The Syrian hamster is a breed that received its name from its place of origin - Syria. Syrians have been bred for almost 90 years. During this time, hamsters were domesticated and many varieties were bred.

Basic colors

The animals differ in fur length, smoothness and color. The color of Siberian hamsters is extremely diverse. Let's look at the most common types of "fur coats".

Gold

The golden hamster is considered a traditional representative of the Syrians. This is the most popular color. Often the coat has a reddish, orange or pinkish tint. The color of the pile is sandy at the base and at the tips. The rodent's belly is lighter than the main fur. The golden hamster has distinctive features - gray ears, black eyes.

Black

This variety of Syrians appeared as a result of mutation. The black animal is large in size and looks like a bear cub. The animal resembles a piece of coal. Sometimes the animal has a milky chin or a light frame on its paws. This is what it looks like with a white belly.

White

The snow-white hamster also has gray ears. The color of the coat contrasts with these features. The white Syrian hamster is fluffy and small in size. Due to its characteristics, this variety is widespread.

Grey

The fur of a gray animal can be light or dark. At the base the pile has a bluish tint. The roots are dark, sometimes black. distinguished by dark gray ears, a light spot on the chest and stripes on the cheeks.

Additional shades

The colors of Syrian hamsters are not limited to those listed above. Let's look at less common, but no less popular colors.

Beige

The color of the beige rodent was obtained by crossing gray and red animals. The wool may contain light orange notes. The abdomen is ivory-colored and the base of the pile is grayish. Distinguished by dark ears, a brown spot on the chest and stripes on the cheeks. The fur shimmers in the sun with warm shades: pink, orange, peach.

Cinnamon

The red-haired pet has a bright copper-orange coat. Sometimes the pile is brick-colored. The animal is distinguished by a white or cream crescent on its chest, as well as bluish stripes on its cheeks.

Brown

The animal is light red or sandy in color. Sometimes golden and brick shades appear on the fur. The tummy is milky, less often sugar. There are brown stripes on the cheeks.

Copper

The Syrian hamster is copper-colored with grayish ears. Sometimes there are representatives with white paws and a light chin.

Cream

The Syrian golden hamster is similar to its cream-colored counterpart. This variety is also popular. The coat is uniformly colored creamy. The belly can be of other colors: pink and orange. Thanks to the mixture of pink and orange, the animal resembles ripe fruit. That's why peach Syrian is so popular.

Chocolate

The fur of chocolate hamsters is deep brown. The roots of the pile look like milk or White chocolate. The ears are black, the chin and paws may be white. The color of a hamster can change over time - it may lighten or darken.

Yellow

Fluffy rodent with bright yellow fur. The base of the hair is white or light beige. The ears are contrasting - brown or black. There is a caramel or lemon spot on the chest. The yellow tint is persistent when crossed. Therefore, the offspring of a yellow animal and an individual with a different color will most likely turn out to be yellow. Perhaps the fur coat will become less bright.

Honey

The color of the animal resembles honey. There is a dark spot on the stomach. Sometimes the coat has a cream or caramel tint. Hamsters get honey coloring from their mother (females can get it from their father).

Smoky pearl

This variety of Siberian rodents is ashy-colored with creamy inclusions. The breast is lighter or darker than the main coat. In the sun, the fur shimmers like a pearl.

Chocolate sable

The animal has a coat that resembles milk chocolate. Hair roots look like white chocolate. The animal becomes lighter with age. The ears are dark and there are light brown circles around the eyes. Sometimes there is a white chin or “bracelets” on the paws.

Blue mink

Pets have grey colour wool with a blue tonality and a slight brown tint. The roots of the pile are milky. Bracelets and a white chin are allowed.

Special colors

During the process of domestication, some species of hamsters received separate names, indicating their rare, unusual appearance. For example: Persian, Angora, Himalayan, Royal or other hamsters.

There are photos of hamsters of various colors on the Internet. Syrians are not only monochromatic. Uneven color is expressed by various spots and color transitions.

• - A rare variety of Syrians. Long-haired rodents of light cream color. Sometimes the fur is ivory-colored. The base of the pile is white. The middle may contain red and honey shades. The ears are dark, gray or brown.
• The coat of satin hamsters can be of any length. The fur is smooth with a pearlescent tint.
• have the most long hair among all varieties of Syrians.
• The Persian hamster is a fluffy, light-colored creature. Sometimes the coat has a tangerine, honey or cream tint. It is quite rare.
• Rodents with variegated colors are called butterflies due to the unusual pattern.
• Albinos are creatures without color pigment. They are often confused with white hamsters.
• Rodents with fur that looks like rain stains are called “rain”. The name is quite unusual, but it suits hamsters with gray skin with dark and light streaks.
• Spotted hamsters are the most rare view, released recently. A black-and-white animal with bright black spots, like a Dalmatian. You cannot buy such a pet in a regular pet store.
• “Tortoiseshell” animals are more common. Their fur is strewn with spots of various shades.
• Rare representatives of Siberian hamsters are lilac and blue animals. This is explained by the fact that it is quite difficult to breed an animal with a purple tint to its coat.

