When considering whether to buy a hamster or not, you may want to know how long your new friend will be a part of your family. Find out more about how long most hamsters live and what you can do to help your pet live a fulfilling, healthy life under your roof below.
Hamsters are small rodents, there are about 24 species in total. Some of them are kept as pets. Hamsters have several differences from other rodents: small size, short tail, short legs, and small ears. Now about the duration of life.
How long do hamsters live?
The life span of a hamster is much shorter than that of most other common pests. The life span of these animals is influenced by many factors: genetics, food quality, stress, illness, exercise, housing conditions, and much more. Some long-lived hamsters can live up to 4-5 years, but this is not common.
The average life length is as follows:
- Syrian hamster: 2-3 years
- Dzungarian hamster: 1-2 years
- Campbell’s hamster: 1.5-2 years
- Roborovsky’s hamster: 3-3.8 years
- Chinese hamster: 1.8-3 years
How to improve the quality and longevity of your hamster
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help your hamster live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Prevention of infections
The simplest thing to remember when caring for your hamster is to wash your hands regularly.
This is important because you can get an infection from the street and not even be aware of it. Hamsters have accelerated metabolism, diseases develop rapidly and are often fatal.
Quality diet
The hamster’s diet should be varied and balanced. It must include grain mixtures, juicy vegetables, and fruits, twigs, as well as small insects, which can be purchased at specialized pet stores.
Protection from injury
Don’t forget to keep your little friend in the cage safe as well. Although they should be a real refuge for hamsters, they often break their paws on wire wheels. Buy only hard-surfaced wheels for your pet. Outside the cage, the hamster can only be in a walking ball, as there is a risk of losing a small animal.
If your hamster has metal or wire surfaces in its habitat, long-haired babies should be trimmed to avoid tangling or snagging.
The hamster’s poor eyesight can play an evil role, the animal can accidentally jump off your hands and get injured. Hamsters are very excitable and do not tolerate stress. If they are scared, they may jump or bite, and they may develop stress-related illnesses. Therefore, it is recommended to communicate with your pet while sitting on the floor or on the couch.
Lack of neighbors
Perhaps the most important is the question of cohabitation. Hamsters should be kept singly unless you are planning to breed. Despite the fact that, for example, adult Syrian hamsters are called cute “teddy bears”, they will resort to violence if they intersect with other rodents.
Safe content
Be careful with your hamster’s bedding, avoid cedar and pine shavings, and opt for odorless paper filler instead. Wood particles can be potentially harmful to small animals as they irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. In addition, the ubiquitous aromas of fragrant bedding can disorient the hamster, since his vision is poorly developed, so the animals depend on their sense of smell.
Even if your pet lives alone among odorless litters and safe playgrounds, it is important to keep an eye on it throughout its life and contact a rodent specialist – a radiologist in a timely manner.
Keep in mind that proper nutrition and care are essential to a healthy hamster. Closer to old age, the age of 2-3 years, health problems may arise. Moreover, not every veterinarian takes up the treatment of such an exotic animal. A rodent expert will help you compose a diet for your pet, tell you about care and maintenance. You can make an appointment with a radiologist by calling the phone number indicated on the website.