Why do hamsters eat other hamsters and eat their babies?

Hamsters are cute and fluffy little creatures that sleep during the day and are active at night. But often owners have no idea what passions can occur in the cage at night. The owner is in shock when he sees the consequences. One hamster can easily eat another. Or, which happens quite often, the female eats all the offspring or only part of the cubs. To prevent this behavior, you first need to find out the reasons and eliminate them.

Before getting a hamster, you should study information about care, maintenance and diet. Hamsters are herbivores. Their diet consists of a mixture of grains, vegetables and fruits. Both in the wild and at home, hamsters do not simply eat other hamsters.

The most common mistake owners make is failure to comply with maintenance rules. Such mistakes often result in the adult hamster eating the offspring or even another adult hamster.

In what cases do hamsters eat other hamsters?

1. An adult hamster ate another adult hamster.
2. The adult male ate his offspring.
3. The female ate the male.
4. The female ate part of the offspring.
5. The female ate all the offspring.

Each action has its own reasons for such behavior. You can avoid such situations by following the rules for keeping adult hamsters and properly caring for a pregnant female.

What is required for maintenance

Proper keeping of a hamster at home can not only improve the well-being and health of the small rodent, but also prolong its life. If you create all the conditions for a comfortable existence, the hamster will live a long and happy life without stress.

To keep a pet hamster you need:

• cell;
• house;
• toys;
• feeders 2 pieces;
• drinking bowl;
• running wheel, ball, maze, playground or tunnel.

When choosing a cage, you need to take into account the number and type of hamsters you plan to keep. It is not recommended to house several hamsters in one cage, but in practice it turns out differently. The minimum cage size for one rodent is 60 by 40 cm. It is important that the bars of the cage are positioned horizontally, since hamsters are very active and love to climb the walls of the cage.

The cage must be selected specifically for small rodents. Since the distance between the rods plays an important role. If you are planning to get dwarf hamsters, choose a distance so that a small hamster cannot fit between them.

To keep hamsters, they often buy a cage. But you can use an aquarium. It is important that the size of the aquarium also corresponds to the minimum size of 60 by 40 cm per pet, and the number of hamsters living.

Under no circumstances should hamsters be kept in cardboard boxes or plastic containers. Hamsters are rodents; their teeth grow throughout their lives. They will instantly chew up a dwelling made of fragile material and run away. Finding and catching an escaped hamster is not an easy task. But besides this, he can also get poisoned.

How to determine the sex of a Djungarian and Syrian hamster at a young age

Djungarian and Syrian hamsters are all the same at a young age. It is possible to visually distinguish a hamster from a hamster only at 2 months of age; the signs become even more pronounced at 3-4 months. But what if you need to determine the sex of a hamster here and now, and you still have a tiny baby in your hands?

Very small Djungarian and Syrian hamsters do not have abundant undercoat, their bodies are the same size and do not have pronounced genital characteristics. The best option is to wait until the animals are 30-40 days old. Only then do almond-shaped protuberances appear under the tail of males - the developed testicles make it possible to determine that this is a “boy”.

Very small hamsters have pink spots on their butts. If you succeed, you can recognize the boy’s genital organ by eye - as a rule, in babies it is located on the abdomen, the anus is under the tail. In the female specimen, no protuberances are identified on the abdomen. But this method will be reliable for an experienced specialist or an experienced hamster breeder.

Pros and cons of content

Pros of keeping a hamster

• low cost of a hamster;
• low cost of accessories for maintenance;
• takes up little space;
• does not require special care and knowledge;
• does not make noise;
• no wool;
• no need for daily walks;
• you can keep one hamster, without a pair;
• does not pose a danger to both adults and children;
• easy to breed;
• easy to place the babies.

Disadvantages of keeping a hamster

• they sleep during the day and are active at night;
• unpleasant odor if you do not clean up food debris and excrement daily;
• low life expectancy, from 2 to 3 years;
• some individuals hibernate, depending on the species and conditions of detention.

Character and habits of the animal

Most species of hamsters are nocturnal animals. During the day they sleep. If a rodent is constantly disturbed in the morning, this can negatively affect its health and cause aggressive behavior. Hamsters are loners. Outside the breeding season, they do not tolerate proximity to their relatives.

This is due to the fact that in natural conditions they have to make a lot of effort to find food.

Animals gnaw everything they can get their teeth on. They can try cage bars, toys, a playhouse and other accessories. Even when kept at home, when there is no shortage of food, they try to stock up. In nature, they cover long distances, so at night the animals run in a wheel to satisfy their need for movement.

Cognitive Features

A hamster's cognitive abilities depend on its breed. Experts have found that most animals have a fairly good memory.