The Siberian hamster is easy to care for, unpretentious in diet, and friendly. Therefore, it is increasingly being chosen as a pet. Variety of colors Syrian hamsters is amazing. You need to work hard to choose one pet.

Probably every hamster owner wants to get extraordinary offspring from their pet. However, to achieve this, desire alone is not enough - you need to understand genetics.

Not all hamsters meet the requirements of the standard. However, owners can officially register them and present them as a separate breed.

When breeding hamsters with certain qualities, the laws of genetics must be taken into account. It should be borne in mind that color, coat texture and a number of other physical characteristics are inherited by hamsters according to the general, well-known law of genetics.

New breeds of animals are usually developed by breeders, but anyone can learn the basics of genetics and use them.

Hereditary traits

The hamster inherits the qualities of its parents strictly in accordance with the laws of genetics. Among them, the most famous are the law of uniformity of the first generation and the law of splitting of the second generation.

First generation law of uniformity

The first generation of crossed individuals either inherits the qualities of their parents or becomes intermediate.

Second generation law of fission

The first generation with a clear dominant when crossed produces offspring in which the hereditary qualities of the parents are determined by the ratio 1: 3. That is, 75% of the second generation hamsters will receive dominant characteristics, and 25% will receive recessive ones.

Intermediate inheritance makes it possible for a quarter of the individuals of the second generation to receive the qualities of both parents and for half of the individuals to receive only one of them.

Laws of inheritance

When animals reproduce, the combination and distribution of hereditary traits occurs largely by chance. Inferring new breed hamsters, breeders influence this randomness in order to achieve the consolidation of a certain trait (color, eye color, coat structure) in the next generation of pets.

The genotype of a newborn hamster always includes half of the hereditary characteristics of the mother and half of the father. Despite this, the cub most often resembles only one of its parents.

The set of dominant and recessive genes in an animal's body is called a genotype.

With planned breeding, animal owners can influence the entire breeding line. The purer the breed, the less room there is for chance, which leads to changes in the appearance of newborn hamsters.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine exactly what one baby will look like, but if there are 4 or more babies in a litter, you can accurately calculate the ratio in which various hereditary characteristics will appear. It is also true that by the appearance of several individuals from the same litter one can determine what hereditary characteristics are inherent in their parents.

The inheritance mechanism is quite simple. During the formation of sperm and eggs, genetic material is separated. The factors that determine an animal's heredity are called genes.

The genes received by hamsters from their parents can be homozygous or heterozygous. In the first case they are the same, but in the second they differ in some specific characteristic. When a sperm and an egg fuse, genes are randomly selected into pairs. As a result of this process, an embryo is formed with a predominance of one or another pair of genes.

All genes that are part of a structural chain are called chromosomes. They can only be seen with a microscope.

Relationships between genes acting as different family groups, are called allelic sequence. At the same time, there is a high possibility that the appearance of the hamster will not exactly match its genotype.

There are two types of allelic sequence genes: dominant and recessive. Dominant genes are especially pronounced in the first generation, determining the appearance of babies. Recessive genes are completely suppressed by dominant ones and practically do not manifest themselves.

It happens that during the process of division, reproductive cells make an inaccurate copy of one of the genes on a chromosome, which becomes part of a set of 32 unpaired chromosomes. Such cases are called mutation.

Partial dominance of the genotype can appear in cases of intermediate heredity in the absence of completely dominant genes.

Breeding methods

There are two types of hamster selection:

purebred crossing;

interbreeding.

When breeding decorative hamsters, purebred crossing is used, in which inbreeding comes first, outbreeding comes second, linear crossing comes third, and outcrossing comes fourth.

Inbreeding

The inbreeding method is breeding by crossing close relatives. This process is very complex, so it is carried out mainly by specialists who have thoroughly studied the gene pool of their pets.

The inbreeding method is usually used to secure important qualities breeds To do this, breeders create new families and strong lines within the boundaries of the selected breed. Particularly typical for this method unusually tough and careful selection of breeding hamsters.

When choosing producers, you need to pay special attention to their pedigrees. In this case, one should take into account the degree of inbreeding of each generation, which is determined by the place of the common ancestor in the pedigree of the animals. Parents come first, grandparents come second.

If the owner wants to get offspring from his pets, he should take into account that the producers must be approximately the same age category and breed. In addition, hamsters must be healthy, well-fed, strong and energetic. The main principle of selection should be “best to best”.

When studying the hamster's pedigree, you need to keep in mind that common ancestors are indicated by Roman numerals:

I – mother or father;

II – brother or sister;

II – daughter or son;

III – grandson or granddaughter;

III – grandfather or grandmother;

IV – great-grandmother or great-grandfather, etc.

