24 interesting facts about hamsters for those who want to have a furry pet

By the way, did you know that the expression “a squirrel in a wheel” in English sounds like “a hamster in a spinning wheel”, i.e. in the English version we are talking about a hamster? And we’ll talk about where those who don’t have it can get time to study languages.

First of all, don't fool yourself. If you're reading this, it means you have time.

I even know how much. Each of us has 1440 minutes in a day.

If you don’t have them, it means you’re already lying in a coffin.

You're not lying down, are you? Then continue...

It's all about how we manage them, these minutes. And I readily believe that your day can be jam-packed with things to do. Especially if you work, take care of home and family, and generally lead an active lifestyle. Even one of these points is sometimes enough to make you feel like a squirrel in a wheel.

I am one of those. So what to do if you still really want to learn languages?

Perhaps the ways out of our hopeless situation that I have found will be useful to you.

There are four of them, and they are very simple: cross out the unnecessary, optimize the important, delegate and combine.

Crossing out the unnecessary

The first exit is located in the same place as the entrance.

No, I won’t talk about procrastination and how you shouldn’t waste time. I'm not your mother. And not a time management coach.

You don't do this anyway, do you? Or…

Feed, chats, comments, dialogues, TV, YouTube, useful articles... Really useful?

What is more important: to do today what you decided to do yesterday, or to learn something new that you don’t have time to apply? I'll just say one thing.

When I turned off sound notifications on social networks and instant messengers, life became easier. Even during my busiest movement, no one died. Moreover, everyone was happy with my increased productivity.

It became even easier when, after reading Zhenya’s article, I turned off visual notifications too. They no longer pop up on my phone and remind me that it would be a good idea to check… check everything.

And the hardest thing is to turn off calls on your phone.

I work as an offline teacher, and mothers of my students often call me. And many of them love to chat. Now I choose when and how much we talk.

Of course, I call them back. Do you know when?

5 minutes before the start of the lesson. Then we have time to discuss what is needed, but not everything unnecessary. Everyone understands.

It is especially convenient if the child arrives earlier and is picked up on schedule. These moments serve everyone's benefit. Muzzy for the child, time for me, conversation for the mothers.

If you're not a teacher and moms aren't calling you, use this life hack creatively. You can call back someone who likes to chat before a workout, in the checkout line, or during a lunch break. In general, when something starts in 2-5 minutes that does not depend on you.

Can't turn everything off because you have to always be in touch with someone important? Create some unpopular communication channel for this. Hangouts or Telegram, for example. Or a separate secret Skype.

Believe me, disabled notifications are worth it.

Oooh, this is a long-awaited feeling when only I can manage my time!

If your work involves making calls, this item is not for you. You are not your own during work hours. But at least switch off immediately after it. 24/7 mode is a bad idea for someone who doesn’t get anything done.

Maintenance and nutrition

Pet cage

Despite the modest size of the animal, the cage should be relatively large. The minimum dimensions are 55x30 cm. In some cases, in order to avoid unnecessary injuries, a single-tier cage is recommended. Instead of the usual version of rods, you should pay attention to cage options with plastic inserts and closed dunes.

At home, unfortunately, Djungarians can only survive in a cage because they are very picky about food and external conditions, this is not a Roborovsky hamster, which can also fight back!

The presence of pipes and various tunnels, labyrinths and passages will help the animal quickly feel the homely atmosphere. Indeed, in nature, hamsters constantly dig labyrinths and tunnels for themselves: this is important for them in terms of life and personal safety.

The cage should be in a quiet place, protected from drafts and direct sunlight. A house in a cage must be provided for the animal’s privacy. For the Dzungarian species, the optimal size of the house is 10 cm. You can purchase the simplest design without windows and bottom.

A thick layer of filler is poured onto the bottom of the cage: the thicker it is, the better for the rodent. You should choose cellulose or corn options. Rags, napkins or paper towels will help your hamster build his nest. It is important that the fabric is white, without dyes.

The main equipment for the cage are the following household items:

1. A house where he can easily escape if he needs privacy.
2. Lazy. They can be of various shapes and heights so that the rodent does not get bored.
3. A specialized toilet designed for small rodents.
4. Bedding made of compressed sawdust.
5. A drinking bowl with a volume of at least 50 ml. It is best to purchase an automatic water supply option.
6. Place of animal hygiene in which sand must be poured. It must be dry and clean.

An alternative to a standard cage, in the case of Djungarian hamsters, can be an aquarium. Narrow containers for keeping rodents are not suitable due to poor ventilation, so you need to choose the standard rectangular option. Otherwise, bacteria that are harmful to the animal may multiply in the aquarium.

