In wild nature
Almost all types of hamsters live in steppes and semi-deserts. Water obstacles are very rarely encountered on their path. Therefore, nature did not endow them with the ability to swim well. They do not have webbed feet, like all waterfowl. Fur does not have water-repellent properties and gets wet quickly. Nevertheless, in extreme situations, when you need to escape from an enemy or a fire, or there is a flood, all rodents float quite well on the water. The hamster swims, although poorly and not for long. The fur coat quickly gets wet and becomes too heavy. The rodent may become ill from hypothermia or die from stress.
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Wild hamsters are stronger and more aggressive than their domestic relatives. In their natural habitat, they fight for their lives, and only the fittest survive. Decorative animals are more delicate and weaker. They require certain conditions of detention and get sick more often.
So the answer to the question about the buoyancy of hamsters is clear. They know how to swim, but swimming is strictly contraindicated for them.
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.
At home
Often, owners want to give their pet a bath to make its fur coat look more beautiful. There are many videos on the Internet where owners teach their pets to swim. Some even like to watch the poor animal flounder in the water. Cruel people have no idea how much stress a small rodent experiences. His heart already beats very quickly, up to 300 beats per minute, and in water, when the hamster is fighting for his life, the heartbeat increases several times. Very often a small heart cannot withstand such a load and stops. The poor guy dies. Those who, in order to attract subscribers and increase the number of likes, throw their pet into the water either do not know about the consequences of such an action, or deliberately risk the life of a small defenseless creature.
The good-natured Dzhungarik especially suffers from human cruelty. Larger Syrians will bite and resist water treatments, and the aggressive Campbell's hamster will also resist bathing. After such treatment, your pet may refuse to be handled.
In addition, if a wet coat is not dried thoroughly, or the baby stays in the water for more than 5 minutes, he may simply catch a cold and die a few days later.
And hamsters certainly don't swim underwater. A small rodent, even in a calm environment, takes about 30 breaths per minute. When under stress, he breathes several times faster. While underwater, the poor fellow will not be able to hold his breath and will immediately choke.
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Another danger that awaits a hamster when bathing is that water can get into the ears. There is a high probability of otitis media – inflammation of the middle ear. Otitis media is treated with hydrogen peroxide and ear drops. But all this time the animal will squeak desperately, suffering from unbearable pain.
Therefore, it is advisable not to bathe hamsters at all. They are able to clean their fur coat on their own. It’s better to offer your baby a “sand bath”; he will be happy to clean his own fur. As a last resort, wipe the baby with a cloth soaked in warm water. Then dry immediately to prevent your baby from catching a cold.
If your pet accidentally fell into the water or you still had to bathe it, for example, to get rid of parasites, try to keep the water treatments no more than 5 minutes. After this, the wet fur coat should be immediately blotted with a terry towel that absorbs moisture well. It is not recommended to dry your baby, as you may accidentally injure him. Then send the rodent into the cage, pouring more sawdust on the floor. The cage must be removed from the draft and placed in the warmest place in the apartment.
Bathing a hamster
Can hamsters swim?
Can hamsters swim? Oddly enough, this question is asked by, if not all, then certainly the majority of the owners of these little fluffy, nimble bundles of happiness that run so briskly around the cage. It is noteworthy that the “majority” of owners motivate their interest by caring for their small pets. In other words, rodent owners want to create the most comfortable living conditions for their rodent and are even ready to install a “mini-pool” in its cage.
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After all, walking around the open spaces of the apartment is allowed and encouraged. Then why not let your hamster take a bath?!
Such a desire to please your little pet in everything is certainly a commendable manifestation, however... Remember, the golden words are about “doing no harm.” So, hamsters and water treatments are just that special case when you can so easily harm your hamster.
So, can rodents swim? Do they enjoy these water swims? And, don’t such water procedures pose a hidden threat and danger for our hamsters? We will try to answer all these questions in our today’s publication from the “Rodents” section.
Summary
So, is it possible to wash hamsters with water? The answer is yes, but quickly, very carefully and only in extreme cases. In general, bathing procedures should be avoided, since neither the Dzungarians nor the Syrians are adapted to them (the latter in particular)
To wash your hamster, use special sand from a pet store - this will almost always be enough.
Sand for hamsters is more of a luxury than a necessity. However, having seen at least once how excitedly a Djungarian hamster bathes in the sand, the owner is ready to provide his pet with such a bath on an ongoing basis. Many questions immediately arise: what kind of sand is needed, how often can you bathe, how does this affect the health of the animal.
Bath container
You can purchase a bathing suit at a pet store (the smallest one intended for birds), or use improvised means.
The container should be deep so that the homa does not scatter sand around and fall out, rolling from side to side. It’s good if the container is transparent - watching rodents wash themselves is incredibly funny. The Syrian hamster usually rubs its sides, “rides” around the sandbox, dwarf hamsters roll over on their backs and tumble.
The container must be stable so as not to tip over. Use:
- a plastic container for wet wipes with the lid removed;
- glass round terrarium, aquarium;
- food container, deep bowl.
Sand
The sand for bathing hamsters should not be too coarse so that the particles do not injure the skin, but not too fine so that the dust does not irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.