If there are several repeating rows of ancestors on the side of both parents, a dash is placed between the Roman numerals.

If there are two or more repeating rows of ancestors on the mother's or father's side, commas are placed between the Roman numerals.

Hamsters whose qualities meet the requirements of breeders are used in the future to improve the purity of the breed line. Animals that have received unsatisfactory gene combinations during breeding are usually disposed of.

The degrees of inbreeding are as follows.

Close inbreeding

I – II – mother x son

II – I – father x daughter

II – II – stepsister x stepbrother

II – II – sister x brother

I – III – grandson x grandmother

III – I – grandfather x granddaughter

Close relationship

II – III – son x grandmother

III – II – grandfather x daughter

III – III – grandfather x grandmother

IV – I – great-grandfather x great-granddaughter

I – IV – grandson x great-grandmother

II – IV – great-granddaughter x great-grandfather IV – II – great-grandmother x great-grandson

Moderate relatedness

III – IV – great-grandfather x granddaughter

IV – III – great-grandfather x daughter

IV – IV – great-grandmother x great-grandfather I – IV – great-granddaughter x great-grandfather VI – I – great-grandfather x great-granddaughter

V – I – great-great-grandmother x great-great-grandson

I – V – great-great-granddaughter x great-great-grandfather

Outbreeding

The outbreeding method is very similar to the natural breeding method, since purebred hamsters are used as producers, but do not have a common ancestor in their pedigree.

Outbreeding is rarely used by experienced breeders. The fact is that with this breeding method the heterozygosity of the breed increases significantly.

For outbreeding, it is necessary to use hamsters with good external characteristics. It is interesting that representatives of the first generation almost always have a greater reserve of strength than their parents.

Females selected for breeding must be healthy. When selecting females, their fertility and maternal qualities should also be taken into account. You cannot mate females that eat their offspring, as well as aggressive animals.

There have been cases when males of the first generation became excellent producers and founders of a new breed line.

Outbreeding usually gives good results, but you should not use it constantly, since there is a possibility that after several generations the proportions of the hamsters born will no longer correspond to the desired ones. Therefore, if the owner wants to improve the breed, it is more than desirable to use this method, but you should not rely entirely on it.

Linear crossing

Linear crossing (linebreeding) is essentially completely opposite to inbreeding depression and is used in breeding work with hamsters along with inbreeding. This method of breeding is characterized by an increase in vitality in subsequent generations and is called heterosis.

Linebreeding involves crossing hamsters whose pedigrees have one common ancestor. Such a relationship is very distant and makes it possible to improve the breed without the threat of deterioration in the health and gene pool of the animals. When choosing a sire, you should keep in mind that he must have good external characteristics, genotype and be the best individual of approximately the third generation.

Hamster breeding specialists sometimes encounter cases where properly selected breeders with good pedigree produce offspring of low quality. You should not be upset about this, since the standard characteristics of the breed are usually restored in subsequent litters.

With heterosis, sire lines have similar breed qualities. Thus, the homozygosity of the breed is completely preserved, and the qualities of the producers that do not satisfy the needs of the breeders do not manifest themselves.

Outcrossing

When outcrossing, only hamsters obtained by linear crossing are selected for breeding.

No matter how good the selection is, experts admit that it has a number of disadvantages. The most important of them is focusing on a limited number of desired characteristics.

It is implied that they have no common 4th or 5th generation ancestors. To ensure the purity of the genetic line, individuals with genetic characteristics unsuitable for further breeding are removed from each litter. Outcrossing is often used by breeders to update and increase the breeding stock of hamsters with animals that have valuable qualities.

New colors in hamsters appear as a result of mutations that primarily affect the color of the coat, eyes and the number of individuals in the litter. Mutations almost always occur recessively - unnoticed by breeders. Often new colors appear by combining known genotypes, and sometimes by modifying existing colors.

If for breeding rodents for a long time carriers of a recessive gene are used, the offspring of these animals will have double the number of recessive genes.

Coat types

Based on the length of their fur, hamsters are divided into short-haired, long-haired (Angora), and half-Angor, which were obtained by crossing the first two species. Although initially all hamsters were short-haired, now the vast majority of animals sold are long-haired. Long-haired males are more shaggy than females, whose hair is usually longer only on the sides of the tail.

Long-haired hamsters also received the name Angora, but this is not separate species, but still the same Syrian hamster, only with long hair.

The color of a hamster is not tied to the type of coat; any color can be combined with both short and long hair.

Animals that are too well-fed or obese are, as a rule, infertile. During preparation for breeding, such hamsters must be given the opportunity to move more for 1–2 weeks.

The coat color of hamsters can be very diverse - from pure white (in albinos) to black. Animals of fawn (apricot) and spotted (butterfly) colors are very popular among hobbyists.

Albinos differ from other hamsters in their pure white color and red eyes.

