What Do Hamsters Eat - A Comparison

By Matthew A. Boreau  

so what do hamsters eat?

Let's start this discussion with a few cautions - what do hamsters not eat?
These animals cannot have anything that has a low pH. This includes oranges, lemons, grapefruits, limes, dill pickles, sweet pickles, pickled cucumbers, or pickled grapes. Feed them nothing in the citrus family. Feed them nothing that contains vinegar.
Hamsters must not eat any processed foods. If the nutrients have been stripped, then it provides no nutrition for the hamster. And the hamster has such a small stomach - every droplet of food counts! Therefore, do not feed your hamster cakes, cookies, biscuits, or candies. Do not feed your hamster any chocolate either; it could kill your adorable pet.
Hamsters cannot tolerate eating pesticides, even in small quantities. Therefore it is important that you thoroughly wash any produce before feeding it to your pet.
In addition hamsters must not eat food that has been contacted by wild rodents. Rats and mice carry diseases that can be transmitted to your hamster.
Ok, then...so what do hamsters eat?
Well, to begin with they eat "pure" foods. They eat raw vegetables and fruits. They eat nuts, seeds, and whole grains. They also eat protein.
It is important to get the ratios of protein to carbohydrates to fats right. The best way to do this is to purchase a premium quality seed and grain mixture - made for hamsters. This last phrase is an important point. Hamsters need more protein than other small animals, and so not just any seed and grain mixture will do. You must select one that is formulated specifically for hamsters.
To that, you should give your hamsters fresh vegetables. Just a little bit, though, because its stomach is tiny. Every other day, offer it veggies. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to put aside some of the raw vegetables from any vegetables that you would be cooking for your family on a given day.
Periodically, say once or twice a week, you can give your hamster treats that contain more fat or fructose. This means that your hamster can eat pieces of fruit and sunflower seeds - but only as sporadic treats.
If you want to see a real show, put some live crickets inside your hamster's cage. Regardless of its temperament and demeanor, your pet is sure to liven up as it chases these hopping bundles of protein around its cage.
Finally, to be certain that you have not missed any nutrients, purchase some lab blocks. These are plainly packaged hard pieces of food. They contain all the necessary nutrients that your hamster needs. They are also beneficial because they are hard and will provide your hamster something to gnaw on.
You may be wondering if your hamster could eat a diet of strictly lab blocks. And, truthfully, it could. But part of the joy of owning a hamster is watching its behavior. And it will revel in discovering hidden sunflower seeds and gobble up meal worms like there is no tomorrow. When you have the chance to witness your hamster experiencing joy (or at least what looks like joy to us), then you should take that opportunity to experience the joy yourself.

Matthew Alexander Boreau has been fascinated with dwarf hamsters for as long as he can remember. To him, it isn't just a hobby. Matthew's philosophy is that to be the best hamster owner that you can, you need to understand dwarf hamsters, and see the world from their point of view. To get more answers to the question "What do hamsters eat?", visit The Dwarf Hamster Centre.

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Caring for A Hamster

By Liz Andrews  

Learning about caring for a hamster is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. Many hamster owners who don't take the time or effort to really understand their pets find that they don't last very long. Hamsters, especially dwarf hamsters, are delicate little creatures that need some specific things to make sure they stay healthy and content.

Proper Housing

Hamster housing needs to be safe and secure for your hamster to thrive. There are countless types of housing available so you will need to learn more about your specific breed to determine the best fit. Some breeds can escape their cages, and others can't maneuver through vertical tubes so it is important know what is best for your particular hamster.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness of the cage is of the utmost importance when caring for a hamster. Hamsters can become stressed living in unclean areas and this can result in illnesses like "wet tail" which can be deadly within 24 hours. Every day you should be doing some sort of housekeeping for your hamster.
Usually hamsters will only go to the bathroom in one section of the cage. Clean this area daily by scooping out any droppings, removing soiled bedding, and replacing with fresh bedding. Every other day you should do a more thorough cleaning of the entire cage and at least once a week, you should completely empty the cage and use a gentle cleaner on the wires, plastic or glass.
Cleanliness of your hamster is also important. Hamsters are from the desert so they really like sand, specifically sand that they can clean themselves with. You can purchase a cleansing sand (it is really more like a dust) product from a pet store or pet website. Don't use regular sand or sandbox sand, as there could be bacteria in it. Put the sand in a small plastic container and watch your hamster have a ball at the "salon" getting her hair done!