Can not use:
For parrots
Cleaning feathers is different from cleaning the fine hairs of thick fur. Sand for parrots is not only hygiene, but also mineral nutrition. Crushed shells, activated carbon and other impurities are added to it. It is not suitable for rodents.
Volcanic
Volcanic sand is sand only in name and has nothing in common with the usual quartz. This is a clay mineral powder (aluminosilicates, zeolite), light and fine. It is harmful to hamsters - they start sneezing.
Sand for chinchillas
To buy a bath filler at a pet store, you need to know what kind of sand is needed for hamsters. It is not produced specifically for these rodents. It makes no sense to ask the consultant whether chinchilla sand can be used for hamsters. Experience of hamster breeders: possible, but not everyone.
A good sand for a hamster is one that does not contain talc. Before purchasing, study the composition. Trusted companies use the mineral sepiolite and quartz, and the small grains of sand have a round shape.
Suitable options indicating the country of origin and approximate price:
- JRFarm “ChinchillaSand” (250-350 rubles per 1 kg, Germany);
- Vitakraft “Sandy” (420-440 rubles per 1 kg, Germany);
- Padovan “Bathing Sand” (560-600 rubles for 2 l., Italy);
- Beaphar “XtraVital” (500-600 rubles for 2 liters, the Netherlands);
- Versele-Laga “Chinchilla Bathing Sand” (600-650 rubles for 2 liters, i.e. 1.3 kg, Belgium).
When calculating how much sand for hamsters costs, you should remember that the packaging will last a long time for one animal: the sand can be used repeatedly. Sand is packaged for a chinchilla, which weighs 10 times more than a chinchilla.
A layer of at least 2-3 cm is poured into the bathing suit.
Bathing process
To prevent the bath from turning into a sleeping hut with supplies or a toilet, the container is not left in the cage on a permanent basis. Sand for hamsters - Djungarians and Syrians - is an irresistible temptation to relieve themselves. Therefore, after the bathing procedure, it is sifted, and especially responsible owners - calcined. Store the sand in a tightly closed container so that it does not accumulate moisture.
Bathing is carried out 1-2 times a week. The hamster should not be left alone; the bathtub should be removed as soon as the pet loses interest in it. The procedure should not last more than half an hour.
This bath is a good alternative. The owner does not need to think about how to bathe a hamster in the sand so as not to harm the pet. The animal will do everything itself, guided by instinct.
Difficulties only happen the first time. The hamster may simply ignore the new object. Then the question arises - how to accustom a hamster to sand. It's enough to wait. The bathing suit is placed in the cage (or, conversely, the rodent is placed in it) only when the animal has woken up for night activity, is well-fed and alert. After a quarter of an hour, the curious pet will begin to rummage through the bathing suit, and soon begin to lie around.
Born in the desert - not made to swim
In order to answer the questions “can they?”, “can they?”, and “do hamsters need to swim at all?”, let’s go back to the roots and see where our little rodents come from. Right!
Hamsters are the original inhabitants of steppes and semi-deserts, where there is generally a shortage of drinking water, not to mention water for bathing.
Therefore, we can make a completely obvious first conclusion that nature did not intend to instill a love of water in the hearts of these little creatures. It’s another matter when a hamster gets into the water and, due to circumstances, first of all, in order to survive, it begins to row and flounder. All these desperate movements of his to escape and survive are perceived by us with tenderness. “Look! How the baby likes to swim! In fact, the hamster does not like any of the above. He would like to go to land, to the sand...
Feeding of jungarians
Often, breeders choose ready-made mixtures in pet stores. A base of seeds and grains. The following grains are welcome: oats, wheat, barley, rye.
Nuts (except pine nuts and almonds) and seeds can be given rarely , as they contain a large amount of fat, and these little fluffies are prone to obesity.
Don't forget to give your hamster protein food. Insects are high in protein, so give your pet a treat a week. Crickets can be purchased at almost every pet store. From time to time, instead of insects, give a piece of egg white or a little yogurt (without dyes or flavorings).
Pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, bell peppers, bananas (rarely), wheat sprouts (oats, millet), green peas, parsley, dill, lettuce are suitable as delicacies .
Swimming as a forced escape
Swimming as a forced escape
Well, someone will say, but I saw in one program about animals or in one of the videos posted on the Internet how hamsters can swim. Why don’t I teach my Timoshka or Daisy to swim? Remember, dear rodent owners, hamsters can swim due to certain circumstances (escape, an attempt to hide from a predator, an accident, etc.), but they do not get much pleasure from this water process.
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Remember, the beginning of our publication - we said that “you want to create the most comfortable living conditions for your little rodent.” So -
aquatic environment is not a comfortable environment for rodents,
Bathing as a way of hygiene
Well, what about the issue of hygiene? After all, swimming can also be viewed from this side. Believe me
Rodents are fairly clean little creatures that can and are able to independently monitor the hygiene of their body.
