Dalmatian Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus 'Dalmatian')
| Dalmatian Golden Hamster Mesocricetus auratus 'Dalmatian' | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Dalmatian Golden Hamster |
| Name Lat. | Mesocricetus auratus 'Dalmatian' |
| Family | Cricetid Rodents |
| Family lat. | Cricetidae |
| Order | Rodents |
| Order lat. | Rodentia |
| Origin | Middle East (breeding variety) |
| Climate | Temperate |
| Habitat | Steppe |
| Diet | Grains, herbs, hay, insects |
| Behavior | Nocturnal; territorial |
| Keeping | Individual |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Life Span | 2-3 years |
| Protection | No |
| Metric Units | |
| Size | Up to 15 cm |
| Temperature | Room temperature |
| Housing | 100 x 50 x 50 cm |
| US Units | |
| Size | Up to 5.9" |
| Temperature | Room temperature |
| Housing | 40" x 20" x 20" |
Distribution and habitat
The golden hamsters live in the steppes and semi-deserts of Syria. All golden hamsters available today are descended from a family of hamsters found near Aleppo (northern Syria) in 1930. They are bred in numerous color and coat varieties.
Cage size
The enclosure size should be at least L 100 x W 50 x H 50 cm, because they move intensively during their activity phase. A rodentarium or terrarium is ideal and should be placed in a bright (no direct sunlight) and quiet place. Terrariums need ventilation openings on the sides and must not be tightly closed at the top.
Maintenance
The enclosure should be variedly structured with stones, roots and branches as well as with floors placed at different heights and offer hiding and shelter possibilities (rodent houses, tubes, clay caves etc.). They need food and drinking containers (drinking bottles), a sand bath (chinchilla sand) for grooming, nesting material (hay, pulp) and a substrate for digging. Commercially available small animal litter, hemp litter or a peat and sand mixture is suitable as a substrate. The bedding depth should be 20-30 cm. For the wear of their teeth must always be available nail material, such as untreated twigs and branches of fruit trees, and a rodent stone
They should be kept at room temperature and their natural day-night rhythm should be respected.
Diet
Their diet is mainly vegetarian, but they also need animal protein. The diet consists of a low-fat grain mixture, available in specialized shops as "hamster food", supplemented with fodder hay, dried herbs, green fodder (dandelion), root vegetables, zucchini, occasionally live insects (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.) and especially during pregnancy and young rearing 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 solitary animals. One can keep a litter together until sexual maturity, but the animals must be separated immediately at the first signs of incompatibility.
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. After a gestation period of 16-18 days, a litter typically includes 4 young. Golden hamsters are born naked and blind. 20-25 days is suckled, from the 28th day, the young can already be sexually mature
The life expectancy is 2-3 years.
Important
The Dalmatian Golden Hamster has a white coat with black roundish spots.
Golden hamsters are nocturnal and must not be disturbed during the day.
Running wheels must be injury-proof, have a closed running surface and back wall and a diameter of at least 25 cm. Synthetic "hamster cotton" is unsuitable as nesting material.
The ambient temperature must be above 10 °C, otherwise the animals will fall into a kind of torpor
They have a particularly pronounced scent gland (ventral gland) on the abdomen of the male, which secretes a yellowish secretion to mark the territory
Their cheek pouches are expandable skin sacs that serve to hoard food, but are also used to impersonate and threaten. Special attention should be paid to the length of the permanently regrowing teeth. Teeth that are too long hinder food intake. Thorough hygiene is to be ensured and impurities are to be removed regularly.
Further literature can be found in your pet store.
References
Text: petdata; Image: petdata
Source: BMEL (2014): Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Säugetieren; W. PUSCHMANN, D. ZSCHEILE, K. ZSCHEILE (2009): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Säugetiere, Harri Deutsch Verlag
- Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF