Blind white hamsters with red eyes. Albino hamsters

Have you decided to have a little one in your home? pet, and your choice fell on a hamster? But what breed of these little rodents should you choose?

Today we will look at the characteristics of some breeds of hamsters, the history of the origin of these breeds, and also give you recommendations and advice on how to care for representatives of such “hamster” families...

Syrian hamster - a confusing story

The first written evidence of what a Syrian hamster looks like was recorded back in 1840. And this is what was discussed in this testimony -

This type of hamster is smaller in size than ordinary hamsters, and its fur is golden yellow in color. The coat itself is moderately long and very soft, with a silky gloss. The deep yellow color spreads from the upper part of the rodent's body, covering the head area, body, and outer surface of the limbs. In all other parts of the rodent's body, the fur is brown or even lead-colored at its base. The hamster's hind legs and tail are white. The ears are medium in size and have long light hairs on the outside. The mustache is of different types, with black and white mustaches...

A little later, these hamsters were again smuggled into England, from where they gradually again spread throughout Europe. True, now they live like pets, easy to care for and interesting to watch. Nothing is known about what happened to the 5 fugitives who escaped from the laboratory.

Of all the hamster breeds, this breed is distinguished by its large size. So, for example, the body length of a male of this breed can reach as much as 34 centimeters. These hamsters also have long tail– which is 4 centimeters long and looks like a rat’s tail. The muzzle of such hamsters is very similar to the muzzle of an ordinary rodent, only the ears are small and covered with thin and dark hairs. The paws of representatives of this breed are short with well-developed claws, which this hamster always keeps fully armed in order to take revenge on the offender or stand up for himself. The coat is thick and soft, but the color is quite contrasting - the top of the body of the common hamster is covered with reddish-brown hair, and the abdomen is covered with dark, black or brown hair. Although there are cases where representatives of this breed were completely black in color, or had characteristic white spots in the area of ​​​​the paws and throat.

There are as many as 10 subspecies of this breed of hamster, however, due to their rather large size, they are rarely kept as pets.

As for the issues of caring for an ordinary hamster, this is a completely standard set of recommendations and tips that can be applied to any rodent.

How to find out the breed of a hamster? To understand the types of these rodents, you need to know their main features. We will help you in this matter: we will tell you what breeds of hamsters there are. So let's get started.

There are more than 240 species of hamsters in the world. They live in different countries and even on different continents. As a rule, they live in the steppe, forest-steppe or in deserts and semi-deserts. Although sometimes hamsters can be found in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 2.5 thousand meters above sea level.

These animals dig holes for themselves (complicated) with different turns, passages and, of course, storerooms. As you know, hamsters are thrifty animals. Some representatives stock up to one hundred kilograms. At night, the animal goes hunting. Hamsters eat plant and animal foods.

Their coat colors are different (ash, brown and others).

What types of hamsters are there? Now we will take a closer look at the types of these small rodents. Let's start with the most popular.

Common hamster

This is a very beautiful animal, its body length does not exceed 30 cm. It comes in different colors. Lives in Northern Kazakhstan, southern Europe and Western Siberia.

The common hamster builds complex burrows, the depth of which reaches 2.5 m. In mid-August, the animal begins to stock up on various foods: potatoes, carrots, grain, etc. This is what the rodent eats in the cold season, when it wakes up and fills its stomach with a new portion of food, and also in the spring - until the required amount of fresh food appears.

In summer he eats roots, small insects, herbs and seeds. The female gives birth several times between April and October. As a rule, there are ten cubs in a brood.

Cis-Caucasian hamster

As the name implies, this species lives in the Ciscaucasia and Northern Caucasus. The body length of such a hamster is on average 23 cm, and the tail is 1.2 cm. Its legs and nose are reddish, the top is brown, and the bottom is black.

Transcaucasian hamster

This rodent lives in the foothills of Dagestan, at an altitude of 500 m above sea level. Its body length is about 16 cm, and its tail is 2.5-3 cm. This animal is very similar to its Caucasian “brother”, but its abdomen is gray and its chest is white.

rat hamster

The hamster lives in Korea, China and Primorye. The length of its body is about 23 cm, and its tail is 8 cm. The color is gray-brown. The burrows of the rat-shaped hamster are distinguished by a particularly complex design.

Now let's look at the breeds of hamsters that are suitable for home keeping.