Despite the fact that hamsters began to be bred as pets relatively recently, about 40 different colors are known to date, as well as about 5 possible patterns of white spots. Only the most common colors are listed below.

Golden

The natural color of the Syrian hamster, as follows from the second name of this species, is golden. The fur of such an animal is red on the outside and dark gray on the inside, the ears are dark gray, the cheeks and bangs are black, there are white stripes behind the cheeks, and the belly is white.

Golden hamsters can be either short- or long-haired.

The short-haired golden hamster's fur looks red, while the long-haired golden hamster's fur looks reddish-gray.

Cream

The second most common color is cream color.

These hamsters have all their fur from tip to root colored cream, only the animal’s ears are grey.

The black hamster has all black fur, only some animals may have white spots on the abdomen.

The color of the dark gray hamster is the same as the golden one, only the tips of its hairs are not red, but dark gray.

In a light gray hamster, the light areas of the fur have a cream tint.

White hamsters have dark red eyes and gray ears. Their muzzle should be pure white. If there are cream spots on it, then this is a different color - motley cream.

Cinnamon

The fur of a cinnamon hamster is bright orange. This color differs from golden in that such animals have hairs at the roots that are not gray, but brown. In addition, cinnamon hamsters do not have black spots on their cheeks or between their ears.

"Sable"

Sable-colored hamsters look very impressive, but this color is rare. The ends of the animals' hairs can be painted in any color - from gray to dark brown, and the roots of the hair should be light cream. A distinctive feature of the “sable” color is the obligatory presence of light rings around the eyes in hamsters.

The combination of colors in Syrian hamsters

Some colors of Syrian hamsters are called compatible. The combination of genes for two compatible colors produces a litter in which all offspring have standard colors - that is, those closest to the established ones.

In addition, as a result of crossing, the colors of the young animals will not suffer and may even approach the standards compared to the colors of the parents. Mating hamsters with incompatible colors leads to the appearance of certain color defects in the offspring (the reason for this is the interaction of various genes).

Having decided to start breeding hamsters, every owner of these unpretentious animals can be confident of success, since they are known for their high fertility.

As a rule, combined colors have one or more common genes. Examples of combined genes: chocolate and black, lilac and cinnamon, “sable” and cream. Animals of similar colors can be crossed, since in this case the quality of the colors of the young animals will not suffer and, on the contrary, should even improve.

There are other compatible colors that do not have common genes. For example, a golden-colored animal can be bred with a hamster of any agouti color. At the same time, in young animals both of these colors will become closer to perfection. But crossing an animal with a golden color with a hamster that has a color without ticking will certainly lead to a deterioration in the ticking of the young animals.

Some genes in most cases have Negative influence for other colors. For example, combining the cream color gene with any agouti color will result in golden offspring if the producers do not share the recessive gene pairs. In this case, the colors of the young animals will be “blurred” - a pale, unsaturated color instead of a rich, true golden color.

The “fading” effect of the cream color gene is expressed in every agouti hamster that has a recessive cream color gene.

As a rule, combining any ticked color with any unticked color improves the quality of the unticked color in the offspring, but degrades the quality of the ticked color. This rule “works” even when the colors have common genes (for example, lilac and dark gray).

It is worth noting that a breeder has a chance to get good results when breeding hamsters if he keeps a couple or more animals with compatible colors. Specializing in 2 or 3 colors allows the breeder to keep more animals of each color, which allows him to work more efficiently in breeding purebred hamsters.

The most compatible colors of hamsters:

“sable” and cream;

red and golden;

dark gray and golden;

light gray and golden;

lilac and brown;

smoky and yellow;

honey and brown;

black and chocolate;

golden and white with red eyes and dark ears.

Breeders who breed animals of 2 or 3 colors get good results in terms of correcting the colors of their hamsters and bringing them closer to the standards, while other hamster owners achieve only imperceptible improvements in the colors of their pets.

Any of the described colors can be superimposed with a pattern of white spots. In Russia, two designs have become widespread - “white belt” and motley.

Hamsters with a white belt pattern rear end the body and head correspond to the standards of the main color. Only in the middle does such a hamster encircle white stripe, which usually does not close at the back to form a colored belt.

The pied hamster, like the white-belt hamster, has a white stripe down the middle. This is the only similarity between the two drawings. Variegated hamsters have a white stripe running from the middle of their muzzle, and there are spots on the back of the body.

Who didn't have Syrian hamsters as a child? Probably, almost every house in a cage (or aquarium) once had a cute creature with beady eyes and funny cheek pouches for tasty seeds. They were either cream or red with a light belly and black stripes on the cheeks (this color is called golden - this is how hamsters are colored in the wild).

