Hamsters are active and fairly unpretentious rodents. Recently, they can be found as pets in many families, but, unfortunately, they live very short lives. Therefore, future owners need to be able to determine the age of these rodents before purchasing them. And for this we will find out the basic parameters of hamsters at different stages of life.
To what age do they grow?
After a short pregnancy, on approximately day 18, the female rodent gives birth to offspring. Newborn babies are covered in pink, hairless skin. Their eyes and ear canals are closed. The weight of puppies depends on the breed and size of the litter, but on average the weight of a newly born animal is no more than 3-5 grams.
Newborn hamster.
Despite the fact that in the first two weeks you should not disturb the female who has given birth, you need to inspect the litter without touching the puppies with your hands. If there are motionless cubs with blue skin, then most likely they are dead. They need to be removed with a paper napkin or toilet paper.
Actively feeding on mother's milk, the cubs quickly grow and change. Within three to four days the skin turns pale. The body is covered with sparse fluff.
On the fifth or sixth day, the ear canals open and the rodent begins to hear sounds. By day 12, the animal’s weight doubles, and its body becomes overgrown with fur. The still blind cubs begin to get out of the nest and move actively.
Why does a hamster eat its babies?
On day 14, the young rodent's eyes open. By one month, the animal’s weight is approximately half the weight of an adult. Animals grow up to 5-6 months. Six-month-old individuals are completely mature and mature animals and their growth ends.
At 18–20 months, aging begins and body weight may decrease.
Other breeds
When purchasing a hamster of any breed, you can generally rely on the above points when determining their age. The exception is such a parameter as weight. It may differ for different breeds. And factors such as behavior, fur, ears and eyes are the same for all species.
IMPORTANT! It is worth paying attention to the following factors when choosing a hamster:
- if the hamster is more than 3 months old, it will weigh more than 40 grams;
- females increase in weight up to 4 months, after which she becomes an adult and her weight does not change, which indicates her readiness to mate;
- if the animal is more than 3 months old, its length will be at least 8 centimeters;
- young individuals are always playful and active, constantly eating, males start fights and attract females to their attention, and older animals behave calmly and stay away from everyone else.
How to find out how many days or years old a hamster is
Given the short lifespan, the exact age of the rodent is important. Some species features will help determine it. Let's look at how to determine the age of a Djungarian hamster, as well as Syrian and other breeds.
Dzungariki
- 12 days - the body is not completely covered with hair, the eyes are closed;
- 15 days - eyes are open, the body is completely covered with hair, including the ears;
- 30 days - the animal is actively moving, interested in adult food;
- 50 days - body weight increases, the animal is very active;
- 90 days - weight is approximately 25 - 30 grams, the end of active growth;
- 180 days - body weight may increase to 40 - 60 grams;
- 18 months - the aging process begins. The wool loses its brightness, softness and thickness. Weight can be reduced by 10 - 20%.
- 24 months - vital functions fade away, the animal sleeps more than moves.
Djungarians rarely live longer than two to two and a half years.
Syrian or golden hamster
Syrian hamster.
The main development cycles coincide with the previous type. The difference is body weight. Newborn rodents of this species can weigh 50% more than dwarfs.
At the age of 6 months, body weight is about 140 g. The fur of a young rodent is soft, thick and bright. In the third year of life it becomes rare and tough.
With good care it can live more than 4 years.
All about Syrian hamsters.
Other breeds
The general stages of development of hamsters depend little on species. The main difference is the weight of an adult animal at 6 months:
- Roborovsky hamster 25 - 40 g;
- Chinese hamster 50 g;
- Siberian hamster 50 g.
What does life expectancy depend on?
How many years your pet will live depends, first of all, on the human factor. Even a puppy can die if he is not given time to eat or is not vaccinated. The same goes for rodents.
Often the number of years is determined by the breed. Some varieties live longer, some shorter. You should ask the seller directly about this.
Using this online converter, you can easily calculate the number of years of the selected animal.
Rodent age in relation to humans
To make it clear to hamster owners what to expect from an animal of a given age, let’s compare it with human development.
Age tables according to human standards
| Hamster | Human |
| 0 days | 0 days |
| 15 days | 8-10 months |
| 6 months | 12 – 14 years old |
| 2 years | 50 - 60 years |
| 3 years | 70 - 80 years |
From the table we can conclude that the active period of life in hamsters begins at 15 days and lasts up to 24 months.
Dwarf hamsters
A fairly common species among breeders. Dwarf hamsters do not require much effort to maintain, and care is minimal. They weigh no more than 50 grams, and their height rarely reaches 10 centimeters.
The dwarf breed includes:
- Taylor's hamster;
- Campbell's hamster;
- Roborovsky's hamster (the owner of the smallest volumes).
Several other breeds:
- Long-tailed - body length does not exceed 10 cm, 6 of which are tail;
- Taylor - carcass length 7-8 cm, weight about 10 grams.
- Campbell's hamster - can reach 12 cm.
- Radde - has a height of up to 28 cm. It can mainly be found in the wild, not a common species as an ornamental animal.
Any breed of hamster does not require much effort in cleaning or care, and even a child can monitor the comfort of the fluffy one, the only condition is regular supervision.
Weighing the fluffy: how to do it?