Food and Water

Food for your hamster should be changed out every day. Hamsters like to hoard and they will definitely hoard any food you give them. Because of this, they might sometimes move around food that is old and spoiled. So remember what you give your hamster and clean his hiding areas so he doesn't get sick from rotting food. These might be things like carrots or leafy greens that you provide in addition to his normal hamster pellets.
Water is especially important for hamsters because they drink all the time. The water dispenser should be cleaned and filled every day as water can harbor bacteria on the nozzle.

Toys

Hamsters are inquisitive and love to explore their world. Caring for a hamster includes providing them with an exciting environment in which to live. Give them as many different fun options as you can afford. You can provide tunnels and tubes to run through, hamster wheels, hamster balls, hamster swings, chew toys, and even little hamster cars to go cruising around your room.
Most of all, you should learn everything you can about your particular breed of hamster or obtain a complete guide on raising them. Caring for a hamster is a big responsibility and you definitely want to make sure you are being the best owner possible.

For more information on caring for a hamster, check out DwarfHamsterSite.com. Liz Andrews has been a hamster enthusiast for nearly 20 years. Her newest book, 'Dwarf Hamsters In a Nutshell' teaches hamster owners absolutely everything they need to know about caring for their pet.

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Dwarf Russian Hamster

By Liz Andrews 

Learning how to care for your Dwarf Russian hamster can seem like a daunting task if you aren't familiar with the breed. They are a bit different from regular hamsters and have their own specific needs.
Here is a list of basic things you should and should not do when caring for your Dwarf Russian hamster. This list provides a small sampling of the time and effort that is required to keep your hamster safe and healthy. For more information, invest in a thorough guide or instruction manual in addition to consulting with your veterinarian.

1. Do not keep your hamster's cage near doors. For obvious reasons, outside doors pose quite a problem when owning a hamster. Some cages provide more security like aquarium tanks, but if you have a wire cage, where you place it becomes even more important.
2. Don't clean your hamster cage with harsh chemicals. Instead, opt for mild solutions available at pet stores or use a very mild mixture of dish soap and water to thoroughly clean the cage. Always rinse very well and allow to completely dry before placing new bedding inside.
3. Clean your hamster cage every day. You don't need to change the bedding out completely but you do need to get out the dirty bits. Scoop soiled bedding and old food out daily.
4. Don't keep males and females together. Unless you want plenty of hamster babies, keep the males and females in separate cages. The gestation period for a pregnant Dwarf Russian hamster is very short (16-20 days) so you can see how quickly you could end up with a population problem.
5. Do leave your hamster alone during the day. Hamsters are mostly awake at night and sleep through the day. Keep your hamster happy and allow them their beauty rest. How would you like it if every few hours someone picked you up out of your warm, toasty bed? Now you know how your hamster feels.
6. Give your hamster some fresh fruits and vegetables every couple of days. In addition to his or her hamster food, provide some bites of apple, tomato, corn, broccoli, and green leafy lettuce. Don't go overboard as you don't want to make your hamster sick. Just a few pieces of fruit and a few small pieces of leaves is plenty.
7. Never feed your Dwarf Russian hamster foods that are high in sugar. This type of hamster has a tendency to get diabetes so keep everything low in sugar to prevent disease.
8. Do handle your hamster every day. If you stop taking your hamster out of its cage to play and be handled, it will become wild again. Then you have to start the taming process all over. Unlike the Syrian hamster, Russian hamsters revert to their wild state. Remember to play with them when they are awake and active so try dusk or dawn.
9. Never place cedar material in your hamster cage for bedding. The oils in cedar cause a respiratory infection in hamsters. Instead, use aspen or ask for a recommendation at the pet store.
10. Do purchase Chinchilla sand for your hamster to "bathe" in. Don't give water baths as these are unnecessary, no matter how dirty you think your hamster appears. Allow them some time in the Chinchilla sand (not dust) and they will be shiny and clean.