Gray hamster

The rodent lives in the European part of Russia, in the south of Western Siberia. This is a breed of small hamsters. These animals are approximately the same in size as the Dzungarian ones. The body length is 11 cm, and the tail is 2.5 cm. The ears are round, small, and the muzzle is sharp. The colors are different. You can find both a smoky-gray rodent and a reddish-sand one.

A representative of this breed feeds on plant seeds and insects. Stocks up for the winter.

The breeding season is April-October. There are up to three litters per season. Pregnancy lasts twenty days, and there are seven cubs in the litter. The animal rarely hibernates.

If you are going to get such a pet, then know that its care and maintenance are exactly the same as for Djungarian and golden hamsters.

Daurian hamster

The rodent is widespread in Transbaikalia and the Irtysh. The body length is on average 10 cm, and the tail is 2.7 cm. The color is reddish or brown, the bottom is gray, and a black stripe stretches along the forehead and back. IN winter time hibernates for a year, but not for long.

Transbaikal hamster

The rodent lives in Transbaikalia. Outwardly similar to the Daurian, but lighter, and its body length is slightly shorter. Diet: insects and seeds.

Long-tailed hamster

Lives in Sayan, Transbaikalia and Tuva. The body length is a little more than 10 cm, and the tail is about 4 cm. The color is dark gray, ears with a white border, and the abdomen is light.

It feeds on cereals, seeds and insects. In winter, it hibernates. It breeds in late spring and summer, with an average litter of 7 young.

Eversmann's hamster

The hamster is slightly larger than the house mouse. The ears are small, slightly rounded at the ends, and the muzzle is pointed. There are different colors. You can see ash-sand hamster, fawn-red and black-and-white.

The fur is velvety and soft. Hamsters feed on seeds, shoots of cereals, and sometimes eat larvae and insects. During the year, the female gives birth to three litters of four cubs.

Mongolian hamster

The animal lives in the semi-deserts of Tuva. Body length is about thirteen centimeters. The color is light gray. It feeds on seeds, insects and rhizomes. Such an animal is very active; the female brings several litters per year, with an average of ten cubs. In winter, the rodent hibernates.

Now let's look at the most common breeds of domestic hamsters.

Djungarian hamster

This species is very well studied. The rodent lives in Western Siberia, Central Asia and in Kazakhstan.

This animal is half the size golden hamster. An adult reaches an average length of 10 cm. Outwardly, it is a very cute animal with a pointed muzzle and small ears. The back is brownish-gray with dark sides. The abdomen is light. A thin black stripe runs along the ridge. The ears are black and the paws are white. It becomes lighter in winter, especially if you live in a cool place.

Rodents are most active in the evening and at night. The main food is plants, insects and seeds.

Djungarian hamsters do not hibernate. From March to September, the female gives birth to cubs several times (from five to twelve).

The offspring mature quickly and begin to reproduce very early, at the age of about four months. The animals live well in captivity and are quickly tamed.

Siberian hamster

Lives in Tuva. This animal is very similar to the Djungarian hamster, but lighter. In winter it becomes almost white. It digs good holes, with several entrances.

Roborovsky's hamster

Lives in deserts. It feeds on cereals, seeds, and insects. The Roborovsky hamster is small in size, and the tail is also small. The paws and belly are white, the back is pinkish-fawn, and the ears are black with a white edge.

During the year, the female brings offspring several times, with six to seven babies in the litter.

Pregnancy lasts on average 20 days, puberty occurs at three weeks of age. The cubs open their eyes on the 13th day, and fur appears on the 7th day.

Syrian (golden) hamster

The rodent has a gentle disposition and is twice the size smaller than a rat. Its existence was first learned in 1839, but after a while this breed was considered extinct. In 1930, during an expedition to Syria, colonies of these rodents were spotted.

Such hamsters can reproduce already at one and a half months of age; the duration of pregnancy is about two weeks. At the age of twenty days, babies are already able to lead an independent life.

These rodents are best suited for keeping at home.

The hamster's body length is approximately 8 cm. The color is reddish-cinnamon or ocher-brown. By the way, it’s not uncommon for black or white hamster. The breed of rodents is very unusual; there are even more original colors, such as butterfly (spotted) or fawn (apricot).

The wool is soft and thick. There are golden hamsters with both short and long fur.

