Scientific classification: Hamsters belong to the subfamily Cricetinae. The Syrian hamster is classified as Mesocricetus auratus, and the European hamster as Cricetus cricetus.
Introduction
Hamsters belong to the family of chubby rodents with thick fur, a bobbed tail, and large food-carrying cheek pouches. They comprise more than 12 species, including the Syrian, or golden, hamster and the European hamster, also called the common or black-bellied hamster. Hamsters are often kept as pets, and they are one of the most common animals used in biological and medical research experiments, dwarf hamster.
Physical Characteristics
The Syrian hamster is the species most frequently sold in pet stores. It makes a popular pet because it is clean and relatively odorless, easy to care for, and safe to handle. The Syrian hamster is about 15 cm (about 6 in) long and weighs about 0.1 kg (about 0.25 lb). Originally, its coat was most often honey-brown, but it is now bred in a variety of colors including cream, white, dwarf hamster and calico. The European hamster is the largest species of hamster, reaching a length of 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) and a weight of about 0.5 kg (about 1.1 lb). It has a thick colorful coat marked with patches of light brown, white, and red, and a black belly.
Habitat
The hamster digs a burrow where it spends most of its life, safe from attack by predatory birds such as hawks and owls. A typical burrow has a sloped entrance leading to a system of chambers and tunnels. One of the chambers is used to store food, and another serves as an excrement depository. The tunnels are connected by a central den, cushioned with grass, leaves, or similar material, where the hamster spends the winter months sleeping. Hamsters do not go into complete hibernation, but wake daily or every few days to eat. Still, dwarf hamster they will lose 20 to 30 percent of their weight over the winter. In the spring, hamsters leave the winter den and dig a new one.
Reproduction and life span
Hamsters reproduce quickly, with the female in heat about every four days. The Syrian hamster produces four to five litters of 6 to 18 young each year after a short gestation period of about 16 days. Syrian hamsters are sexually mature at about six weeks. European hamsters are sexually mature at two and a half months, and gestation lasts three weeks. Average litter size is 8 but can be as large as 18, dwarf hamster and more than one litter per year is common. The young are weaned at about two or three weeks and shortly thereafter leave to construct their own burrows. Hamsters rarely live more than two and a half years.