How long do jungarians live and how to help them live longer?

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11/01/2018 A small steppe animal can bring no less positive emotions than a cat or dog. Unfortunately, the lifespan of a hamster is not that long. However, there are nuances of maintenance and care that can significantly increase the life expectancy of a pet.

Djungarian hamster: description

Djungarian hamsters have a pointed muzzle and small ears. Overall, they are fun and quite attractive pets. Adults, regardless of gender, grow to a maximum length of 10 centimeters and weigh about 70 grams. The back area of ​​the animal is painted in an ocher-gray shade, and the belly area is lighter in color. The digital tubercles are covered with fairly thick hairs.

The inner parts of the ears of the Djungarian hamster, as well as the paws, are white. The peculiarity of the animal is that a thin black stripe runs along the entire ridge of the animal. These rodents are active mainly at night. Hamsters live in burrows that have a nesting chamber, several branches and several entrances.

Interesting moment! Wild individuals are distinguished by the fact that in the summer they have a predominant grayish coat color, and with the onset of winter the coat color lightens and becomes silvery-white.

As for domesticated Djungarian hamsters, they have significant differences in relation to their wild relatives in terms of coat color. Nowadays, domesticated rodents are kept that have very different coat colors. The most popular colors are:

• “Standard”, characterized by a brownish-gray base coat color, with the belly area being white.
• “Sapphire” is distinguished by a grayish-bluish main coat color, and the belly area is white.
• “Pearl” - the main coat color is matte white, with grayish hairs.
• "Mandarin" - the main coat color is reddish-cream.

How long do they live?

The disadvantages of keeping such an animal at home include its short life span, which is only 2-3 years. If you create acceptable living conditions, the Djungarian hamster will live a year longer, although this is rather an exception to the rule, but not the norm.

Djungarian hamster - All about the rodent species | Rodent species - Djungarian hamster

Additional recommendations

Tips from hamster owners:

1. If you want to have 2 or more rodents, the spacious cage is divided with a piece of plexiglass.
2. When breeding hamsters, immediately after mating, the male is placed separately. Males like to live alone, and males also eat newborns.
3. They do not let the pet out of the cage: it moves so quickly that it is easy to lose sight of it. Having become entangled in clothes, the animal gnaws and spoils things in order to find a way out.
4. They prevent the animal from falling, because he doesn't feel heights.

The Djungarian hamster is an unpretentious animal. Conscientious care prolongs your pet's life.

Care and maintenance at home

The natural habitat of Djungarian hamsters extends to semi-fixed sands, as well as gravelly-cinquefoil, wormwood, grass-desert and xerophytic zones of the steppes of North-Eastern Kazakhstan and Central Asia, including the territory of the central regions of Asia, as well as the Western Siberian District.

Therefore, the conditions for keeping this animal in captivity should be as close as possible to natural ones. Maintenance experience shows that Djungarian hamsters, despite the ease of maintenance, still require competent and constant care.

How many jungarians to have?

According to experts, it is permissible to keep only one animal in one cage, regardless of gender. This is due to the fact that these animals are quite territorial and in limited space, capable of showing aggression towards each other.

As a result of keeping several animals in one area, they develop a feeling of permanent stress. In this state, they are capable of inflicting injuries on each other, sometimes incompatible with life. Therefore, each animal purchased for the purpose of further maintenance must be housed in a separate cage.

Selecting a cage and filling it

Keeping Djungarian hamsters at home does not involve any special problems; it is enough to choose the right cage and fill it correctly. The most suitable cage for this small animal may have dimensions of 300x500 mm. A special cage made of transparent plexiglass is also suitable. The pet's cage must contain:

• Bedding in the form of finely sifted sand or medium-sized compressed sawdust. These materials are quite cheap, but at the same time they perfectly absorb moisture and also absorb unpleasant odors. It is not recommended to use cotton wool, paper napkins, newspapers, rags, etc. as bedding.
• Special toilet for keeping small domestic rodents. Special absorbent components are poured into such trays. Typically these are called fillers.
• Holes that can represent various roots, plant branches and tubes.
• Holiday house. This can be the most primitive structure made of wood or other environmentally friendly material.
• A wheel with transverse protrusions and without a grid in the bottom.

A wide range of similar and other accessories are sold in pet stores. The main thing is that there are enough of them, but not too many. A convenient drinking bowl and feeder must be present in the animal’s cage; a drinking bowl with a volume of about 50 ml is sufficient. It is necessary to ensure that the water in the drinking bowl is changed daily. The feeder should have standard sizes, depending on the size of the animal.

