- Hamsters will eat anything a human eats.
- Hamsters belong to the rodent family so their front teeth (the incisors)
are long and curved and designed for gnawing.
- The Syrian hamsters are known as 'golden' hamsters, as this was the
original coat colour.
- Today different variations exist (such as black, grey and cinnamon),
as well as different coat types (short-haired, long-haired or Rex).
Syrian hamsters are the most common pet hamsters.
- An adult golden hamster can weigh between three and five ounces (80-140grams),
with the female usually being larger than the male.
- Hamsters have 4 fingers, and 5 toes. (That is counting the stumps
on the ends of their legs and arms that have claws -
- Hamsters also have about 5 big bumps on the bottom of their paws/feet
to help them grip.
- One of the hamster characteristics is the ability to stuff its cheek
pouches with food, sometimes an amazing amount for one little hamster.
- Hamsters are allergic to Cedar.
- A single pair of hamsters can give rise to a population of several
thousand within a single year. This is because hamsters have the shortest
gestation period (out of all mammals), and reach sexual maturity at
a young age (At 5 or 6 weeks old).
- Like other rodents, hamsters have a double-chambered stomach. The
food is predigested in the first stomach chamber, then broken down further
in the main stomach.
- When hamsters are pregnant, you can determine the sex of the babies!
- By controlling the temperature in the room the mother is kept, you
can manipulate whether she will have more boys or girls. If you keep
her in warmer temperatures, she will have more boys. If you keep her
in cooler temperatures, she will have more girls.
- Hamsers do not need to be cleaned as they will clean themselves without
difficulty.
- Hamsters are popular laboratory animals due to their fertillity, short
gestation, peaceful nature and the variety of coat colours that enables
scientists to study genetics.
- Hamsters are nocturnal meaning they sleep during the day and are active
during the night.
- Hamsters can only see up to six inches in front of them.
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