Golden Hamster

The golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), sometimes known as the Syrian hamster, is a rodent that belongs to the Cricetinae hamster subfamily. Their natural distribution is restricted to a narrow arid area in northern Syria and southern Turkey. In the wild, their numbers have been dropping due to habitat degradation from agriculture and deliberate extinction by humans. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has designated wild golden hamsters as Vulnerable.

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Captive breeding efforts, on the other hand, have a long history, and captive-bred golden hamsters are frequently maintained as little house pets. Golden Syrian hamsters are larger (up to five times larger) than many dwarf hamsters kept as pocket pets and weigh roughly the same as a sugar glider, however, the wild European hamster is larger. They're also employed for scientific study all throughout the world.

Scientific Classification 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Cricetidae

Subfamily: Cricetinae

Genus: Mesocricetus

Species: M. auratus

The golden hamster is one of four live species in the genus Mesocricetus, however, the hamster subfamily (Cricetinae), which is classed in the mouse family (Muridae) of the order Rodentia, includes several other genera. Brandt's hamster (M. brandti) is found in southern Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel, and extends eastward through Syria and northwestern Iran; the Romanian hamster (M. newtoni) is found only in eastern Romania and Bulgaria; and the Ciscaucasian hamster (M. raddei) lives in the steppes along the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains.

Characteristics 

Adult animals are about 6 in (15 cm) long and have a lifespan of 2–3 years. Syrian hamsters from private breeders can weigh between 175 and 225 grams (6.2–7.9 oz) and have a body mass of 100–150 grams (3.5–5.3 oz).

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Filling the Cheek Pouches with Food

The golden hamster, like the rest of the subfamily, has to expand cheek pouches that run from its cheeks to its shoulders. Hamsters in the wild are larder hoarders, transporting food to their burrows with their cheek pouches. Because of the amount of storage space in their cheek pouches, their name in the local Arabic dialect approximately translates to "mister saddlebags." If there is plenty of food, the hamster will store it in vast quantities.

Every four days, sexually developed female hamsters go into heat (estrus). Golden hamsters and kindred Mesocricetus species have the lowest gestation time of any placental animal, with a gestation period of roughly 16 days. It has been reported that pregnancy can endure up to 21 days, however, this is extremely rare and almost invariably leads to difficulties. Although they can have enormous litters of 20 or more pups, the average litter size is between eight and ten. A mother hamster may leave or devour her offspring if she is unskilled or feels threatened. A female hamster can become pregnant even if she has already had a litter because she enters estrus almost soon after giving birth. This puts a strain on the mother's body, and the children are generally frail and malnourished as a result.

Discovery 

Golden hamsters are native to Syria and were first documented by science in the second edition of The Natural History of Aleppo, published in 1797 by two Scottish surgeons living in the country. In 1839, British biologist George Robert Waterhouse classified the Syrian hamster as a separate species. Waterhouse's holotype (original specimen) was a female hamster, which he named Cricetus auratus, or "golden hamster." The specimen's skin is on display at the Natural History Museum in London.

A mother hamster and her litter of pups were kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, in 1930 by Israel Aharoni, a naturalist and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The hamsters were produced as experimental animals in Jerusalem. Most of the wild golden hamsters in Israel today are said to be descended from this litter, which escaped through a hole in the floor.

In 1931, descendants of the captive hamsters were transported to the United Kingdom, where they were cared for by the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research. They reproduced effectively, and the Zoological Society of London received two further pairs in 1932. In 1937, the progeny of these were sold to private breeders. In 1971, a separate stock of hamsters was exported from Syria to the United States, but it appears that none of today's North American pets is descended from these (at least in the female line) because mitochondrial DNA studies have determined that all domestic golden hamsters are descended from a single female – most likely the one captured in Syria in 1930.

The genus Cricetus has been subdivided since the species was named, and this species (together with several others) was separated into the genus Mesocricetus, resulting in the current scientific name for the golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus.

Behaviour 

Hamsters are territorial and intolerant of one another, and attacks against one another are widespread. There are exceptions, such as when a female and male meet while the female is in heat, yet the female may still attack the male after mating. Even mature siblings may fight one another. After four weeks, babies in captivity are separated from their mothers and separated by sex, as they are sexually mature at four to five weeks. Siblings of the same gender can stay together until they are around eight weeks old, at which point they become territorial and fight with one another, often to the death. Female golden hamsters are known to commit infanticide. Because any alien scent is perceived as a threat, they may kill and consume healthy young in captivity as a result of the pups interacting with humans. In the wild, females devour their dead offspring.

Golden hamsters use secretions from specific smell glands on their hips, known as flank glands, to mark their burrows. Male hamsters lick their body around the glands, leaving damp spots on the fur, then drag their sides along things to mark their territory. Bodily secretions and faeces are also used by females.

Golden Hamster as a Research Animal 

Human medical issues including malignancies, metabolic illnesses, non-cancer respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, and general health concerns are all modelled using golden hamsters. Golden hamsters accounted for 19 percent of all Animal Welfare Act-covered animal research subjects in the United States in 2006 and 2007.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong demonstrated in March 2020 that Syrian hamsters might be used as a model organism for COVID-19 research.

As Pets 

Due to their gentle, curious temperament, sweetness, and small stature, golden hamsters are popular as home pets. These creatures, on the other hand, have some unique needs that must be satisfied in order for them to remain healthy. Although some people conceive of hamsters as a pet for little children, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals suggests that they only be kept as pets by persons above the age of six and that they be monitored by an adult. Cages should be of a reasonable size, as well as safe, pleasant, and engaging. If a hamster chews and/or climbs on the cage bars all of the time, it requires more stimulation or a larger cage. A hamster cage should have at least 450 square inches (2,900 cm2) of continuous floor space (although the source of this recommendation is unknown). A plastic storage bin or a huge glass tank can be used to make them. The majority of hamster cages available in pet stores are insufficiently large. For Syrian hamsters, the Hamster Society Singapore (HHS) recommends a minimum of 4,000 square centimetres (620 sq in), whereas the Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz (TVT) suggests giving them as much space as possible, with a minimum of 100 cm 50 cm 50 cm (L W H) or 5,000 cm2 (780 sq in).