Pet sports area

To maintain an optimal level of health, the animal needs to cover a distance of 10 km per day. You can help your animal maintain this activity using a running wheel. The diameter for a dwarf rodent should not be less than 16 cm. There should be no crossbars, and the distance between the rods should be such that the pet’s paws do not fall into it when running.

In addition to the wheel, a number of owners purchase balls for walking. With its help, your pet can calmly walk around the apartment without touching wires or chewing furniture. Additional devices can include labyrinths, tunnels and obstacle courses.

Eating area

The best option for a rodent feeder would be a deep metal container. It will not roll over and is easy to clean. In the case of a closed feeder, it is hung on the walls or bars of the cage.

Additional accessories

Sometimes a carrier cage may be needed. The hamster can also be placed in it when cleaning the cage.

It is better to feed animals in the evening, when they begin to become active. The drinking bowl in the cage needs to be changed regularly. Spot cleaning should be done daily. This procedure includes changing the filler, as well as yesterday’s food with fresh food.

Hamsters themselves organize a toilet using fresh litter; they are quite clean.

Despite the need to maintain cleanliness, spring cleaning is stressful for a hamster. Therefore, washing the cage should not be done more than once a week. Washing should be done with a clean sponge and fragrance-free soap. It is important to treat all accessories during cleaning and then wipe dry. The drinking bowl also needs to be disassembled and washed thoroughly.

Cage cleaning should be carried out according to schedule. Even if the cage is heavily contaminated, chemicals should be avoided. In order to remove stains from waste residues, you can use vinegar, applying it to the epicenter of contamination for 15-20 minutes, then remove it with a damp cloth.

Hamsters are very sensitive animals. Especially their psyche can be shaken by general cleaning of the food reserves that they are actively creating. Cleaning too often can lead to stress for the animal. Therefore, you can reduce the risk of psychological trauma by removing only spoiled varieties of food.

We optimize what’s important

Is all this important in your life really important? I won’t talk about work, everything is very individual here. But I propose to look at everyday issues in a new way.

No, if you can afford to sit at your textbooks on a diet of cookies and coffee, I envy you. Skip this point and save time. The same is true if you have a wife who is not noted for her zeal for languages. Go straight to point 4.

What to do if on your fragile or not so fragile shoulders rests not only a head thirsty for knowledge, but also household chores?

Where are the loopholes hidden from this not a wheel... a wheel!

Shopping

you can do it less often. Going for bread every day, even for 15 minutes, is already a plus of almost 2 hours a week. Can you buy everything at once? And even bread can be stored in the freezer. Unless, of course, you're a fan of freshly baked buns.

To avoid forgetting anything, make lists. Enter what is running out, immediately dividing the goods into categories, and then in the supermarket you will not rush from department to department.

Need I say that the list should be kept in the language being studied? Over time, you will discover many new things.

Kitchen

– this is sometimes something that takes too much time. But you can rearrange your priorities and cook really quickly. Look for recipes from this position and you will be very surprised. Determine the maximum amount of time you can devote to preparing dinner and simply cross out the more labor-intensive items. Or at least save them for special occasions.

For example, I never cook anything that will take more than 30 minutes. During this time, I manage to prepare a salad, put the ingredients of the main dish in a slow cooker, wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen.

Everything can be optimized!

Find moments in what you do every day.

If you pour boiling water over buckwheat, it will be ready in 2 hours (or by morning).

You can boil a dozen eggs, and you will always have them on hand.

You can boil a chicken breast (or any other meat, if you are not a fan of a healthy lifestyle) - and there is always a snack. Vegetables, fruits, cheese, and bread also help a lot with this.

I'm sure you will find your own ways.

And never, you hear, never cook for one time!

If your family requires variety, freezing will save you. Try it, most dishes lose nothing in taste. Even soup. Just imagine: if you freeze half of what you cook for a week, then in emergency conditions you will be able to feed yourself for a whole week.

Washing and ironing

I hope you have a washing machine.

But ironing is almost unnecessary if you carefully straighten the items and shake them well before hanging them to dry. Towels and bed linen - exactly.

I iron my clothes before putting them on. It will still get wrinkled in the closet.

And no more mountains of laundry to iron.

Cleaning

refers to the type of employment that is easier not to create. Even if you, like me, are not one to put things back in their place. Maybe it's time to learn this?

But first you need to clearly define its place for each thing. It may take you a day to do this. Maybe not alone. You may even have to make a rearrangement.