Nowadays, many different colors of Syrians have been bred. Each new color is obtained through a stable change in one or more hamster genes located on certain chromosome regions (loci) and responsible for color. Such changes are called mutations. We won’t delve too deeply into genetics, but thanks to the study and consolidation of such changes by breeders, nurseries now have black, blue, and even chocolate hamsters! There are also two- and three-colored animals. If you want, you can even find tortoiseshells! And all this diversity is provided by only two varieties of the coloring pigment melanin - eumelanin (black pigment) and pheomelanin (the so-called yellow or red pigment). Pigment granules are formed in the skin and hairs, in the claws and even in the iris of the eyes. The color of a hamster depends on the number and size of these granules, on their shape, their location in the hair (evenly or in zones), as well as on the combination of these pigments with each other.

Many of us remember completely white hamsters with red eyes from childhood. These are albino hamsters with a congenital lack of melanin in the body, so they have White color fur and completely red eyes (the result of translucent in the light blood vessels). In such animals, the eye color remains unchanged throughout their life.

Currently, several gene changes (mutations) are known that lead to lightening of the main color of a hamster by reducing the intensity of eumelanin or pheomelanin formation. As a result, the color lightens, but does not disappear completely. One of these changes is caused by a gene that gives the “cinnamon” color on the natural golden color, which gave this gene the name of the same name - cinnamon (denoted “ p "). Many colors of Syrian hamsters are obtained precisely as a result of the lightening effect of the cinnamon gene, which reduces the intensity of colors based on the black eumelanin pigment by reducing the number of its granules, but does not affect the intensity of the yellow pheomelanin pigment, which gives a lighter coat color, and at the same time and red eye color in childhood. How do the eyes of such hamsters differ from the eyes of an ordinary albino? Already initially, the eye color of cinnamon-based hamsters is not bright red, like that of an albino, but only has a noticeable reddish tint. With age, the eyes of such animals darken, and the fact that the hamster is genetically red-eyed can only be seen in a photo taken with a flash, or in very good bright lighting (for example, a powerful table lamp, such as experts use at exhibitions). Sometimes, in order to determine whether a hamster is red-eyed or not, you have to photograph it with a flash and determine the true eye color using the photo :)

There are many examples of colors formed by the cinnamon gene: cinnamon, rusty cinnamon, champagne, gray, mink, honey - all these are “red-eyed” hamsters. And if you are looking for a hamster for breeding, you just need to pay attention to the animal’s eye color, since the genetic red-eyedness of the parents greatly affects the possible colors of the offspring.

But if you choose a baby for your soul... Of course, not everyone likes hamsters with red eyes, but when choosing a hamster at the age of one to one and a half months, think about it - is this really important now? Is it worth giving up an interesting color just because this wonderful baby is NOW red-eyed? After all, now you know the secret of the manifestation of the cinnamon gene! In just a couple of months, your baby’s eyes will turn from reddish to completely dark, and you won’t even remember that your pet is genetically red-eyed, admiring the splendor and unusualness of the color lightened by the cinnamon gene!

Syrian hamsters were bred from wild relatives discovered in Syria. They are noticeably larger than Djungarian babies and the size of their bodies is more reminiscent of large guinea pigs.

Many rodent lovers keep these animals at home. This is due to their unpretentiousness, cleanliness and good health.

Classification

The Syrian golden hamster (as these animals are sometimes called) belongs to the class of mammals, a subtype of vertebrates. These are rodents from the hamster family, a genus of medium-sized hamsters.

Habitat

As a separate species, these rodents originated from wild relatives that live in the vicinity of the city of Aleppo, in the Syrian desert. The first breeders of these babies were the British. Thanks to their work, Syrian hamsters of various colors live in our homes today.

In the United States, these cute animals first began to be bred at the beginning of the 20th century. The kids have become wonderful pets. American breeders continued the work of their English colleagues and developed new varieties of these animals. Thus, a breed classification of these rodents arose.

Habitat

Syrian hamsters live in natural conditions in grain fields, in meadows and steppes, in foothill steppe landscapes in the territory:

• Asia.
• Iran.
• Balkan.
• Turkey.

Description

The Syrian hamster, a photo of which you can see in this article, received another name - golden (or sandy) because of the golden color of its fur. These charming creatures are unpretentious in care and maintenance, quite hardy and clean. All these qualities have allowed them to become the favorite pets of many people around the world.

Even those people who have never kept any animals before can take care of them. This hamster will not cause much trouble for its owner. It is important to remember that these are very fast creatures. They run fast and will try to escape at the slightest opportunity if they disappear from your field of vision for some time (for example, while walking around the apartment).

Sometimes in a pet store you can hear the question from customers: “Do Syrian hamsters bite?” There can be only one answer - they don’t bite without a reason. And the reason for the bite may be that you smell something. delicious hands. The animal can also defend itself in this way when it wants to free itself from your increased attention.

In the first case, a bite can be prevented quite simply - handle the hamster only with clean, washed hands. The second case assumes that you will not torture the animal (and will not allow children to do this), and therefore your pet will not bite you out of pain and anger.

External features

Syrian hamsters have a stocky body, the length of which does not exceed 13.5 cm. They have short legs, rounded, medium-sized ears. The muzzle is short, small beady eyes and a small tail, which is not very noticeable under the thick fur.

