Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)
| Chinese Hamster Cricetulus griseus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Chinese Hamster |
| Name Lat. | Cricetulus griseus |
| Family | Cricetid Rodents |
| Family lat. | Cricetidae |
| Order | Rodents |
| Order lat. | Rodentia |
| Origin | East Asia |
| Climate | Temperate - subtropical |
| Habitat | Steppe, semi-desert |
| Diet | Seeds, herbs, hay, insects |
| Behavior | Nocturnal, ♀ aggressive |
| Keeping | Individual |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Life Span | 2-3 years |
| Protection | No |
| Metric Units | |
| Size | 8-10 cm |
| Temperature | Room temperature |
| Housing | A: 0.5 m² / H: 50-60 cm |
| US Units | |
| Size | 3.1"-3.9" |
| Temperature | Room temperature |
| Housing | 5 ft² / 20" hight |
Distribution and habitat
The mainly nocturnal Chinese striped hamsters live in barren steppe and desert areas of northeast China and Mongolia. They inhabit self-dug burrows, where they also store their food supplies, but are also cultural followers.
Maintenance
Minimum dimensions for the enclosure:
| 1-2 animals | area: 0,5 m² | height: 50-60 cm |
| Each additional animal | Area: + 20 |
A terrarium placed in a bright (no direct sunlight), draught-free and quiet place is recommended, with ventilation openings on the sides, and it must not be tightly closed at the top. The enclosure should be variedly structured with stones, roots and branches, and with floors placed at different heights, and should provide hiding and sheltering places (rodent houses, tubes, clay caves, etc.). They need food and drinking containers (drinking bottles), a sand bath (chinchilla sand) for fur care, nesting material (e.g. hay, sisal and coconut fibers) and a substrate for digging. Commercially available small animal litter or a peat-soil mixture (unfertilized potting soil) is suitable as substrate. The bedding depth should be 10 cm, but better 15 cm. Nail material, such as untreated twigs and branches of fruit trees, as well as a rodent stone, must always be available to wear down their teeth. They should be kept at room temperature and their natural day-night rhythm should be respected.
Diet
They feed mainly vegetarian, but also need animal protein. The diet consists of a low-fat grain mixture, available in specialized shops as "dwarf hamster food", supplemented with feed hay, dried herbs, green fodder (dandelion), root vegetables, occasionally live insects (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.) and, especially during pregnancy and rearing of young, insect and egg food as well as meal beetle larvae. Fruit must be offered only rarely and in very small quantities (risk of diabetes). Drinking water must always be available in hanging bottles or in stable, open containers and, like food, must be offered fresh daily
A varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.
Behaviour and compatibility
They are loners, especially females behave aggressively. The individual compatibility in pair keeping also depends on the rearing, the keeping conditions as well as the furnishing and size of the cage (many hiding places). At the first signs of incompatibility, the animals must be separated immediately.
Reproduction and breeding
Testes can be clearly seen in sexually mature males, and the distance between the anus and the urethral opening is greater in juvenile males than in females.
For mating, the female is briefly placed with the male. The gestation period is between 17 and 22 days. The young are born naked, blind and deaf. They nurse for up to 3 weeks, after which the young may be separated from the mother. They are sexually mature after about 45 days
The life expectancy can be 2-3 years.
Important
The activity maximum is shortly after sunset and shortly before sunrise. During the cold season they become increasingly nocturnal. They hibernate for the winter, during which they awaken repeatedly to feed. Impellers must be injury-proof, have a closed running surface and back wall and a diameter of 25 cm.
They have a scent gland (ventral gland) on the abdomen, which is particularly pronounced in the male, and which secretes a yellowish secretion to mark territory
Their cheek pouches are expandable skin sacs for hoarding food, but are also used for impersonation and threatening. Attention should be paid to the length of the permanently regrowing teeth. Teeth that are too long hinder food intake. Special attention must be paid to thorough hygiene and impurities must be removed regularly.
Further literature can be found in your pet store.
References
Text: petdata; Image: petdata
Source: W. PUSCHMANN, D. ZSCHEILE, K. ZSCHEILE (2009): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Säugetiere, Harri Deutsch Verlag; BMEL (2014): Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Säugetieren
- Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF