Syrian hamster
Syrian hamster
The Syrian hamster is also called a golden hamster. This is because wild Syrian hamsters have golden fur. The Golden Hamster is next to the Russian dwarf hamster, the most commonly kept hamster in captivity. Unfortunately, it is not very common in the wild anymore.
Name Dutch: Syrian hamster or Golden hamster
Scientific name: Mesocricetus auratus
Origin: The steppe areas and deserts of Syria and southern Turkey
Age: 2-3
Height: 13-18 cm
Wearing time: about 16 days
Birth: viviparous
Nest Size: about 7 guys
Activity: Twilight and Night Active
Legislation: Bench?
Stay: Terrarium, Aquarium or Rodent Cage
Minimum size: 100x50cm
Food: The Syrian hamster's diet consists mainly of grains and seeds, but also nuts, grasses and insects.
The appearance of the Syrian hamster
The Syrian hamster is the largest domestic hamster with an average length of 15 cm.
They weigh between 130 and 200 grams, with the females being slightly larger than the males.
The standard color (wild color) is orange/gold with a gray belly. There is a dark band from the cheek to the neck. The fur on the back and forehead also has dark tips.
In addition to the wild color, there are a number of color variants:
Rust, Yellow, Sepia, Gray, Orange, Lilac, White with red eyes, White with dark eyes, Dark sepia, Silver sepia, Cream with red eyes, Cream with dark eyes, Black, Chocolate, Champagne, Copper and Dove. There are also a number of coat patterns: whitebar, roan, spotted and tortoiseshell.
Syrtjes are naturally smooth and short-haired, but the following coat types are also becoming more common: Long-haired (teddy/angora), satin and rex.
The behavior of the Syrian hamster
Wild Syrian hamsters are solitary animals. That means they spend most of their lives alone. In the wild they only seek out their congeners to mate, after which the female chases the male away again. Mother hamster raises her young on her own and at about 4 weeks they also go their own way.
You can therefore absolutely not keep Goudhamsters in the same enclosure with more than one. From the moment the hormones kick in they will fight and they will until one of the hamsters gives up. In a cage, the losing animal has nowhere to go and the hamsters are forced to continue their fight until one of the animals dies and that's no fun for anyone!
nocturnal animals
Syrian hamsters are real nocturnal animals, they sleep during the day and hate to be woken up. As soon as it gets dark they wake up slowly and at night they are active. A wild hamster travels quite a few miles at night in its search for food. To be able to imitate this behavior in the hamster house, a running wheel should certainly not be missing! Always choose a closed running wheel without bars so that the hamster cannot get stuck with its legs. The running wheel for the Syrian hamster should have a minimum diameter of 28 cm, so that he does not walk with a bent back. Hamsters keep their fur clean and healthy by taking regular sand baths. Therefore, place a container with rodent sand in the enclosure, so that the hamster can roll nicely in it.
How do you recognize a hamster in hibernation?
If the temperature in the original habitat remains below ten degrees Celsius for a while, Syrian hamsters go into hibernation. Hibernation never occurs with our pet hamsters because we have the heating on in the winter and it never gets so cold indoors. If your hamster has gone into hibernation and you want to take it out, warm it up very slowly by carrying it close to you in a washcloth. A hibernating hamster lies half curled up with its front paws forward and feels cool, but soft. To make sure your hamster is hibernating, gently pull on a paw and whiskers. Out of reflex, the hamster will retract it again (note! this is very slow!). If the hamster really does not react, you can be sure that it has died.
Housing
Syrian hamsters need enough space to be able to move sufficiently, in addition to using their running wheel. Syren need a minimum stay of 100×50 cm. A recess is nice so that the surface of the cage is increased, but hamsters do not see depth so make sure that the height difference is not too great.
Golden hamsters can be kept in a wire cage, terrarium or aquarium. Hamsters are not climbers by nature, but diggers and an enclosure that can accommodate a good layer of ground cover is therefore most recommended. We prefer to give the hamster a thick layer of well-absorbent and low-dust bedding of at least 20 centimeters.
Use as few plastic houses or toys as possible. Gnawing this creates sharp edges that can injure the hamster. Opt for natural materials that are safe to chew.
By creating a natural living environment as much as possible and by using natural materials, you stimulate the natural behavior of the Syrian hamster. Mimicking the natural environment is also called Rodentscaping.
Male or female?
Do you choose a male or a female Golden Hamster? In order to make that decision, you first need to know what the differences are. You can recognize a female Golden Hamster by checking the distance between the two sex openings. In women, these sit almost directly against each other. The nipples are also visible and she has a clearly rounded back. In terms of character, ladies are generally a bit more adventurous and spirited. They usually have a clear will of their own and know how to show this well. Every four days in the female willingly. This means she is ready to mate. She then smells a bit sweet and weezy. You can smell this more strongly in some females than in others. Males do not have clear nipples. There is more space between the sex openings than in the females and often the testicles are clearly visible. The buttocks of a male Golden Hamster are also not nicely rounded, but run slightly more into a point. The character of a male is usually a bit more friendly than that of the ladies. They are usually calmer and lazier. The disadvantage of this is that you often see them less busy in the accommodation, they prefer to sleep until a little later in the evening.
What does the Golden Hamster eat?
The Syrian hamster is officially a granivore (seed eater), but like all hamsters in practice it is much more of an omnivore (omnivore). Syrian hamsters have a very varied diet consisting of different types of seeds and grains, as well as animal proteins. Wild hamsters regularly catch small insects and it is therefore important that their food also contains animal proteins in our home, which is good for their metabolism. The incisors of hamsters continue to grow, so it is important that the food is not too soft so that the teeth can wear out naturally. Peeling seeds and nuts is a good example of this. Hamsters also have a very small cecum and cannot process raw fiber very well, so it is best to choose a food in which the raw fiber content remains below 10%. Did you know that hamsters eat their own nighttime droppings just like rabbits? They really do this! this allows them to absorb plant nutrients even better and in this way they receive the important Vitamin B12, which is only created in the intestines. Hamsters, and so are the Golden Hamsters, are known for collecting their food and hiding it in their pantry. They collect this in their cheek pouches and is also called hoarding. Cheek pouches are best seen as two plastic bags on the inside of the hamster's mouth, because the food that is transported in these cheek pouches remains completely dry! The cheek pouches extend to just behind the front legs.
Hamster pellets or mixed food?
There are many different hamster foods. Some consist only of pellets. This means that each kibble contains exactly the same ingredients and nutritional value. As a result, the hamster can not only get the tasty seeds and the hamster always gets enough nutrients.
There are also foods that are composed of all kinds of different seeds and kernels, this is called mixed or mixed food. With this food, the hamster has more variety and can choose what to eat first and what to save for later. The advantage is that this is more similar to the natural diet of the Syrian hamster. However, the risk with mixed food is that the hamster will only pick out the seeds that he likes the most and leave the rest.
Is mixed food always bad? No definitely not! Mixed food is just as good as hamster pellets, but we should not spoil the hamster too much! If you give your Syr a full bowl of food to choose from every day, he will certainly do that, but if you feed your hamster only 1 tablespoon of food per day (he doesn't need more), he will eat everything cleanly.
You can also alternate it by giving your Syrian hamster, for example, hamster pellets one day and a mixed diet the other day. or maybe offer a mixed feed only on weekends.
What do you need for the Goudhamster
How nice that you have decided that the Syrian hamster will be your pet! What do you need? To help you on your way, we have already prepared this handy shopping list for you:
• accommodation (minimum 100×50 cm)
• ground cover
• nesting material
• running wheel (ø 28cm)
• at least 1 house
• food bowl
• water bowl/bottle
• sandbox + bath sand
• rodent material
• nutrition
• snacks
Shop here for your Syrian dwarf hamster
