. If you are ready to survive this shock in the future, and can also devote some time every day to caring for the animal, then feel free to get a hamster. The tiny rodent requires very little space for itself. Setting up a cage is not difficult - the hamster loves to climb tunnels and rocks. It will have to be cleaned regularly, as well as the water changed and the feeder refilled daily. Even children as young as eight or nine years old can perform these manipulations. Hamsters also have negative traits. The constant need to chew something can pose a threat to your apartment. However, if you carefully monitor the rodent, it will not be able to cause significant harm.