A hamster wheel is a frequent sort of environmental enrichment for hamsters, and having one in their cage is essential. For Syrian hamsters, TVT recommends wheels with a diameter of at least 30 cm, as smaller diameters cause chronic spinal curvatures, especially in young animals. Because rungs or mesh can cause harm, they also recommend a solid running surface. A hamster should be able to run without arching its back on its wheel. Back pain and spine abnormalities might occur in a hamster who is forced to run with an arched back. They can be entertained with a variety of toys, both store-bought and homemade. Boxes and tubes made of cardboard are stimulating. Golden hamsters are active and require plenty of areas to run around.

Golden hamsters are the most common hamsters at pet stores in the United States and the United Kingdom. Golden hamsters used to come in only one colour - a mix of brown, black, and gold – but they now come in a wide range of colours and patterns, including cream, white, blonde, cinnamon, tortoiseshell, black, three shades of grey, dominant spot, banded, and dilute.

Breeding 

Selective breeding of golden hamsters necessitates a grasp of their care, knowledge of breed variants, a breeding plan, female body cycle scheduling, and the capacity to maintain a colony of hamsters.

Breed Variation 

Long-haired hamsters are frequently referred to as "teddy bears." Except for the hair length, they are identical to short-haired Syrians and come in any colour, pattern, or coat type available in the species. Long-haired hamsters' male fur is frequently longer than the female's, resulting in a "skirt" of longer fur around their backsides. Long-haired females have a shorter coat than short-haired females, although it is still longer than a short-haired female's.

Interesting Facts about Hamster 

• Syria, Belgium, parts of northern China, Greece, and Romania are among the countries where wild hamsters were originally discovered.

• Hamsters prefer to live in dry, open environments. Deserts, plains, sand dunes, steppes, shrublands, rocky slopes, river valleys, agricultural fields, gardens, and orchards are all places where they can be found. Hamsters can be found up to 3,600 metres above sea level (11,800 feet).

• Hamsters are little, cute, and readily available in the pet trade all around the world. These fluffy balls of fur are often pleasant to interact with.

• Syrian, Roborovski, Campbell's Dwarf, Chinese, and Winter White Russian Dwarf hamsters are the five most popular pet hamsters.

• Hamsters have a limited life expectancy of about 2-4 years.

• Species of Hamster come in a variety of sizes, ranging from about 5 centimetres (2 inches) to over 33 centimetres (13 inches). The Syrian hamster, often known as the teddy bear hamster or golden hamster, is the most common pet hamster. It grows to be around 13 to 18 centimetres (5 to 7 inches) long.

• Hamsters have short legs, wide paws, and short stubby tails, as well as little fuzzy ears.

• Their fur is available in a wide range of colours and tones, including white, black, yellow, brown, grey, and a combination of these colours.

• The majority of hamsters live alone.

• In the wild, hamsters are more crepuscular (active at dusk) than nocturnal (active at night), and they spend the day underground to avoid predators.

• Hamsters are fast-moving rodents with incredible stamina; they can run at speeds of 3-5 km/h (2-3 mph) for lengthy periods of time and 8-11 km/h (5-7 mph) for short distances.

• Hamsters have adapted feet for cursorial mobility and are terrestrial creatures.

• By inflating their cheek pouches with air and giving themselves buoyancy, some hamsters can swim fairly well.

• Food hoarding is a trait of hamsters' behaviour. They transport food to their underground storage chambers in their large cheek pouches. Burrows containing up to 90 kilogrammes (200 pounds) of food have been discovered.

• Hamsters are omnivores, meaning they eat everything. Seeds, grain, nuts, grasses, plants, vegetables, and fruits, as well as insects, are eaten by wild hamsters. Although pet hamsters may thrive on a diet of commercial hamster food alone, they can also be fed vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts.

• Owls, weasels, storks, jackals, wild cats, snakes, and any other species that eat mouse-like animals are examples of predators.

• Hamsters can be violent and will use their huge incisors to defend themselves against predators.

• Females occasionally carry their offspring in their cheek pouches to shield them from predators.

• Hamsters, like many other rodents, have constantly growing teeth, which they must constantly chew or nibble to keep from becoming too long.

• The word "hamster" derives from the German word "hamstern," which means "to hoard," referring to the animal's tendency of hoarding.

• Hamsters are closely related to mice, rats, and voles, among other tiny rodents.

• The reason hamsters enjoy hamster wheels is simple: they were created to run. It's second nature to them. Simply put, hamsters love to run, and their species as a whole is quite energetic and vibrant. It is not uncommon for people to run 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) in a single day.

• Hamster wheels are absolutely necessary for keeping hamsters happy, healthy, and fit. Their wheels, on the other hand, if they are too small, might cause pain, spine difficulties, and even arthritis.

• One species is listed as endangered (the popular pet, golden or Syrian hamsters), one is listed as vulnerable (Romanian hamsters), and one is listed as low risk (grey dwarf hamsters).

Conclusion 

Golden Hamsters are a kind of rodent belonging to the family Cricetidae. In this article we have come across golden hamster scientific classification, characteristics, discovery, behaviour and some of the interesting facts about the hamster. All hamsters are excellent diggers, constructing burrows with one or more entrances, with galleries connected to chambers for nesting, food storage, and other activities.