The belly of this baby is light, and the back has an ocher-gray color. There are five toes on the hind legs, and four on the front legs (plus the vestige of a fifth). Under natural conditions, the hamster lives in shallow burrows. Active at night. When collecting and transporting materials, it uses cheek pouches to create a nest. The most popular and common coat color is golden (natural color). And we’ll answer another frequently asked question: “How long does a Syrian hamster live?” The lifespan of a Syrian hamster is three years.

If you decide to take responsibility for this tiny Living being and settled a Syrian hamster in your house, then you need to know some of the features of its maintenance. Despite their big sizes, the animal requires care and attention. Regardless of the size of the pet you place in your home, you are responsible for its well-being. The length of his life and how comfortable his maintenance in captivity will be depends on how properly you care for him.

Choosing a cell

Cages for Syrian hamsters should be selected with a deep plastic tray and metal rods. In addition, you will need an aquarium from a regular one. The dimensions of the cage should be at least 30x40 cm with minimum height aquarium 30 centimeters.

For bedding, you can use large sawdust (dry). They should be spread out in an even layer, the thickness of which is usually about 4 cm. It should be noted that for long-haired varieties it is better to avoid sawdust, since they can tangle the wool. In this case, it is better to use a special natural wood filler in combination with paper napkins. To build nests for your pet, hay, straw, and pieces of paper are suitable.

Syrians need a house that is placed inside the cage. The baby will rest in it. It is equally important to take care of active life hamster to avoid problems with overweight And general health. For this purpose, a large wheel for regular running of the animal and various obstacles are placed in the cage.

Don't forget to provide a food bowl and drinking bowl. The cage must be cleaned every 4-5 days. The bowl and drinking bowl are washed with running water. Once a month, general cleaning is carried out - all the contents of the cage are washed with a chlorine-containing solution. As you can see, these are unpretentious creatures - Syrian hamsters. Caring for them is not particularly difficult. And nature blessed them with excellent health. However, like any living beings, they can suffer some kind of disease. Therefore, owners should be aware that their pets’ illnesses are most often a consequence of stress. It can be called:

• the appearance of a neighbor in a cage;
• long trip;
• sleep disturbance;
• change in cell position.

Typically, diseases manifest themselves with the following symptoms:

• manifestation of aggression;
• slightly damp fur;
• the appearance of fleas or lice;
• formation of ulcers on the skin;
• loose and frequent stools;
• inactivity with eyes closed;
• significant loss of fur at the slightest touch;
• hard breath.

Syrian hamster: care

It is not recommended to bathe these rodents; they cope well with personal hygiene on their own. Hamsters wash themselves frequently and brush their fur several times a day. Long-haired varieties require a container of sand. They will clean their fur in it. You should help them care for their fur by brushing it with a small brush or thick comb. Short-haired individuals will be quite happy with combing with a massage or toothbrush.

When letting the baby out of the cage for a walk around the house (which they need), the owners must be very attentive and careful, since your little pet at this moment is extremely vulnerable - danger lurks at every step (sharply closed door, careless human movement, etc.)

Nutrition

To ensure that Syrian hamsters do not get sick and feel great, owners must provide them with a varied and high-quality diet. The lack of minerals and vitamins in the animal's daily food will immediately affect its health, and very soon it may begin to get sick.

Make sure that his diet always includes a special grain mixture (oats, flax, millet), vegetables (carrots, lettuce), and Tradescantia is a must-have plant. All foods that hamsters consume must be fresh. And one more rule that should be followed strictly: these rodents should never be overfed.

Syrian hamsters will happily enjoy cottage cheese - low-fat and non-acidic. Cabbage and nuts, salt and sugar, any spices, and fermented milk drinks are strictly contraindicated for your pet. In order to maintain moisture balance in this cute baby's body, he should be given milk (it is better if it is diluted dry milk), as well as water. Syrian hamsters drink little water, but it should always be clean in the drinking bowl.

Reproduction

These are very fertile animals that require suitable conditions for reproduction. At an air temperature of +25 degrees, a female Syrian hamster breeds all year round- three or four times, bringing six cubs. Males reach sexual maturity a month after birth, females are mated after two months. After fertilization, the male is removed from the cage, because pregnant individuals are characterized by increased aggression, which can lead to injury to animals.

Most often, females give birth at night. While feeding the offspring, the female needs increased nutrition.

Health problems

Syrian hamsters are particularly prone to health problems such as obesity. It is in order to avoid this that running wheels are installed in cages. If the owners prefer to let the kids go for walks around the apartment, then this is not always justified - after all, the hamster can be injured and may even die.

Many diseases of Syrian hamsters are not very provoked good content at home, unbalanced diet and stress, which we have already mentioned. Therefore, try to change the location of the cage without urgent need, do not disturb the baby’s sleep, do not take your pet on long trips, and do not perform other actions that may cause stress.