Learn more about caring for your Dwarf Russian hamster so you will enjoy many years with your furry and entertaining new pet.

For more information on Dwarf Russian Hamsters, check out DwarfHamsterSite.com. Liz Andrews has been a hamster enthusiast for nearly 20 years. Her newest book, Dwarf Hamsters In a Nutshell, teaches hamster owners absolutely everything they need to know about caring for their pet.

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Hamster Cage

By Cason Williams 

There is no lack of selection when it comes to your gerbil's homes. A person may develop a veritable town for your gerbil along with various combos of hutches, pipes, channels, add on packages as well as any selection associated with additional functions, that are also entertaining for you personally because it is interesting watching the gerbil. Conversely from the size, your own gerbil can certainly reside in an easy cable crate or perhaps in an old fish tank you had.
Each glass as well as plastic material fish tanks may be used as gerbil homes. Plastic material gerbil hutches tend to be lighter in weight and consequently simpler to clean up compared to a glass, however scuff much easier.
Each glass and plastic material fish tanks possess the benefit of staying draft-proof; therefore, particles and bedding stay inside of (and never throughout the ground!). They're simple to thoroughly clean. Nevertheless, plastic and glass fish tanks highlight temperature ranges to allow them to turn out to be very warm and in many cases alarmingly so in sunlight. Additionally, until you give a engineered cover that can take add-ons, regular clip-on drinking water containers fail to work (even though they could be modified by using stick-on Velcro patches). Fish tanks aren't ideal for a clip-on physical exercise wheel, even though a free standing wheel could be replaced. You have to remember that a free standing wheel will require up more room inside your gerbil's house than the usual clip-on wheel.
If you choose to make use of an aquarium tank as your own gerbil's house, a person should include this safely therefore he can't get away as well as in order to maintain away your own additional home domestic pets. Wire fine mesh covers or ventilated plastic material covers created particularly with regard to these types of reasons tend to be accessible. Do not make use of a solid cover, or moisture build-up or condensation might shape within the actual aquarium tank, warmth may end up being caught and there's no oxygen circulation/ventilation - which could make your own gerbil ill.
Typically gerbil cages possess a plastic material bottom having a firm, snap-on cable best, however, you may also discover hutches having a strong plastic material bottom along with a snap-on, ventilated crystal clear plastic material the top. Hutches can be found in a number of sizes and shapes and often have got physical exercise hamster wheels. A few wire topped versions tend to be a couple of levels or even more large. Even though these types of hutches might seem basic in comparison with homes that's much more sophisticated along with pipes as well as channels, they're comparatively cheap and you will improve all of them with the addition of numerous gerbil home furniture and playthings. Furthermore, ventilation through these hutches is preferable to within an aquarium tank which is simpler to connect drinking water containers and add-ons compared to within an aquarium tank.
Gerbil hutches usually possess some kind of "home" where the gerbil may cover. In case your gerbil's crate does not have a home, you will find plastic material, wooden or even porcelain homes accessible. You may even make use of some thing made from card board like a container or even bathroom tissue roll.
A few hutches are made like a number of plastic material pipes. Gerbil hutches along with pipes could be harder to wash compared to conventional gerbil crate. You have to in addition make sure that the actual hooking up channels is going to be big enough for the gerbil to feed whenever he's completely developed as well as your gerbil might try eating the plastic material, which could lead to injuries or even get away.
Obvious, plastic material tank-like homes created for rodents along with other little mice supply several choices. Designed to consider numerous add ons for example channels, pipes, rewriters, tree houses, slides, steps, penthouses as well as atmosphere podiums, these types of obvious condominiums give a diverse surroundings by which your own gerbil may physical exercise as well as enjoy. This kind of property the majority of tightly models the actual canal environment by which rodents reside, however it could be costly and much more hard to thoroughly clean compared to regular gerbil crate.
Your own gerbil's house ought to be big enough to supply sufficient space with regard to their physical exercise wheel, bedroom, meals holding on to region as well as bathroom region, with room remaining in order to scamper around. It is advisable to supply the biggest environment feasible.
The doorway should shut securely so that your gerbil can not press them wide open as well as get away. The actual doorways ought to open up to the outside instead of back to the inside. If you are using a fish tank having a wire-mesh or even plastic material cover, ensure that the highest matches comfortably on the attributes which the actual gerbil can't press away. Your own hamster cage should never possess well-defined ends or even damaged wires which might trigger injuries. When the crate is actually plastic material, make certain there aren't any uncovered sides by which the actual gerbil might gnaw making a getaway.

