Hamsters are small, cute and loved by everyone. But in fact, those hamsters that look small may already be a hundred years old. Hamsters can be categorized into juvenile, adult and senior hamsters according to their age. Do you know how to tell which age a hamster is?
Contents
Full Grown Hamster
Many people wonder when a hamster is considered an adult. In fact, hamsters are equivalent to 18 years old in humans at around two months, i.e., they have just reached adulthood. And at over three months, hamsters are fully adult and ready to mate. Since hamsters have a short lifespan, usually around two years, and different species have slightly different lifespans, they reach adulthood relatively early.
Determining the age of a squirrel
Judging by the fur
A newly born hamster is hairless, covered with fine short downy hair, the skin looks pink, and the fur will start to grow in seven days. Juvenile hamsters have dark and short fur, soft and shiny hair, and the fur of hamsters within 2 months of birth is lanugo. Full grown hamsters have a darker coat color and the hair will become longer and thicker. Older hamsters, the hair will be very thin, very dry, gradually dull, losing luster, and often shedding.
Judgement according to body type
Most of the hamsters with thin body shape and shiny hair are young. When a hamster is surrounded by its parents and looks like a scaled-down version of them in appearance, it is about 3 weeks old. Full grown hamsters are larger than juvenile hamsters. Likewise, their fur is coarser than that of juvenile hamsters. There is not much difference between the size of an older hamster and an adult hamster, but older hamsters will gradually become thinner and lose weight.
Judging by Activity
When you notice that your hamster’s personality becomes active and is rambunctious and combative, it means it is in its adult stage, which is about 2-4 months old. This is the most active and robust period of time for hamsters. Depending on the type of hamster, it is generally still in the developmental stage 3-5 months after weaning, when the amount of food and exercise is very large, and it is important to have enough food and exercise to ensure the animal’s normal development.
After entering adulthood, Full grown hamsters will gradually start to appear domain sex, female rats will also start to drive away young children, siblings will gradually appear quarrel or even fight behavior, so hamsters need to be raised in separate cages, otherwise it is difficult to avoid each other’s fighting behavior.
When your hamster’s appetite and activity gradually begin to decline, weight loss, breathing difficulties, and slow movement, inactivity, eyes lose their light and cloudy, this is a sign that the hamster is entering the old age. Hamsters are more prone to illness at this time than in adulthood. Some degenerative diseases or tumors also begin to appear. At this time, it is recommended to consult an experienced person who can regularly check the hamster’s physical condition and deal with the living environment.
Also, if the hamster is cowering in a small corner of the cage and burying itself in the shavings of the cage, it is a sign that the hamster knows that its time has come and is quietly waiting to die.
Differences in appearance between juvenile, adult, and senior hamsters
Juvenile Hamster
Juvenile hamsters are smaller in size, have fetal hair (before 2 months of age) that is fine and soft to the touch, have less obvious male sexual characteristics, and are more active.
Full Grown Hamster
Full grown hamsters are larger than young hamsters, have coarser fur, have more pronounced male sexual characteristics, and are more calm except for males and females.
Elderly Hamsters
Elderly hamsters are larger than juvenile hamsters, thin (over 2 years old), have dull fur color, shedding, or even significant shedding, and do not like to move around.
Supplies Needed to Raise a Hamster
There are a few essential supplies that you need to have in order to raise a hamster. The first is a cage. In summer, you should choose a cage that is well ventilated, which is good for your hamster’s health. In winter, it is best to keep it warm.
Another thing is edible salt, which is necessary for hamsters, but the height of the container should be suitable for hamsters to reach. Commonly used containers are glass cigarette jar, sauce dish, various small bowls, microwave box and small sized tupperware.
Drinking vessels are usually designed with a stainless-steel bead on the front end, so be careful to test for leaks when purchasing. You can’t use a bowl to hold the water directly, because hamster drinking water will wet the fur, which can easily lead to colds. Alternatively, you can use a plastic box filled with cat litter as a toilet. Remove the clumped cat litter or change all of it every day, depending on personal hygiene habits.
For some hamsters that do not like to use cat litter, you need to prepare a bathroom for them and place bath sand. Proper exercise is also necessary for hamsters, so you need to prepare a roller for them to play with after eating food. In addition, wood shavings are a must; hamsters have growing teeth and need teething sticks to trim overgrown teeth. While some hamsters will grind their teeth by chewing on their cage, etc., you don’t have to worry too much when you don’t use the provided teething stone/stick.
Hamsters prefer huts made of a variety of materials, including ceramic, wood, grass and plastic. They like to dig holes to live in, so if you have the means, equip your hamster with a hut or make one yourself.
The life span of a hamster is actually not very long, so if you have a cute and adorable little hamster, make sure you take good care of it at every stage of its age, so that it grows up happily and spends its life happily.