It is important to know! It is not recommended to keep these animals in aquariums with high walls, since the space inside them is poorly ventilated. Therefore, the internal surfaces often fog up, which negatively affects the health of jungarians.

When filling an animal's cage with various accessories, one should not forget about a special stick or mineral stone. They are necessary so that the animal can grind down its teeth. A twig of any fruit tree, with the exception of apricot and cherry, is suitable as a stick.

Care and hygiene

The main feature of caring for a hamster is proper and timely cleaning, which will help prevent the appearance of a persistent and rather unpleasant odor in the home. Cleaning the animal's toilet, including replacing the litter, is carried out at least 1 or 2 times a week. To clean the cage properly, the animal is temporarily transferred to a special container or box.

The most important thing is that the filler should not be removed completely, since a small part of the old filler will help the animal quickly adapt to the conditions after cleaning. This way he will immediately find his toilet, which is very important. Once a month, you should do a thorough cleaning of your pet rodent's cage. In this case, you should not touch the hamster's nest. To wash the bottom of the cage, it is better to use regular laundry soap.

Important to remember! Djungarian hamsters do not need water procedures, since they know how to clean their fur; to do this, they will have to place a special bathing suit with clean, sifted sand in the cage.

It is very important to find the right place for your pet, since animals do not like to be in direct sunlight. They are also negatively affected by drafts and stagnant air. Therefore, the cage should not be located near the TV, refrigerator or computer, and especially not near heating appliances.

What to feed

The most suitable option in this case is to use ready-made commercial food for hamsters. The basis of the diet should be granules and grain mixtures consisting of seeds, grains and pieces of chopped corn. The protein content should be at the level of 15-20 percent. Such granules and mixtures play an important role in the dental hygiene of hamsters. They are also highly concentrated in nutrients. Despite this, they do not represent the only type of food for Djungarian hamsters.

The diet of a domestic rodent, depending on the season, can be expanded to include fruits, vegetables, and herbs. In this case, the expansion of the diet should be carried out gradually, with observation of the animal’s reaction. If diarrhea occurs, which indicates an allergy, it is better to exclude such products from the diet.

Important point! Hamsters should not be allowed to eat raw potatoes, onions, garlic, tomato tops, as well as citrus fruits, watermelons, melons, almonds and chocolate.

Djungarian hamster - care and maintenance | DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

Health, disease and prevention

The owners of these animals note that many of their illnesses are directly related to the severe stress they have experienced.

Stress can result from:

• Changing the location of the cell.
• Disturbances in sleep and rest patterns.
• Long trip.
• The appearance of another individual in the cage.

If the animal begins to show unmotivated aggression or has heavy breathing or noticeable ulcers on the body, as well as frequent and loose stools, then its further maintenance requires medical attention or consultation with a veterinarian. The fact that an animal is sick can be judged by the manifestation of apathy, a convulsive state, a complete loss of appetite, as well as severe loss of fur.

Reproduction and offspring

In captivity, Djungarian hamsters demonstrate enviable fertility. Females 4 months of age and males who have reached 3 months of age or older take part in the breeding process. After mating, the female carries her offspring for 3 weeks. To feed pregnant females, not only ready-made commercial feeds are used, but also protein foods in the form of boiled chicken breast, egg (boiled) yolk and low-fat cottage cheese.

Before the birth of hamster offspring, it is necessary to carry out complete disinfection of both the cage and all accessories. After birth, the cubs are fed exclusively on mother's milk for the first 3 weeks. During this period, under no circumstances should you pick up small animals, since after this the female is able to eat her offspring.

Hairy-footed Djungarian hamsters are capable of reproducing healthy offspring when crossed with Campbell's hamsters. Experts point out that the offspring obtained in this way have an average life expectancy, which is at the level of one and a half years. Hybrid individuals have a slightly different coat color, characterized by a reddish tint. At the same time, they have a characteristic body structure.

Interesting to know! If you provide the female with high-quality housing conditions, you can get fairly healthy offspring.

Already on the fourth or fifth day, the small animals stop constantly squeaking and begin to behave more calmly. After a week, their body begins to be covered with real wool. After a week and a half, the offspring begins to move independently around the cage. Somewhere around this time, they already begin to try soft food. After a couple of weeks, the offspring can already see and hear. After about a month, the babies can be separated from the female.

Diseases

The disease, of course, can significantly shorten the animal’s lifespan. Symptoms such as:

• Reduced activity.
• Lethargy and apathy.
• Manifestation of drowsiness, even at night - when hamsters are usually alert.
• Presence of heavy breathing.
• Deterioration of coat condition.