Field hamsters

Now let's look at other breeds of hamsters that belong to the genus Reithodontomus. Externally, these rodents are very similar to house mice. There are sixteen known species of field hamsters that live in Colombia, Canada and Ecuador. We are interested in the most common breeds of hamsters of this genus.

White-footed hamsters

Such rodents reach a length of 17 cm, and their body weight ranges from 20 to 60 g. The color varies, but the paws and abdominal side are always white.

IN forest conditions feed on seeds, fruits, berries and mushrooms.

White-footed hamsters have permanent pairs; the male does not abandon the young female even after the cubs are born. The duration of pregnancy is about four weeks. Independent kids become at one month of age. When are hamsters considered sexually mature? At the age of three months. They live for about two to three years in natural conditions, in captivity live up to six.

They breed all year round, the female brings five babies in each litter.

Taylor's dwarf hamster

A very small species, the rodent’s body length does not exceed 8 cm, and its weight is 8 g. The color is usually gray-cinnamon. The animal is widespread in Texas, Arizona, Central America and the island of Aruba. These creatures are usually active at night and feed mainly on vegetation. They reproduce throughout the year, but with varying intensity. As a rule, there are three cubs in a litter. In a year, a female can bear offspring ten to twelve times.

A newborn hamster weighs about one gram. During feeding, the male and female live in the same place and care for the babies together. This behavior is not typical for mouse-like rodents. At twenty days of age, hamsters leave their parental “house”. At 2.5 months they can already reproduce.

Altiplano hamsters

Rodents live on the plains of the Andes. Body length ranges from 8 to 17 cm. The fur is thick, soft, brownish-yellow tones. As a rule, they are active at night. They feed mainly on insects, although plant foods are also present in their diet.

Conclusion

Due to the fact that this article presents breeds of hamsters with photographs, you can examine the species you like in detail. You can even keep some representatives at home.

Instructions

Take a close look at the hamster. If the length of the body and tail:

4-5 cm, and the tail is practically absent - the smallest species is the Roborovsky hamster;

7.5-9 cm, tail 1.5-2 cm – Chinese hamster;

7.5-10 cm, tail 4-10 mm – Djungarian hamster, Campbell's hamster;

Determine the color of the hamster:

The next most common species is the Syrian hamster. Often inexperienced breeders of his Siberian, but this is wrong. The hamster has a golden-cream coat with characteristic light areas on the abdomen, tips of the paws and in the collar area. Such hamsters grow much larger than Djungarian hamsters and can reach a size of . With age, such a hamster's fur can grow very long. Depending on the type, Syrian hamsters are divided into long-haired, short-haired and hairless.

Many people confuse Djungarian hamsters with Campbell's hamsters. These two types are really very. Both refer to dwarf species and both have gray or smoky coats. But Campbell's hamster, different from the Djungarian, does not have a pronounced stripe on its back. Please note

Among rodent lovers, the white hamster with red eyes is especially prized. This color is obtained due to the genetic characteristics of the individual - if only white pigments are present, the coat color will be appropriate. Such animals are usually called albinos.

IN natural environment habitat, despite all its beauty, this coat color is a huge drawback. Day and night, it attracts the attention of predatory animals, which significantly complicates the life of the rodent: it spends all its time on the run, trying to hide from stronger representatives of the fauna.

But people like white fluffies. Specialists in the field of genetics are successfully working on breeding new species of white-haired rodents. However, many potential owners of these animals are wary of the myth that red-eyed hamsters are blind. In fact, this is not true: although rodents have naturally poor eyesight, they have excellent hearing and are good at sensing the approach of people.

Since white color is a purely genetic phenomenon, let's look at breeds of hamsters with red eyes, in which it is most common.

Dzungarian albino

Their main habitat is in southern steppes Siberian Russia. A burrow acts as a dwelling in nature. The maximum length barely reaches ten centimeters, and average weight equals 40 grams.

Their special feature is their huge cheek pouches. The estimated life expectancy at home is two to three years. In the natural environment this number is much lower. A small cage is required for maintenance. Feeding is carried out mainly with grain feed.

Campbell

Like the previous species, it belongs to the family of dwarf rodents. An inexperienced rodent lover can easily confuse them with the Djungarians, but the Campbell's are distinctive in character and appearance.

Campbell cats are characterized by small ears and no fur on their soles. Regarding behavior, hamsters of this species are difficult to train. In addition, they love to bite. When keeping several individuals, it is highly not recommended to leave them in a cage together: this can cause damage or even death.