hamster cage

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Hurry-up Hamster

Price: $3.99

Product Description

Just turn this cuddly hamster on and watch him hurry, scurry and shuffle around-making cute, electronic chattering sounds! When he bumps into something, he'll change directions, but won't stop until you turn his switch off. Assorted styles, we'll choose for you. Plush and plastic; requires 2 AAA batteries (not included). 4 1/2" long x 2" wide. Ages 3 and up.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50986 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Westminster

Features

• Electronic Sounds
• Place hamster on hard surface and watch it run!
• Assorted colors (Black and Brown)
• Watch it Run!!

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What You Should Know About Pet Health Insurance

Pet health insurance is an old concept that has gained popularity over the years. The insurance company may have seen the potential as pets become part of the family in many households today. But with tough economic conditions, are people still willing to spend an additional amount in order to ensure their beloved pet?

This trend is still under construction. But the idea can be compared to human insurance policies. There are deductibles, annual premiums and owners can choose from various coverage plans. If you've just learned about this, here are some important notes that may fill your curiosity.



1. The average amount that can be deducted each year for insurance is about $ 100. But the cost of policies varies depending on the type of plan that the owner will get for their pets. There are even packages that you can choose to get.

If you are willing to spend more, the following can be covered by your pet insurance: routine care, preventive medicine, annual inspection, regular vaccinations and surgery such as spay or neuter. The plan will only cover simple, basic diseases like and accident.

There are plans, especially on new policies that will cover accident claims and will be distributed 30 days for claims in connection with the disease. There are companies that will ensure additional pets at reduced rates when you've thawed one to the other pets.

2. The scope of the plan will be based on the species of your pet. It will also look into pre-existing conditions and may also consider the lifestyle of your pet whether they are indoor or outdoor, and the like.

3. Most insurance companies start policies for pets when they are about 6 to 8 weeks. But other companies have no requirements regarding age. And the length of these policies also vary depending on the company. Others have a limit of more than 20 years, while some offer a limit of 10 or 8 years of age.

4. Pre-existing condition is most common among insurance companies is that the animal must be in stable condition and large, do not suffer from a terminal illness at the time insurance is a withdrawal. There are companies that chose the descendants of the animals. They will not accept people who are prone to certain diseases.

If your pet is rejected by the insurance company, you can ask trusted vet for advice. They will refer you to a health packages offered by some hospitals. The package can give you discounts on certain programs like vaccinations, spay or neuter and more. Other hospitals offer packages intended for health checks geriatrics.

You also might want to look into a national program called Pet Assure. It offers programs such as 25% discount on veterinary services and 50% on pet supplies and related services. This is not an insurance policy. You can ask the owners of pet stores and veterinarians about how you can utilize the program.

If you can not buy pet health insurance is good for your beloved pet, there are several non-profit organizations that can help you financially when your pet find some illness or accident. There is also a veterinarian offices that can support you in that case through their emergency funds allocated for such situations.