Sometimes even one hour of delay can be decisive. And under no circumstances should you self-medicate. Only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis.

The animal can get injured, fall, or hurt itself during a walk. If this happens, it is better, again, to consult a doctor rather than rely on your own doctoral talent.

Djungarians can also get colds. If, for example, you leave the cage in a draft, under air conditioning, or even just walk it outside. The symptoms here are: sneezing, lethargy, nasal discharge, sniffling. A fortified diet and, of course, medications prescribed by a doctor will help.

By the way, a decrease in appetite while maintaining vigor can be caused by dental problems.

If there are loose stools or rumbling in the stomach, this indicates problems with digestion. Consulting with a specialist will help bring your diet back to normal.

One way or another, the success of curing a sick hamster primarily depends on the person.

Cost of Djungarian hamsters

When buying a Djungarian hamster, it is advisable to pay attention to factors such as:

• Pet's age. The hamster should be about 5-6 weeks old.
• Character of behavior. The animal should not be too apathetic and lethargic, or overly excited or nervous.
• Health. His state of health visually should not raise the slightest doubt.
• Wool cover. It should be dry and clean, without signs of bald spots or mechanical damage.
• The condition of the eyes, which should be clean, without traces of various discharges.
• The condition of the nasal cavity, which also should not have traces of various secretions.
• The condition of the fur around the anus should be characterized as clean and dry.

If a person has little experience, then it is quite difficult to distinguish the sex of very young individuals. This is true even for breeders. It is better to know for yourself how to distinguish a male from a female. Similar animals can be bought for 250-350 rubles, regardless of gender. If hamsters have a rather rare color, then the cost of such individuals is slightly higher.

Methods for determining the age of a hamster

There is no exact way to determine the age of a hamster. The newborn cub has no fur, and only after 12 days it is completely covered with fur. On the 14th day from birth, his eyes open. A six-month-old rodent is no more than 8 cm in length. Its weight is 40 g. To understand how old a pet is, observe its behavior. Young animals are active and mobile. They run fast, squeak and play. Old individuals are leisurely, most often sleeping or eating. The difference in behavior is most noticeable in the evening and at night.

Owner reviews

According to experts, it is not recommended to keep more than one hamster in one cage, although many owners practice keeping “married couples” in one cage. Moreover, such content does not have any negative consequences. Domestic rodents quickly get used to the hands of their owner. With a lack of attention, on the contrary, the animal quickly loses the habit, which leads to aggression towards its owner. If a Djungarian hamster appears in the house, then it will not be superfluous to make sure that it pleases all family members for as long as possible. To do this, you will have to direct all efforts to ensure that the animal always remains healthy and cheerful. It is very important that the animal eats exclusively what is healthy for it and does not eat junk food in the form of sweet, salty and other unhealthy foods. If signs of illness appear, you should not determine the type of illness yourself. In this case, only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis.

Disadvantages of keeping a hamster. The whole truth about Djungarian hamsters

Tips for coping with loss

After the first week, a person, seeing how restless these creatures are, becomes so accustomed to them that he can no longer imagine a day without them. Unfortunately, their physiology is such that within a couple of years they die. Naturally, every owner who is accustomed to these active animals experiences suffering. This becomes a serious blow for children who very sincerely fall in love with the little Djungarians and find it extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer there.

What to do if the dwarf died?

Don't try to place the blame entirely on yourself, don't torture yourself with the fact that this happened because of your mistake. You should switch your thoughts to something else : while the hamster lived in your family, he was very happy, because he was loved by all members. And it is unknown how his fate would have turned out if you had not been around. Unfortunately, not a single person is able to prolong the life of an animal more than is allotted to it by nature.

Reproduction

To mate and successfully reproduce Djungarian hamsters, you will need a female about four months old and a three-month-old male. For breeding purposes, they need to be transplanted into a separate container for a while, protected from their relatives.

Pregnancy among Djungarians takes about 20 days. After the specified time, from 4 to 12 cubs can be born. Hamsters are born blind and helpless. Over the next month, they are under the care of their mother, regularly drinking milk.

There are a number of other important points when breeding Djungarian hamsters. So, shortly before giving birth, it is necessary to place the female in a pre-cleaned, disinfected cage. And after the babies are born, you should not pick them up or touch them. Having smelled foreign odors from the cubs, the female may reject the offspring. In such situations, cases of cannibalism are often observed.

The long life of the dwarf is in your hands!

A good owner, through his efforts, ensures a long life for the hamster. All you need is to show attention and care. We sincerely hope that you take responsibility for those you have tamed and do not perceive the Djungarian hamster as a toy.

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