Most hamsters have a good memory.

Some rodents are able to remember events and even recognize people's faces. Because of this, the pet can go into the arms of only one family member, hiding from others. With regular training, he is able to learn how to perform some simple tricks.

What are they afraid of?

Hamsters are hunted by many predators in their natural environment, so the rodents are quite shy. Fear and the stress it causes can shorten your pet's life. Hamsters are often afraid of people. This is due to the fact that the animals are quite small and larger living creatures can pose a danger to them. To rid your pet of fear, you need to treat him with the utmost care. Hamsters are afraid of:

• sharp sounds;
• drafts;
• water.

Most animals do not have an innate fear of heights. The rodent may fall from a table, the top tier of a cage, or a shoulder. Only after this does he develop a fear of heights, because... it begins to be associated with pain.

Choosing a location for the cage

Often owners do not pay attention to where to place the hamster's cage. This is a rather important point, which affects both the health and life expectancy of the animal.

Things to consider when choosing a location for a cage:

• Avoid direct sunlight on the cage;
• avoid bright light;
• limit access to the cage for other animals;
• avoid drafts;
• there should be no temperature changes in the room;
• do not place under air conditioning;
• do not place near heating devices;
• there should be no strong odors or smoke in the room;
• do not place near a TV, radio, or stereo system;
• do not place the cage in a walk-through area;
• Do not place it in a children's playroom, as hamsters are afraid of sharp and loud sounds.

For the cage you need to choose a quiet, non-passable place. The cage should not be moved frequently. The optimal temperature for keeping hamsters is 20-25 degrees.

It is necessary to install a house in the cage so that the hamster can rest during the daytime and feel safe. Also in the cage you need to put 2 feeders and a drinking bowl. Feeders with drinking bowls must be attached to the bars of the cage, otherwise an active animal will definitely turn over and trample the contents. One feeder is needed for the grain mixture, which is the main feed, the other is needed for succulent feed.

It is worth considering that hamsters are very mobile and active animals. They definitely need to buy and install a treadmill, ball, tunnels, and labyrinths in the cage. Special playgrounds for hamsters are sold, which already include the listed attractions, as well as various toys for the hamster.

Anatomical structure of hamsters

Hamsters of different species have similar body structures. Dimensions can vary from 5 to 34 cm. Weight ranges from 10 g to 1.5 kg. Their special anatomy helps them survive in their natural environment. Each breed has its own distinctive characteristics. How many chromosomes a hamster has depends on its species. Some have 22, while others have 28.

Rodent head

The rodent's head is disproportionately large in relation to the body. It is moderately elongated. The ears are mobile and have a round shape. The eyes are set high, which provides a wide viewing angle. There are 16 teeth in the oral cavity, 12 of them are molars, and 4 are incisors. They grow throughout life, grinding off the rough food that the rodent consumes. There is a diastema between the chewing teeth and the incisors.

The rodent's head is larger than its body.

The main anatomical feature of hamsters is cheek pouches. The entrances to them are located on both sides, and their bottom is located deep in the neck near the shoulder joints. They will mix up to 18 g of feed. To extract grains from them, the animal uses its front paws.

Some species also use cheek pouches for protection. The beast inflates them, trying to look larger and more aggressive.

animal body

The rodent's body is compact. The legs are short. The joints of the lower and upper extremities are quite mobile. The body is covered with thick hair. The color depends on the breed. Many species have 4 toes on the front legs, and 5 on the hind legs. Like other mammals, the spine consists of the lumbar, thoracic and cervical regions. The skeletal elements are quite fragile. Males of most breeds have scent glands on their bellies. Females do not have these organs. Some have a short tail, and its length does not exceed 5 mm, while in others it reaches 10 cm.

Hamster care

Cleaning

One of the main disadvantages of keeping hamsters is the unpleasant smell from the cage. To avoid this, you need to clean the cage daily and keep it clean. However, frequent cleaning worries the hamster and leads to stress, which greatly reduces life expectancy.

Before you start cleaning the cage, you need to move the hamster to another place. Then remove any remaining food, wash the feeders and drinking bowls, check and remove supplies from the hamster’s pantry, and remove excrement. As soon as you have finished cleaning, you need to return the hamster back.

To prevent an unpleasant odor from excrement, the bottom of the cage is covered with corn or cellulose filler. Newspapers or sawdust are often used as bedding. However, such material is one of the reasons for the unpleasant odor and the cage needs to be cleaned much more often.

General cleaning is carried out 2-3 times a month. This type of cleaning includes a complete change of filler and a complete wash of the cage.

Feeding

Hamsters are omnivores, so it is important to know what you can and cannot feed your hamster.