It will all pay off if you arrange everything correctly.

“Correct” here means that frequently used ones are closer, rarely used ones are further away. That access to books is not blocked by an old table lamp. And you don't have to ruffle your T-shirts to get your socks out.

At the same time, get rid of everything you don't use.

And the little things that your heart is not ready to part with are best put out of sight. Do you really need all those pretty things on the shelf that you have to dust off?

Who doesn’t know yet - Marie Kondo’s or FlyLady’s system will help you. I’m not advocating walking around the house in sneakers or cleaning the sink every night until it’s like new. But I learned a lot of useful things from these systems, and there is no such thing as a “Cleaning Day/Evening” in my life anymore. And there are 15 minutes every morning when I put my home in order before the working day. And at the same time I pay special attention to one of the areas of the apartment.

Care and maintenance at home

The natural habitat of Djungarian hamsters extends to semi-fixed sands, as well as gravelly-cinquefoil, wormwood, grass-desert and xerophytic zones of the steppes of North-Eastern Kazakhstan and Central Asia, including the territory of the central regions of Asia, as well as the Western Siberian District.

Therefore, the conditions for keeping this animal in captivity should be as close as possible to natural ones. Maintenance experience shows that Djungarian hamsters, despite the ease of maintenance, still require competent and constant care.

How many jungarians to have?

According to experts, it is permissible to keep only one animal in one cage, regardless of gender. This is due to the fact that these animals are quite territorial and in limited space, capable of showing aggression towards each other.

As a result of keeping several animals in one area, they develop a feeling of permanent stress. In this state, they are capable of inflicting injuries on each other, sometimes incompatible with life. Therefore, each animal purchased for the purpose of further maintenance must be housed in a separate cage.

Selecting a cage and filling it

Keeping Djungarian hamsters at home does not involve any special problems; it is enough to choose the right cage and fill it correctly. The most suitable cage for this small animal may have dimensions of 300x500 mm. A special cage made of transparent plexiglass is also suitable. The pet's cage must contain:

• Bedding in the form of finely sifted sand or medium-sized compressed sawdust. These materials are quite cheap, but at the same time they perfectly absorb moisture and also absorb unpleasant odors. It is not recommended to use cotton wool, paper napkins, newspapers, rags, etc. as bedding.
• Special toilet for keeping small domestic rodents. Special absorbent components are poured into such trays. Typically these are called fillers.
• Holes that can represent various roots, plant branches and tubes.
• Holiday house. This can be the most primitive structure made of wood or other environmentally friendly material.
• A wheel with transverse protrusions and without a grid in the bottom.

A wide range of similar and other accessories are sold in pet stores. The main thing is that there are enough of them, but not too many. A convenient drinking bowl and feeder must be present in the animal’s cage; a drinking bowl with a volume of about 50 ml is sufficient. It is necessary to ensure that the water in the drinking bowl is changed daily. The feeder should have standard sizes, depending on the size of the animal.

It is important to know! It is not recommended to keep these animals in aquariums with high walls, since the space inside them is poorly ventilated. Therefore, the internal surfaces often fog up, which negatively affects the health of jungarians.

When filling an animal's cage with various accessories, one should not forget about a special stick or mineral stone. They are necessary so that the animal can grind down its teeth. A twig of any fruit tree, with the exception of apricot and cherry, is suitable as a stick.

Care and hygiene

The main feature of caring for a hamster is proper and timely cleaning, which will help prevent the appearance of a persistent and rather unpleasant odor in the home. Cleaning the animal's toilet, including replacing the litter, is carried out at least 1 or 2 times a week. To clean the cage properly, the animal is temporarily transferred to a special container or box.

The most important thing is that the filler should not be removed completely, since a small part of the old filler will help the animal quickly adapt to the conditions after cleaning. This way he will immediately find his toilet, which is very important. Once a month, you should do a thorough cleaning of your pet rodent's cage. In this case, you should not touch the hamster's nest. To wash the bottom of the cage, it is better to use regular laundry soap.

Important to remember! Djungarian hamsters do not need water procedures, since they know how to clean their fur; to do this, they will have to place a special bathing suit with clean, sifted sand in the cage.

It is very important to find the right place for your pet, since animals do not like to be in direct sunlight. They are also negatively affected by drafts and stagnant air. Therefore, the cage should not be located near the TV, refrigerator or computer, and especially not near heating appliances.

