Old Hamster: Keeping Hamsters with Us Longer

Friends who have hamsters always worry about one question, how long can the life span of hamsters be, and how long can these cute little furballs accompany us in the end? Compared to other pets, the life span of hamsters is not long, and the environmental factors to the life span of hamsters bring a great impact, so we should treat them well, so that it can accompany us for a longer period of time. Let’s love hamsters more!

How long can the life span of a hamster be?

In general, the life expectancy of hamsters is 2-3 years, the average life expectancy is about 2.5 years, and some can reach more than 3 years after the owner’s careful care, but it also depends on the hamster’s own factors, the hamster with good genes will be naturally much healthier. Breed differences in life expectancy is also somewhat different, male and female class of this breed of hamster most of the life expectancy can reach 3-3.5 years. There are also gender differences, male hamsters will live longer, and female hamsters that have never given birth will live longer than male hamsters.

Factors affecting the lifespan of hamsters

Genetic Diseases

Just like human beings, some hamsters also suffer from genetic diseases. These diseases do not know when they will strike, but when they do, they will probably take away the hamster’s life, so do not breed hamsters with genetic diseases to avoid affecting the next generation.

Environment

Hamsters are not very demanding on the environment, as long as the environment is clean and hygienic, preferably light and quiet place, plus the owner’s usual maintenance of the environment in the cage can be, do not place in the high light and noise too much of the place to keep, which will make the hamster long-term mental tension, unable to adapt.

Food

Proper matching and clean ingredients are also an important part of the hamster’s health.

Illness

As the owner, we should observe the hamster’s condition more, daily more look at the hamster’s feces, drinking water, walking posture, etc., used to determine whether the hamster is sick, if found abnormalities must be dealt with in time to avoid deterioration of the situation.

Living alone

Hamsters are solitary animals, so I recommend keeping hamsters in a cage, a hamster in a cage is usually bullied, living alone can make it no longer live a life of fear, live more freely.

Sickness or Injury

No matter what the cause of illness or injury must be treated in time, home should always have some common medicines, do not wait for something to go to buy, so a lot of time is already too late.

Characteristics of old hamsters

Hamsters are about 1 year and 2 months to 1.5 years old when they start to step into the life of senior hamsters. The following is to tell you what characteristics of old hamsters, so that you can take better care of the old hamster at home.

High back

Because the hamster becomes thin, the bones also begin to slowly to shrink, this is the sign of the hamster decliner.

The body begins to become thin

General hamster old appetite will deteriorate, and then the body will soon be thin, after ruling out the possibility of diabetes, the weight of healthy hamsters will also be sharply reduced, and then stabilized, in the near death of the previous period of time the weight will also be reduced, this time can only be supplemented with protein, and feed more bread!

Severe hair loss

From the moment of aging, the hamster’s hair loses its luster, and it is getting older and older, the hair becomes very rough, and even falls off and becomes light, they don’t have much time left.

Appetite deteriorates, can’t hold food

Originally love to eat things suddenly ate very little, look closely at the original teeth do not work, hold the food paw often trembling, love to eat food stick can not a now only give it to eat soft grain, or else soak through the water, can improve the hamster’s appetite.

Play less and sleep more

With the age is getting older, the rat’s physical strength cannot keep up, play the wheel time is less and less, sleep more and more time, basically always sleep before leaving.

How to take care of old hamsters

Dietary care

For older hamsters, in addition to normal rat food, you can slowly start feeding some soft food. The synthetic food in the rat food can be picked out and soaked in water to soften it before giving it to the hamster. The body immunity of the elderly hamster is slowly weakening, and the owner can also usually take health care products.

The teeth of old hamsters will become less and less strong to bite open grains and sunflower seeds, so the food for old hamsters needs to be specially made. If the teeth of the old hamster are still very healthy, there is no need to prepare special feed for it, just provide more nutritious things to the old hamster, but the owner should observe the old hamster’s eating situation, and slowly adjust and improve to the best.

Daily care

It is best to live in a single-story hamster cage, reduce the need to climb the toys, the living environment is best simple. Running wheels do not need to be removed, elderly hamsters quantitative exercise is also necessary. As the body odor and urine smell of older hamsters can become heavier, the hamster cage should be tended to more frequently.

Pay special attention to the heat and warmth, because the rat’s adaptability to the environment deteriorates, so the summer and winter seasons should pay special attention to Oh.

The rat is older, and the feelings between the owner is also stronger, see her aging, as the owner’s heart will not be very good, every day more time times to accompany her, combing hair for her, gently massage, so that the old age of the rat also have a comfortable old age.