But, unfortunately, even those animals that are cared for very well get sick. The baby’s recovery depends on the type of disease and how quickly it is diagnosed. You should not try to treat your hamster on your own. In some cases, this can lead to irreparable consequences.

More correctly, noticing unusual behavior hamster, contact a veterinary clinic.

Nurseries

If you liked these cute pets, you probably have a question: “Where can I buy them?” Of course, you can go to the bird market or the nearest store. But a specialized Syrian hamster nursery is best suited for this. Today there are quite a few of them throughout the country. You can contact the “Flower Elf”, recently discovered in Syrian hamsters. True, there are no reviews about his work yet.

Therefore, we recommend contacting the well-established Moscow nursery of Syrian hamsters “Sunny House”. He offers buyers long-haired specimens of various colors. The babies are one month old. They are all tame, cheerful and healthy. All hamsters are given a pedigree, as well as instructions on maintenance, care and feeding.

Hamsters from this nursery can take part in various exhibitions, they are good for breeding or just make nice pets. Nursery staff ensure that hamsters are provided with high-quality and varied nutrition from birth, and this, naturally, has a beneficial effect on their health and excellent appearance. A healthy animal is always beautiful.

Another Moscow nursery of Syrian hamsters, Hamster Valley, which is part of Breeda, a breeding center, offers its services. The breeders of the nursery are breeding short-haired and long-haired Syrian hamsters various types coats and colors. They are very attentive to the issue of breeding.

All matings are carried out according to the rules of the genetics of these rodents, which guarantees the health of the animals purchased in this nursery. When buying a hamster, you will receive a pedigree and detailed description breed, pattern, color, coat type of the hamster and its parents. If you want to have such a little furry friend, then in the Hamster Valley nursery you will choose the animal you like. The address of the nursery in Moscow is st. Pererva, house 10.

Have you decided to get yourself a hamster? Pay attention to the golden Syrian fluffy! This is a real find for inexperienced breeders and simply lovers of cute animals! Let's take a closer look at a representative of rodents who can easily live in your home!

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Features of Syrian hamsters

You've probably seen it more than once on. The Syrian hamster is distinguished by its relatively large size and golden color. The breed came to us from distant Syria - it was there that they found the ancestors of the dwarf homey look, from which cute pets were bred through selection.

The natural habitat has expanded significantly since the discovery of the ancestral individuals of the Syrians. Today, in the wild, the Syrian hamster lives in mountainous areas, in Central Asia, in the Caucasus region. Furry babies love to live in areas with a temperate climate, closer to warm and dry. They choose areas with abundant green vegetation, which forms the basis of their diet in their natural habitat.

Fluffies live in minks. Each Syrian hamster lives in a family with at least 10-15 of its brothers. Interesting fact: Hamsters themselves limit the population to a single cage. When babies grow up, they leave the hole and begin to look for food and a new home on their own.

It is worth considering the nature of solitary rodents, which manifests itself in the arrangement of the burrow. The Syrian hamster lives independently in a burrow, which is located next to the houses of its fellows, but is separated from them. The fluffy one gets to the surface through several vertical passages. Around the hole you can see a large number of trodden paths, which are created after the fussy movement of animals around their home.

Also atypical for many domesticated rodents is the life cycle and seasonal activity of hamsters. Unlike the popular small dwarfs, these golden beauties love to sleep. So much so that they do it consistently every winter. Then the whole family hibernates until the onset of warm weather. WITH in early spring fluffies emerge from their burrows and give birth to offspring. Female Syrian breed Bears babies for a short time - up to 14 days. During the season, up to 15 individuals are born per family.

Appearance

Initially, in the wild, the hamster had one color. It was the golden hamster that became the basis for further selection of new types and shades of wool. The classic version of the breed is peachy short hair. If you have one, you can consider yourself to have received a baby straight from wildlife!

Now let's talk about how far selection has come, and what other colors of the Syrian have appeared. Today you can find the opposite shade - gray. This type of wool was developed relatively recently for the Syrians, which is why even now gray wool is considered a rarity. If it were not for its large size, it could be confused with a dzhungarik. The peculiarity of the gray Syrian baby is its uniform shade of fur, as in the case of peach wool, spotting is allowed only in certain places of the coat. The color should be predominantly uniform.

You can also find other, more unusual colors than the gray hamster. It can be sable wool, brown, black. Selection does not stand still, the colors of Syrian hamsters change constantly, so that you don’t have time to keep track of them all and count how many of them exist now! In any case, no matter which one you choose, he will become your reliable friend and a source of affection for the whole family!

What is the character of fluffies?

Character is the main advantage of the breed. In addition to their pretty appearance, such babies are quite sociable towards people. When getting a furry puppy, you should not buy him company - he feels better alone and on his own territory. It is better to try to help him establish contact directly with you and your family members.