What to feed

The most suitable option in this case is to use ready-made commercial food for hamsters. The basis of the diet should be granules and grain mixtures consisting of seeds, grains and pieces of chopped corn. The protein content should be at the level of 15-20 percent. Such granules and mixtures play an important role in the dental hygiene of hamsters. They are also highly concentrated in nutrients. Despite this, they do not represent the only type of food for Djungarian hamsters.

We delegate

This outlet is for those who have a family.

I'm lucky I have a daughter. I haven't cleaned her room since she was about five years old. Are you really sure you can do it better than a child? Congratulations, get ready to do this for the rest of your life together.

It’s better and easier to learn how to do everything yourself.

I'll tell you a story. The other day we had guests. Early in the morning we got up and went for a walk. My daughter didn’t want to go out with us. She got up, cleaned up, washed the dishes, cooked pancakes and went about her business (work, by the way!). She is 15 years old.

If your child is still small, it’s time to start. You may have to get rid of your own perfectionism and learn to forgive small mistakes. Nothing bad will happen if things and books are not folded perfectly evenly. And it’s better not to arrange the toys decoratively on shelves at all, but to put them in a large box; this will take 2 minutes.

What else is there that you do that someone else could do? Believe me, they can do anything.

And the potatoes will be cooked when you arrive, and the garbage will be taken out, and they will go to the store.

Or maybe your mother doesn’t mind paying your bills along with her own? Or does your husband have a payment acceptance point near his work?

We combine

If you apply all of the above, you can already free up an hour or two a day.

But the main secret is in combination.

This is not a way out of the wheel. This is a way to masterfully twist two at once.

I always learn words on the go. And I walk a lot.

I personally prefer the old fashioned way - cards in my pocket. If there is no pocket, then in the fist. I press down 10-15 words and move on. I learned it and take the next pack out of my bag.

If you're not a dinosaur like me and prefer Anki, Memrise or Quizlet, just keep it ready at all times.

The main law of combination: if you have something at hand, you will find time for it.

Even if it’s not a walk along a deserted embankment, but a purposeful movement with obstacles in the form of curbs and oncoming passers-by, it doesn’t matter. At traffic lights. In the shop. In line in front of the ATM. You never know.

I also really love all kinds of audio materials. Because they go well with everything.

If I read a book (and I do read it), I always find the audio version.

You can listen on the go, while jogging, in public transport, while driving, or while doing household chores.

You can listen to the passage for the first time, and during the time allotted for studying, make out what you don’t hear. You can re-listen to what has been disassembled. During long classes, I sometimes put the book on from the beginning and listen to it again. You can't skimp on repetition.

Of course, you can watch films only on public transport.

And another wonderful option is songs. It only takes a few minutes to sort out the song. Then we add it to the looping playlist and enjoy. Listening skills are improved, vocabulary is consolidated. I love this method.

What else do I combine with what? For example, when I had a bathtub, I read in it. Well, I like to take long baths.

For this purpose, bilingual books are invaluable. Both pleasure and benefit. You won’t be surrounded by dictionaries and textbooks in the bathtub. Plus a small pencil to underline words that you then need to write down.

Now I don't have a bath. But there is a shower. That's why there are speakers on the washing machine, to which I connect my laptop.

Description

The Djungarian hamster is a type of hairy-footed hamster. Under natural conditions, Djungarians live in the dry steppes of Western Siberia and Khakassia. Homemade dzhungariki are very popular among residents of Europe and Russia.

Lifespan

On average, Djungarian hamsters live 12 months in the wild and 2-3 years at home. With proper care, a hamster can live up to 4 years.

Appearance

Giant dzhungarik and the giant's hand

The average body length of the dwarf is 8-10 centimeters, body weight is within 65 grams. The body is covered with gray-beige thick short hair with white splashes. There is a dark stripe on the back, which is a characteristic feature of Djungarian hamsters.

The fur on the paws is lighter than on the body. Thanks to the presence of thick fur on their paws, hamsters got their name - hairy-footed. In summer, hamsters are brighter in color; in winter, they lighten up so as not to be visible to predators in the snow. Domestic hamsters do not change their coat color during the winter.

The ears of the Djungarians are compact, round, the eyes are slightly bulging, reminiscent of beads. The hamster's tail is short: when the animal sits, it is practically invisible.

There are several types of coloring of the Djungarian hamster:

• light beige with white belly (standard option);
• gray with a white belly (this color is called “sapphire”);
• pearl dzungariks are white with gray splashes;
• red hamsters (tangerine color option).

In nature, hamsters lead a crepuscular and nocturnal lifestyle. Domesticated individuals also become more active in the afternoon and at night. During the day, the animal prefers to spend time in its burrow house.