• The basis of a hamster's diet is a grain mixture. You can purchase ready-made grain food at a pet store, or purchase grains separately and mix them yourself.
• Vegetables and fruits must be included in a hamster's diet. Vegetables are a source of fiber, which aids digestion, and fruits are an excellent source of vitamins. Among the vegetables, the hamster is often fed carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers and zucchini. Hamsters are very fond of apples and pears as fruits.
• It is also worth taking care of your pet's health. Hamsters need to wear down their teeth, which grow throughout their lives. To do this, you can hang a mineral stone in the tap hole, which is also beneficial for the body. Hamsters are also given branches of apple, pear, and birch trees.

We discussed a complete list of foods that can be given to a hamster in the article What does a hamster eat.

Communication

• Hamsters are very active and sociable pets. They quickly get used to humans and are easy to tame. It is important to avoid long breaks when in contact with a hamster. Because the rodent also quickly loses the habit and has to be tamed again.
• Contact with the hamster should be established gradually. It is not recommended to disturb the hamster during the first days in the house. During the first week, he needs to be given time to settle into the new territory and get used to the person, his smell and voice.
• It is worth considering that the hamster is a nocturnal animal. Under no circumstances should he be woken up during the day. Also, when communicating, you should not make loud sounds, make noise, shout or make sudden movements.
• You should handle your hamster with extreme caution. Taking him from the back is highly discouraged, as this causes him to associate it with an attack by a predator. You need to place your palm and wait for the hamster to climb onto it.
• It's worth being careful. Do not squeeze it too tightly in your hands, and also make sure that it does not slip out of your hands. Hamsters can be injured if they fall from a height.
• Hamsters are very clean. There is no need to wash them unless they are soiled with feces. If you still need to bathe your hamster, you need to make sure that water does not get into the eyes, ears and nose. After bathing procedures, you cannot blow dry your hamster!

Hamsters at home live on average 2-3 years. They are very timid and often exposed to stress. If you follow simple rules for caring for and keeping hamsters at home, they will delight you throughout their lives.

Why determine the sex of a hamster?

After purchasing, you can bring home two Syrian females or identical males. To avoid this, you need to learn how to independently determine the sex of a hamster. This is important if you plan to breed animals with subsequent offspring. As you understand, in this case you need to buy a boy and a girl.

If you need hamsters as a gift for a child, it is easier to buy two same-sex individuals to prevent reproduction. In this case, it is better if there are 2 females. Two males locked in the same cage can fight and injure each other.

If newborn hamsters immediately live in the same cage, then over time they will get used to each other and behave calmer.

Finding out whether the hamster is a boy or a girl is also important when purchasing one individual. The gender of your pet will influence its character and behavior.

Male hamsters emit a specific odor, which attracts the attention of female hamsters. But people don’t like such scents at all.

But at the same time, male hamsters make better contact with people and are more friendly. You can pick them up and stroke them without getting an aggressive reaction. In addition, males are too active, especially at night, which can cause some discomfort to household members.

This is actually the answer to the question - why do you need to be able to determine the sex of a hamster?

Reproduction and lifespan of a hamster

Hamsters reproduce quickly and actively due to the fact that the male has several families. If he is defeated by a strong relative in a mating dispute, then he will always have another female to continue the race.

Offspring are born several times a year, each litter consisting of 5-15 cubs. Having appeared blind and bald, hamsters already have teeth, and on the third day they are covered with fluff. After a week they begin to see. At first they live in the nest under the close supervision of the mother.

The female can even take care of other people's babies. But the children, if they don’t accept the foundling, they can crush him. In nature, animals do not live long, up to 2-3 years. In captivity, with good care, the lifespan of pet hamsters increases to 4-5 years.

It is interesting that small cubs, 1-2 months old, when entering the home world of people, are not aggressive. buy a hamster for a child without fear, but you just need to remember that leaving it quickly can become a psychological trauma.

At the same time, it is useful even for children to distinguish between Norman the hamster from the popular cartoon and a living creature with its own needs and character.

Tame and playful hamsters, such as Djungarian hamsters, will bring joy and excitement to any family. But the little steppe resident requires care and attention to his needs. A hamster can become a favorite of both children and adults.

Is it possible to unite rodents?

It is possible to unite pets with each other, although this is not an easy undertaking.

It is recommended to proceed as follows:

1. Place and keep pet hamsters in separate cages for at least 2 weeks. In this case, the animals must be nearby, have the opportunity for visual contact and communication.
2. Relocate pets to a new shared space. If this is not possible, a female should be placed with a male or an older animal with a younger individual. This does not guarantee the absence of territorial aggression, but it will reduce the likelihood of its development.