Hamsters are happy, active animals, and if your pet is not hand-trained, then weighing a hamster is not an easy task that requires dexterity.
To do this you will need:
- kitchen scales
- small box or container
- tasty treats
First place the container with the treat placed in it on the scales in order to subsequently subtract their weight from the total weight of the hamster. Place the fluffball in a container. This way you can easily find out your pet's weight.
Weight control is necessary: this way you can see excess weight or sudden weight loss, which may indicate health problems.
If you change the homa's diet, you also need to monitor its weight: a decrease may indicate that the food is not to its taste and the animal is starving, simply hiding it.
Before purchasing a pet, decide which breed appeals to you, based on this, choose a house and the place where it will be located.
By following simple rules - watch your weight, keep the cage clean, spend time with your fluffy, you will get a reliable friend who will delight you and love you in return for a long time.
Hamsters are wonderful animals that even a beginner can breed at home. Before you buy an animal, you need to know exactly the breed, because it depends on how much the hamster weighs. The weight and size of the pet are important. Based on the size of the pet, you should consider:
- the size of the cage you should buy;
- a set of pet entertainment (wheel, sticks) and their sizes;
- living together or living alone;
- amount of feed.
This type of hamster has long taken root in modern apartments. His appearance is very pleasant, his behavior is funny, you can watch his actions for a long time.
The hamster differs in body shape from its relatives. On the back, closer to the tail, its spine is slightly curved, so it feels like the animal has a small hump.
It is very interesting to watch such an animal when it stuffs its cheek pouches; they are very large and can stretch well.
The size of the Djungarian hamster does not exceed 10 cm. Usually these animals grow up to 6-9 cm. Height and weight depend on the conditions of detention and individual characteristics. The weight of a Djungarian hamster can reach 50 grams.
djungarian hamster
Based on these data, experts advise buying a cage measuring 30x50 cm, with fine bars. The running wheel can be purchased with a diameter of 13-17 cm.
These hamsters can be kept alone.
If future owners have chosen the Syrian breed, they need to know how much a Syrian hamster weighs, because this species is very different in size from the Djungarian. The size of an adult Syrian hamster can reach 19 cm, which is quite a large animal.
Despite its size, this hamster loves to be held, loves to attract attention and enjoys any communication.
The weight of the Syrian hamster ranges from 100 to 200 grams.
Syrian hamster
It is interesting that pets of this breed can be either short-haired or long-haired.
He is offered:
- cage 40x60 cm;
- running wheel, diameter 18 cm;
- Single accommodation.
The Siberian hamster can be found in nature; it lives in Siberia, hence its name.
They are very reminiscent of Djungarian hamsters, differing only in the color of their fur. The Siberian has a gray color, and in winter the animal’s coat becomes completely white. This is especially interesting to observe when kept at home.
The average weight of a pet reaches 40-50 grams, and these animals grow no more than 8 cm in size. To keep a Siberian hamster, a cage the same as that of a Djungarian pet is suitable.
siberian hamster
Age of puberty and reproduction
A happy family.
Starting from the age of 7-8 weeks, hamsters can produce offspring. And although at this age animals can mate and begin to reproduce, you should not plan mating at a young age. It is advisable to wait until the animal matures and gains body weight.
The best age to get your first litter is 3-4 months. It is desirable that by the time of mating the female’s weight is at least 2/3 of the weight of an adult animal.
Females are prone to cannibalism. If she eats all the litter without exception, then such an animal is excluded from breeding.
How to tame a hamster?
Age categories
Experts say that you don’t need to pay attention to just one indicator. Depending on the breed and physiological characteristics, the number of years they live can vary significantly even among rodents of the same size. It should be understood that the exact period of life, namely, how old the animal is, how many months, and even more so, how many days it has lived, will not be determined even by a specialist who has been breeding these small rodents all his life. You should also understand that even with careful diagnostics, you will be able to determine the approximate age of hamsters.
It is not difficult to distinguish a newborn from an adult. But already in a month it will be very difficult to give an accurate visual assessment. For convenience, professionals divided them into 3 categories:
By these standards, babies are representatives who are no more than 4 weeks old. This period is not suitable for acquisition, since the baby is still too shy and is not used to living without maternal care.
Individuals that are between one month and one year old can begin to be considered adults. This period is considered the most favorable for purchasing. These animals will become more independent. At the same time, they are easy to tame, and they will live with you for a long time.
Well, old people are considered to be those representatives who are about 2 years old, or even a few younger rodents can be included here. The only downside to these rodents is that they will die very quickly after purchase. If you are ready for this, then you can safely give preference to the oldies.
At what age is it better to buy
When choosing a hamster as a pet, it is better to choose a young animal that no longer needs mother's milk.
The best age to purchase is between 1 and 3 months. It is not worth giving away a hamster at an earlier age. For breeding work, a six-month-old hamster is purchased. You should not buy an animal older than 10 - 12 months.
If the breeder gives you the right to choose, then buy an active, energetic animal with shiny, clear eyes and thick fur.
Hairless ears, lethargic behavior, dull and rough fur are all signs of old age. If hamsters are cute as pets, you shouldn't give them up because of their short lifespan.
Do you already have a hamster at home?
Yes