Syrian hamsters

And the last breed whose representatives come across red eyes in a hamster is the Syrian rodents. If you do not take into account the white individuals, these animals are also called golden. It is considered relatively average in size.

The first mentions of the species date back to the 20th century. Homeland - territory Central Asia. Initially, these animals were used to conduct various experiments in laboratory conditions, but now they are more often found as pets.

The weight of representatives of the breed varies between one hundred and two hundred grams. They grow an average of 16 centimeters in length. The cheek pouches are even larger than those of Djungarian hamsters. When maintained at home, they live on average up to two and a half years. In rare cases, their age reaches three. But there have been cases where a Syrian hamster died at the age of seven, which is certainly a record.

Syrians are very active, almost constantly on the move. Despite this, they prefer to remain single. They do not like to mate, but when this happens, males and females immediately separate. Also, animals of this breed have strong immunity, which is a huge plus: they are not susceptible to various diseases.

With a responsible approach to buying a hamster, a person must collect as much information as possible about its proper maintenance, care, etc. This will certainly help in the future and help avoid many troubles. Pet stores can offer many various breeds these cute animals. Among them, the most common are the tiny and long-haired Syrian hamsters. A white hamster with red eyes is less attractive and even frightening to humans. This appearance gives rise to false assumptions about the disease and pathologies of the animal. But here it is important not to rush to conclusions and figure out why the hamster has red eyes.

Most often, the red-eyed hamster is absolutely healthy and ready to give the same strong offspring. The main thing is the ability to determine what contributed to such an unusual color. Below it will become clear exactly how to do this and you can easily figure out on your own why the hamster has red eyes. There are no other oddities in these eyes, only the color. So, there are several factors that influence color.

The international organization allows several colors, when red eyes in hamsters are considered the norm. Among them are white and ivory hamster. They are quite similar to each other, but they contrast sharply with others. There will be no spots or other darker inclusions on the fur, only white. This makes the red eyes and pink ears stand out even more. It would seem that this baby is no different from his relative, but his breed has not undergone mutational changes and is considered absolutely healthy.

Albinos

Why do hamsters have red eyes? It happens that the most ordinary hamster parents give birth to a baby whose fur does not even have a hint of pigmentation. No type of color suits him. It is for such special animals that the name albino was created. Every species of rodent sooner or later encounters such unusual representatives. Albinos are also found among most creatures on Earth.
Such fluffies are considered very valuable, since genes are responsible for the presence of pigment, but its absence is a random and natural result. These little ones have red or pinkish eyes. In nature, such rodents have a hard time, since their white fur gives them away dangerous situation That's why they don't live long. Well, in a cozy human house, hamsters feel calm and confident. The lifespan of pets is 3-4 years.

The health of albinos is quite fragile, which is worth remembering. The color of the coat and eyes are not the only differences from relatives; habits, character and size may also vary slightly. the albino, like an ordinary representative of the Syrians, is active and unpretentious, he easily gets used to hands, but is a little larger. It’s the same with the Djungarian albino: he is friendly and easily becomes attached to his owner, and his red eyes make him especially cute and mysterious.

What to fear?

It happens that an ordinary non-albino hamster, with black eyes and not white fur, suddenly develops redness in or around the eyes, which has never been observed before. Here you cannot do without consultation and a thorough examination of the baby by a veterinarian.

Most likely, treatment will be needed, since hamsters, like other representatives of the fauna, are often susceptible to diseases. In a number of ailments, the eye may be directly affected, or redness will only be a symptom of a disease in another organ. The vigilance of the owner and a thorough examination of the animal by a specialist are the most important factors for timely and productive treatment.

The easiest way is to recognize blindness on your own. Whether congenital or acquired as a result of injury, such troubles can happen. When purchasing, in the process of observing the hamster, it will immediately become clear that he does not see. The animal mainly lies down and moves little; communication with comrades will also be significantly limited. The eyes may fester or have slight swelling. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, at an early stage, the baby’s vision can be saved.

In addition to blindness, other diseases are possible. The protrusion of the eyes allows infection to easily enter them. Dust may get in after long walks around the room, conjunctivitis will not take long to occur. It may also be the fault of the owner, who did not bother to change the bedding and clean up the cage in a timely manner.