Once the rodents are placed in a cage, they should be monitored for several weeks. If hamster fights occur regularly and become more frequent, the individuals need to be separated.

Why do adult hamsters eat each other?

In the wild, hamsters live alone. Some owners do not know this and place a friend or girlfriend with an already adult pet. This often ends with the hamster eating the hamster in the process of asserting ownership of the territory.

The reason for wars in a cage where several individuals of different sexes are kept is the struggle for the female. During it, the strongest male eats a weaker competitor.

Cannibalism can result from a lack of food. Hungry hamsters can eat other individuals in order to ensure their own livelihoods. Therefore, it is necessary to always feed your pets in a timely manner with food that meets their needs for nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

What does a fight look like?

A fight between hamsters of the same sex always develops according to the same scenario, including the following stereotypical forms of behavior:

1. Research and assessment of the territorial parameters and capabilities of the opponent.
2. Adopting an offensive or defensive posture.
3. A fight using direct attacking and rolling movements.

During a fight, animals make sudden movements, raise their heads, stand on their hind legs, and grind their teeth. They often bite and roll on the floor.

As a result of each battle, a winner and a loser are revealed: the strong hamster occupies the conquered territory, and the weak one runs away from the battle zone. The relationships between males established in the initial fight are maintained in subsequent encounters between them. In addition, about 90% of defeated males adopt a submissive posture when encountering other friendly hamsters, demonstrating conditioned defeat.

Females are generally more aggressive and prone to swift attacks. However, the results of the fight have less influence on the establishment of relations of social subordination between them.

Females are more prone to attack than males.

Interesting facts about pet hamsters

The following interesting facts are associated with domestic hamsters:

1. The animal can stuff the amount of grain into its cheek pouches, the mass of which is up to 15% of its body weight.
2. The young are born blind and naked, but already with teeth.
3. Forest species have a craving for shiny objects, trying to immediately carry them into the hole.
4. Over the course of a year, an adult can make reserves that weigh up to 90 kg.
5. Female dwarf hamsters can delay childbirth in order to continue the period of feeding their young with milk.
6. Keeping such pets in Vietnam is prohibited, because... Rodents are carriers of many diseases.

Chinese scientists have found that some hamsters travel up to 1 km per night to get to a place where there is food. In addition, research has revealed that during a hungry period, an animal is capable of falling into a state of torpor, in which all processes in the body slow down, allowing the animal to survive unfavorable times.

Relationships between rodents and territorial behavior

Agonistic intraspecific behavior of hamsters is well described in the scientific literature.

Males and females during same-sex contacts always show aggression, the degree of which depends on several factors:

• differences in the hormonal status of opponents;
• duration of photoperiods;
• size and complexity of the territory.

The level of aggression increases if hamsters are forced to live in the same territory.

They do not tolerate proximity to individuals similar to themselves and try with all their might to get rid of them.

Prevention of aggression between “cohabitants”

It is recommended to place two hamsters of the same litter in a common space, which can adapt to living together.

However, this does not guarantee the absence of competition, so the breeder needs to take several additional preventative measures:

• choose a spacious cage and equip it with several drinkers and bowls;
• ensure that pets always have food and water;
• install play equipment with which rodents will spend most of their energy;
• Regularly remove excrement and change litter.

If fights between pets become more frequent and more aggressive, the animals should be separated temporarily or permanently. Otherwise, fighting may result in injury or death to the hamsters.

If fights become a frequent occurrence, it is better to put the pets in separate cages.

How to hold a hamster during examination

There are two ways that will tell you how to distinguish a boy's hamster from a girl's hamster. When checking each of them, you should hold the furry correctly.

1. We lift the Syrian hamster by its front paws, forming a semicircle of two fingers. The butt and hind legs should remain suspended. One person lifts the hamster and holds it in this position until another person performs an inspection.
2. Take your pet, hold it with two fingers, holding its butt. You should not let the lower part of the hamster hang from your hand, as this can harm him. The examination should take place quickly; you should not torture the hamster for a long time.

If you cannot immediately determine the sex of a hamster by eye, you can take a photo and then study this image in detail.

It is worth considering that hamsters do not have the same body structure as cats or dogs. There is no need to pick them up by the skin or put them on their back. At best, the hamster will experience pain; at worst, his health will suffer. You should always be prepared for the possibility that your hamster might escape.

I think this diagram makes everything more or less clear. But in life, not everything is so clear.

And since he runs fast and can slip into any crack, catching him around the apartment with all the cabinets, tables, and sofas will be very problematic. Therefore, the inspection must be carried out over a box in which a soft blanket is placed. Even if he breaks free and falls, nothing bad will happen, he won’t run away.

Can you tell where the boy is and where the girl is?