Knowledge About Hamsters: Compulsory You Know Before Buying a Hamster

Knowledge About Hamsters: Compulsory You Know Before Buying a Hamster

Hamsters are small animals that are included in the Order Rodentia (rodents).

In the World there are five species of hamsters are commonly used as pets, namely:

   1. Syrians hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus),
   2. Champbell hamster (Phodopus Champbelli),
   3. Winter White Hamster (Phodopus Sungorus),
   4. Roborovski hamster (Phodopus Roborovskii),
   5. Chinese hamster (Cricetulus Griseus).



Chromosome

Species                                                          | Number of Chromosomes                |
========================================================
Syrians Hamster - Mesocricetus auratus           | 44 pairs
Hamster Campbell - Phodophus campbelli       | 28 pairs
Hamster Winter White - Phodophus sungorus  | 28 pairs
Hamster Roborovski - Phodophus roborovskii | 34 pairs
Chinese Hamster - Cricetulus griceus                |22 pairs

DNA in every living being stored in a container called a chromosome.
I. The Syriac HAMSTER (Mesocricetus auratus)

Was first discovered in the year 1930 by I.aharoni, a professor of zoology habrew university, Jerusalem.

Hamsters were first discovered in an eight-foot long hole in the desert of Aleppo, therefore Syrians hamsters are known by name of Syrians hamsters (Syrian Hamster).

§ Age 2 to 2.5 years if cared for properly.

§ The length of 15-20 cm when grown.

§ Kinds of Syrians hamsters: (short hair, long hair, rex, satin).

§ Syrians hamsters gestation period 16-18 days

GEN COLOR 

Mutation Name Description
Melanistic Black Black
Rust (Guninea Gold)
Acromelanic gene - "Dark White eared" White with black ears
Dark Grey Grey dark
Cream Cream / milk white
Light Grey (Grey Lethal) Gray Young (lethal)
A little cinnamon orange
Ruby Red Fawn Red rubies known to exist only in America
Silver Grey Gray silver (platinum)
Yellow Yellow, associated with sex
White Mottled White patches (lethal) - believed extinct

GEN TYPES OF FEATHERS
Mutation Name Description
Hairless Without feathers
Long Haired Long feathers
Rex (Curly hairs & Whiskers) curly hair
Satin (Shiny coat) shiny fur

Pattern Gen
Mutation Name Description
Banded (White Banded) a white circle around the neck
Dominant Spot (White Spotting) great white Striped
Spotting (piebal) small spots - believed to be extinct
Umbrous (sooty, ie black tips to fur) the other end of feather color
Roan (white bellied / mixture of white hairs with color)

Anopthalmic (Eyeless)
White, can produce offspring that are not edged

DURATION OF PREGNANCY

Syria hamster females will give birth on the 16th day after fertilization.

Rare late-born, the day 17th-18.

If after the 18th day had not yet given birth, or perhaps pseudo-pregnancy occurs da1am difficulty giving birth.

Difficulties in delivery may occur in hamsters syria who first gave birth at the age of six months. Meanwhile, when things do not quite fit will be a delay until more than eight days.

Both events delay pregnancy can happen if the hamster in a state of less healthy and malnourished or at room temperature does not correspond to his needs. The delay pregnancy can occur in all types of hamsters.

BIRTH

Syria prenatal hamster will press her stomach muscles 2-3 times and leaned to the bottom of the cage base. Not long after her baby will be born one by one with a distance of about 10 minutes from each parent will take the placenta out. The placenta is shaped like a small blob of red colored.

After the birth parent hamsters syria would put her children in the middle of the nest. Baby hamsters are small, weighing about 3 grams per head.

Hamster babies born in a state already scalloped.

Parent hamster who just gave birth and are breastfeeding their babies should not be disturbed especially touched by hand. If done, the mother hamster would not want to breastfeed their babies anymore, even a child could be eating up the new child birth. This is due to the existence of another scent that stuck to the child's body that touched the hands of the hamster. The smell is familiar to the parent hamsters, so the parent alleges that the smell is not the smell of her son.