Ordinary hamster: description, content and photos

Probably everyone is familiar with such lovely rodents as hamsters. There are several kinds of them, and they perfectly live with people as pets. But the hamster is not ordinary, like his domestic cousins, he is very different from them.

Description of the animal

This type of hamster is considered the largest of all that is now known. The body of an adult animal on average grows to 30 cm and has a dense build. This "crumb" weighs about a pound, and sometimes more. The tail reaches 4-6 cm, while it is thick at the base and pointed to the tip, covered with small hard hairs. The paws of the animal are short and have claws to facilitate movement. His ears are small. An ordinary hamster (Cricetus cricetus) has special cheek pouches in which it can add about 50 grams of cereals.

Color of the animal

The animal has a beautiful multi-colored skin. Primary color reddish, breast and abdomen black. Paws, nose, cheeks and several spots on the sides - white. Depending on the habitat, its tone may be lighter or darker. Sometimes there are animals that have non-standard black and white or purely black. Many agree that an ordinary hamster is the most beautiful of its family members. Therefore, for the sake of bright fur, he is hunted with special dogs.

Where does the hamster live?

Usually the size of a hamster depends on the locality in which it lives. You can meet him in the south of Europe, mainly in the steppe zone. He also lives in Northern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia. Of course, sometimes an ordinary hamster gets into new territory for him, even in cities. He prefers to settle near vegetable gardens or fields to ensure his livelihood.

Lifestyle

Many more of the cartoons know that a hamster is a stocky animal. He's a good boss who has been working all summer. Around August, he begins to make global reserves to provide himself with food for the whole winter and spring. To preserve the products, the hamster ordinary digs long holes of different lengths. It has many courses and chambers designed separately for a nest, several storerooms, a winter cabin, a bedroom, a dining room. In total, the length of all its corridors can be about 8 meters. All the cameras are deep enough that nothing happens in the frost with the treasure of the animal. Sometimes an ordinary hamster can occupy a burrow of a gopher and settle there. In addition to collecting supplies, the animal is engaged in the fact that it monitors the cleanliness of its litter and regularly replaces it with fresh. With the onset of frosts, the animal hibernates, from time to time waking up to refresh itself.

This animal is aggressive and does not tolerate the neighborhood of relatives. If another hamster wandered into his territory, he would fight him. It is known that, by protecting the entrance to its burrow, this "fuzzy" can attack not only predators, but even a human, and while it is capable of biting painfully. But, despite such courage, the animal can die, becoming the prey of a ferret, a fox or a feathered one. He is able to run fast and jump sharply, but if he is calm, then he moves slowly enough. Basically the hamster starts to swarm and leave the mink only with the arrival of the evening. At dawn he goes to the shelter. There he spends his entire day an ordinary hamster. The photo below shows a beast resting in a burrow.

Ration

The animal can eat a variety of food, but its main dish is vegetable food. In his diet there are herbs, peas, corn, flowers, corn, alfalfa, seeds and tubers. But on occasion, he will not refuse to eat insects or invertebrates. Its victims can become frogs, lizards, chicks, and sometimes mice. With the approach of autumn hamsters begin to actively stock up food, which they carry in their bags, holding them with paws. By the beginning of winter, the storeroom of the animal is filled with a large number of tubers and seeds (from 500 g to 25 kg). Therefore, to provide for themselves, an ordinary hamster prefers to settle next to agricultural land. Surprisingly, this "master" was found in the burrows of storerooms, in which different varieties of cereals were stacked separately.

Sometimes in one territory there can be many relatives, which leads to a lack of food. Therefore, an ordinary hamster can move to other areas. During such migrations, even rivers are not afraid of the animal , as it easily overcomes them.

Gone and maternity period

With the advent of spring, the hamster leaves its winter hole and goes in search of the female. In its hole, he can stumble upon an opponent, with whom a fight will necessarily take place. After the victory, he marks the hole and waits for the consent of the female. Having received the desired, the hamster leaves home. In the female three weeks after this meeting, a brood appears, in which there may be from 4 to 20 heirs. Each hamster weighs about 5 grams, and in the second week they open their eyes, and the body becomes hairy. If the offspring are in danger, the mother takes him to a quiet place in pouches intended for eating.

A month later, the children become independent and forced to leave their native nest. Having freed herself from motherhood, the female is ready to take the male again. In one season, the animal can have two or three, and sometimes there are five broods. An ordinary hamster becomes mature by the age of three months, so by the end of the summer, young offspring may have their own babies.

Relationships with people

People like to start at home a variety of cute animals. But it is very rare for a pet to become a common hamster. The description of his life shows that this animal needs freedom and does not like society. Therefore, for the content in the cells were derived other breeds. In addition to its aggressiveness (in captivity, malice is not so pronounced), this beast is different in that it tolerates diseases, for example, encephalitis. But some people still decide to have such a small animal. Experience proves that he will never become tame. In addition, there may be difficulties when, with the onset of spring, the animal will have natural needs, and he will need to look for a pair. Some specimens are able to breed in captivity. The life of a hamster is about 8 years.

In its way, Cricetus cricetus is the only representative. Of course, there are still many animals belonging to the family of hamsters. But unlike their rodent relatives, who can be tamed, this one is not domestically and best of all feels free. This hamster was first described by a scientist in 1774.

It should be noted that in many areas this beast is a pest that steals cultural plants, therefore it is subject to targeted destruction. But the huge speed of its reproduction contributes to the fact that the animal is not threatened with extinction. Also this beast is used as a laboratory animal.