According to reviews from breeders, Syrian hamsters are very trainable. This is the smartest breed among domesticated ones, so it is quite easy to teach it to go to a special tray and listen to a person. Like other hamsters, the baby will not react to your appearance, but will perceive your voice. According to reviews, if you communicate with him often, the baby will get used to you and will listen and follow your voice.

Try not to shout at the animal - Syrians are very vulnerable. If they are subjected to constant stress in the form of your shouting or indignation, this can negatively affect the overall health of your handsome one. Individuals of the Syrian breed are very playful and cannot do without a wheel.

If you are afraid to have hamsters because you have been told about their wild nature and the inability to simply pick up a baby, then this does not apply to Syrians. A peach baby taken from the wild, when it falls into the hands of a person, is not even afraid. They are small but brave animals, so you can be sure that you will easily connect with them.

The breed is considered ideal for keeping with children - the fluffies are very clean and constantly monitor the condition of their fur and cage. There is not a drop of aggressiveness in them: if you were afraid of reviews that a hamster bit a child or owner, in this case this will not happen. The cute hamster you see in the photo is the same inside!

Varieties

In addition to color, there are other distinctive features, by which it is possible to determine the subspecies of the Syrian rodent. The main criterion is the type of coat. In the wild, babies are found only with short peach-colored hair, we have already talked about this. What has selection achieved in breeding new species of domestic animals?

So, in pet stores and breeders you can buy the following types Syrian babies:

1. With normal fur. This type appeared earlier than the others, but it is becoming increasingly rare to find it on sale. This is a representative of a pure breed from natural environment habitat, so after numerous selections it simply degenerated. Usually he has standard color, but there are also black, gray and other options.
2. Fluffy. Today they are the most popular variety of small Syrians for sale. Lush fur gives the impression that the hamster is certainly no smaller in size than a guinea pig. Males have thicker fur. It’s a pleasure to watch such a hamster, especially when he washes and cleans his fur.
3. Satin. This is the rarest type of hamster fur. It is distinguished by the unusual smoothness of the top layer. At the same time, underneath there is a rather thick undercoat. Rodents are smooth to the touch; the skin cannot be felt due to the thick undercoat.

Other Features

A special feature of the hamster can be called its special life cycle, which, alas, cannot be changed. If you are used to sleeping in complete silence at night, you should not get yourself this baby. Its peak activity occurs at night. During this period, he needs to search his entire cage, run in a wheel, and just do very important things! According to reviews from many owners, no matter how hard they try, they cannot change their daily routine. Therefore, the photos of the vigorous, handsome Syrian breed were probably taken at night!

We also note a feature thanks to which Syrian children have become heroes of cartoons, postcards and funny videos. They love to carry small objects into their burrow (food), but they use their cheeks to do this! They stuff their mouths with grain or food and walk around with it until they want to eat it. It was from this breed that the cartoon about the hamster and the gopher was drawn, which many remember from Soviet times.

The baby will definitely get used to you. This is one of the few rodent breeds that will clearly react to your presence. All you have to do is call out to him - and his funny face is right there! Nice, isn't it? For this, you can forgive him even his nightly worries and festivities!

How to choose a Syrian hamster

Choosing a hamster is not difficult: you should not rely on photos or videos of funny animals - trust your eyes. When you come to the store or to the breeder, you will immediately see the very fluffy one that will fall into your soul. The same principle applies here as with puppies or kittens.

It is worth paying special attention to the place from where you bring the animal into the house. These could be either your trusted friends who sell babies from their pets, or professional breeders. In this case, you can be sure that you will get a healthy individual. The former will not deceive their friends, and the latter will not want to risk their reputation and lose their earnings.

We do not recommend buying an animal at the first pet store you come across. You may be deceived by selling you a hamster that is too old or sick. You won't be able to monitor him for long periods of time to make sure he is playful enough and eating well. They may tell you that the animal is sleeping because it is normal for him, or perhaps he is simply sick. Therefore, it is better to choose breeders or friends.

And one last thing. It is in your best interest to carefully examine the animal you are purchasing. The coat must be clean and smooth: Syrians always take care of it, so a healthy baby simply will not allow himself to walk around dirty. There should be no discharge near the eyes. The most important thing is behavior. The baby should be active and playful and have a good appetite. Optimal age for purchase: from one month to three.

What do breeders say about hamsters?

According to breeders, Syrian hamsters are the friendliest rodents! They respond to your voice, are always happy to see you and will definitely demonstrate it. They are very funny to watch when they are scurrying around in a cage or running in a wheel.

However, they require increased attention. Although they are loners by nature, the animals only dislike strangers: they simply adore people. Speak to him in an even voice, communicate: when the baby gets used to you, he will emerge from his hole to greet you. If you are ready to put up with nightly crawling in the cage, this is the hamster for you!

Photo gallery

Video recording "Syrian hamster"

In the video you will see a Syrian baby, learn about his character and origin. 14 minutes of fascinating video about pets!