No, of course, there are situations when a hamster gets dirty and needs to be bathed, but bathing in this case rather means carefully removing dirt with a damp cloth soaked in warm water, and in no case should you wet the animal’s head , and not his complete immersion headlong into the bath, or, even worse, a homemade shower for the hamster using a strong stream of water from the tap. This way you will only destroy the poor creature, and the last thing he will remember in his life is the sound of water...
Cage care
Caring for the cage will not take much time. The tray must be filled with sawdust. Pet stores sell compressed sawdust. One pack lasts a long time. The sawdust will need to be renewed periodically.
You don't need to wash the cage very often. The animals are small and the bars of the cage remain clean for a long time. You need to remove and wash the wheel, house, drinking bowl, stairs, tunnels. You will have to vacuum the floor around the cage frequently. Djungarians actively stir up sawdust, building nests, and scatter food if there are family squabbles or they don’t like the food.
If your hamster does fall into the water
What to do if your hamster, without your help and participation, nevertheless gets acquainted with the aquatic environment? Get the rodent out of the water as soon as possible - you shouldn’t watch with emotion as it flounders in the water, every second counts. Gently blot the rodent's body with a terry towel so that it absorbs moisture. There is no need to wipe the hamster - you can damage its fragile bones and make the animal disabled.
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Then place the hamster's cage in a warm place protected from drafts, pour more sawdust into the cage, and release the frightened hamster into his house. Now cross your fingers and pray that today's water encounter doesn't have any unfortunate consequences for your hamster.
To summarize, we can only say one thing - no, of course, in nature there are exceptions to the rules and hamsters know how to bathe and love to swim, but such bathing and swimming will not add health and years to your rodent’s life. Remember this...
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A hamster that swims is absurd
To fully understand the characteristic habits of your pet, you should first study some information about the characteristics of this type of animal. Therefore, in order to find out whether hamsters can swim, it is necessary to understand how the life of animals works in their natural environment.
Under natural conditions, hamsters tend not to go close to water. Since these representatives of the rodent world are inhabitants of steppes and desert areas. In order for a hamster to approach an aquatic habitat, some trouble must happen, for example, a predator will hunt it, or in the event of a fire or other natural disasters. Only in such a situation can a hamster dive into the water, thus saving its life.
It should be understood that a hamster's swimming skill is at a low level. This is due to the lack of membranes on the animal’s paws, as well as their tiny size, since rowing with such small paws is completely inconvenient. Also, being in an aquatic environment causes a lot of stress in hamsters, so they are not able to stay in water for a long time.
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Animals living in their natural environment have a bolder and braver character. But domestic hamsters are quite timid and experience fear in relation to all factors, especially since water can frighten them. However, sometimes you can meet representatives of the Dzungarian breed of hamsters who prefer swimming in water to a sand bath. It should be noted that sand for such a bath should be selected carefully. Their relatives, Syrian hamsters, are desert dwellers, so very rarely among them there appear representatives who want to swim in the water.
How to Clean a Hamster Using Cotton Pads or Wipes
The use of napkins is not recommended. They may contain chemicals, including alcohol and fragrances, that can be harmful to rodents. The unnatural odor left behind by the wipes causes stress in animals.
Cotton pads are a neutral option. They are moistened with water and passed over the contaminated area, carefully adjusting the pressure. This method causes less stress for pets who are afraid of classic baths. After the procedure, the wool must be dried to prevent disease due to weakened immunity.
Bathing at home
Most breeders do not bathe their pet in water. However, there are also those who, for the sake of a large number of likes and subscribers, can force a hamster to swim, while immersing the frightened animal in a filled bath or sink.
For many viewers, such videos seem funny and interesting, but they are not able to convey the fear and stress that the animal experiences at the time of bathing and filming. This is a frightening situation for a hamster, however, when he gets into the water, he will make every effort to fight for his life. Thus, we can say that pets like hamsters can swim, but this is a real stressful situation for them.
Many people want to check whether hamsters swim underwater, it should be understood that hamsters are also not given the opportunity to swim underwater. It is typical for animals to take at least 30 breaths in one minute in a calm state, and during a stressful situation this number increases 5-7 times. Therefore, the hamster does not hold its breath and may choke under water.
Why you shouldn't let your hamster swim
Also, the animal should not be allowed near the water for the following reasons:
- Due to the fact that the rodent's fur is quite thick, it takes a very long time to dry after bathing, so the animal can become hypothermic and be susceptible to various diseases.
- Liquid can get into the hamster’s ears, which can subsequently cause it to develop a disease such as otitis media, due to which the animal will begin to squeak in a voice that is not its own.
- The animal's heart may stop, since water causes severe fright, and not all individuals are able to withstand such a load.
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You need to take into account the fact that the lifespan of hamsters is quite short, so any stressful situation can further shorten the life of your pet.
It is best not to bathe your beloved pet to avoid unfortunate consequences. An animal can be involved in water procedures only in cases of extreme necessity, for example, when parasites occur, or when the fur is heavily soiled.
In the event that you still have to bathe the hamster, you need to take into account the time of the procedure. Because the less time he spends in the water, the better. In most cases, three minutes is enough to properly wash the animal.
The best solution for cleaning a hamster is sand baths, which have a positive effect on the emotional and physical health of the rodent. Such procedures can be carried out within half an hour.
