One of the keys on how to care for a Russian hamster, or any other pet, is its diet. Ideally, you give specific preparations for this species of rodents and complement it with small amounts of fruits and vegetables. For example, good options are corn, tomatoes, lettuce or apple.
Remember that you should not saturate them with food, they are very small! Also, do not give them very sweet products, they are prone to diabetes.
Like any pet, the Russian hamster also requires certain hygiene habits, but in a special way: Do not bathe them! They clean themselves by soaking in sand. Yes really! You can use sand for chinchillas or fine beach sand, put in a cage a full container, as if it were a pool.
Even if you think it gets dirty, actually the sand helps keep hair clean and shiny. They love those dips! This is one of the easiest parts of caring for a Russian hamster.
7. Don't forget> (Photo via Pinterest)
What would pets be without mimitos? They need them to feel loved! We recommend that you take your hamster out of the cage for a little while each day to mimic and socialize. With your contact and caresses, he will learn to live with people and will not be scared, you will be able to tame him.
Unlike common hamsters, the Russian hamster tends to return to his wild state if he lacks affection. Just remember: games and pampering, better at night, during the rest of the day you will be asleep.
If you have more than one, we recommend that you take them in turns, one by one, or you will not be able to control everyone. They could escape! And see who finds them later at home ...
It's a good idea buy some toy For hamsters, so you can stimulate them and play with them, favoring them to get used to domestic life as soon as possible.
8. Attentive to your health
Of course, as with all pets, you must consult the veterinarian If you notice that your hamster shows symptoms of disease.
And that's it! You already know how to care for a Russian hamster. What was not so difficult? In fact, hamsters are a good option if you are looking for a cute and funny pet that does not require much time or money to maintain. Enjoy your hamsters!
Basic information about the Russian hamster
This rodent usually measures a maximum of 10 centimeters, and has a soft fur whose colors mix brown and gray with black stripes on the spine and sides, being white on the abdomen. On the other hand, being a variety of hamster from Russia, it is capable of surviving in temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius, and is characterized by being an easy-to-care animal of calm temperament which usually gets along with others of the same species and even with different pets.
As for your habits, spend most of the day sleeping, so we recommend you place it in a quiet space of the house. Your Russian hamster will be more active during the night, moment that you must take advantage of to attend him, play with him and give him affection.
His life expectancy is a maximum of two years.
Prepare your space
The ideal is condition a cage of sufficient size so that your Russian hamster is comfortable. It is not recommended that you leave it loose at home unattended, as it will be easily lost or could be crushed or accidentally injured. Prepare a fenced space in your home and let it run for a while each day to exercise better.
The cage should remain in a place with sufficient ventilation and away from direct sunlight. Inside it, you must place sawdust to make your needs, as well as containers for food and water. Also, do not forget to introduce the typical plastic wheel, preferring one that does not have slits to prevent its small legs from getting stuck. You will also need a calcium pill that will serve to gnaw, because the teeth of the Russian hamster do not stop growing and you need to wear them constantly to avoid health problems or hurt yourself with them.
To offer the best care to your Russian hamster, take it out of the cage daily to play with it and make some affection for it. Otherwise, I could go wild and try to bite you.
Russian hamster feeding
It is recommended to buy in pet stores the processed food formulated for Russian hamster, and complement this feeding with some raw vegetables, fruits and vegetables in a few quantities several times a week. If you do not know which are the most suitable, in this article we detail the best fruits and vegetables for hamsters.
We recommend giving you corn, apple, seeds, broccoli and nuts. All this must be perfectly washed, peeled and chopped into small pieces. When feeding your Russian hamster, never give candy or sweet foods, as it could develop diabetes, nor can you try lettuce, as it causes diarrhea.
Russian hamster hygiene
To continue with the care of the Russian hamster, grooming the animal's cage is crucial to avoid bacterial diseases and infections. One is recommended deep cleaningof the cage and the supplements that are inside it once a week, with some mild detergent that has little smell. Also, at the end everything should be completely dry.
The solid animal waste they must be removed every day to keep the sawdust clean, which you must change completely once a week or so. On sawdust, it is better to look for any that is not cedar or pine, since the strong smell can cause respiratory diseases in the Russian hamster. For more information, do not miss our article in which we tell you what are the most common diseases of hamsters.
On the other hand, food and water containers should be cleaned every day, especially when placing fresh raw food. In this sense, another basic care of the Russian hamster is that you should never have an empty water container.
And finally with hygiene, the Russian hamster itself also need grooming, for which you must acquire a special type of sand that is used for chinchillas, or simple beach sand. Your little rodent will submerge and wallow in it, leaving its fur clean and shiny. If you notice that your little rodent is dirtier than normal, you can choose to bathe it yourself. To do this, we advise you to consult our article "How to bathe a hamster?".
Reproduction and breeding of the Russian hamster
If you want to have two hamsters, we recommend do not join male and female inside the same cage if you don't want them to reproduce, they can have up to five litters every year. Gestation lasts a maximum of 21 days.
At birth the young weigh only two grams, and after a week of life they stop feeding on breast milk to start consuming solids. They reach full independence four weeks after their birth.
If you have a litter of newborn hamsters, you must separate it in a cage with the mother, since the male can eat them while they are defenseless. Therefore, if you do not have the right knowledge, we do not advise raising the Russian hamster.
Offer the basic care for your Russian hamster And start enjoying your company! And if you have any questions, don't forget to leave your comment!
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Pay attention to the young
If you consider having several of these pets and of different sex, although they have some weeks of life there is the possibility that they have young. In that case, try to separate the couple since the female can hurt the male with the intention of protecting her offspring.
On the other hand, it is very common for the female to give birth to a cannibalism behavior with her young. This happens especially when you have many young, He usually decides to eat the weakest, so he can make sure the rest will survive and that you will be able to take care of them. If you want to prevent the female from eating the offspring, first of all, if the male is in the cage, separate it. You should not touch the young until at least two weeks have passed, because if you do you can make the smell of the pups alter, the mother does not recognize them and, therefore, reject them and eat them.
You must also provide food to the mother abundantly, during this season it is important include protein in the dietIt is advisable to give cooked egg and sprinkle its seeds with fish liver oil.
Exercise is essential for your hamster.
One of the most used entertainment by this pet is the exercise wheel. Through this wheel you can exercise daily, In fact, it is very important that you do so, because in the cage you do not have enough space for them to run everything they should. However, as an alternative to the different home remediesThere are other toys that can help your hamster exercise, such as the outdoor running ball, it is a ball in which you can put your hamster inside, so that he can run outside the cage without risk of getting into small holes in the house.
It is also interesting to equip the cage with tubes and accessories that allow you to make slightly complex routes, since the hamster will always be more active. The important thing is to keep fit.
