Baby Care Hamster Mother
Baby Care Hamster Mother
Roborovskis ( Phodopus roborovskii ) or 'Desert hamster' is the smallest of all hamsters commonly kept as pets. Distinguishing characteristics of the Roborovskis are the white spots where the eyebrows would be, and the lack of the dorsal stripe seen in all other dwarf hamsters. They live, on average, for 3-3.5 years although over 4 years has been known.
Habitat and Diet
Roborovski hamsters live in the wild around the Gobi Desert, throughout Mongolia's desert steppe and parts of northern China. They are particularly suited to the steppe, as they are highly efficient in their use of water (as evidenced by how they may pass particularly concentrated urine), so little vegetation is required. Here, they dig and live in burrows. These are usually steep tunnels up to 6 feet underground. In the wild Roborovski hamsters are most active in autumn at dusk and dawn, this is to collect food for the winter ahead that they will have to spend underground. Roborovski hamsters are surprisingly not obligate herbivores. They will eat vegetables, fruit, and plants, but they will also eat meat and insects. Therefore, they are omnivores. Roborovski hamsters are born half an inch long and grow to be on average two inches long.
History of Human Contact
Lt. Vsevolod Roborovski first made note of these hamsters. He discovered them on an expedition in July, 1894, though they were not studied scientifically for the best part of another decade, until Konstantin A. Satunin made observations in 1903. London Zoo imported them into the U.K. in the 1960s, but the first studied in Britain were imported in the 1970s from Moscow Zoo. (None of these hamsters, however, bore offspring.) Continental European countries had more success in breeding Roborovskis, however, and the Roborovskis currently in the U.K. are descendants of a batch imported from the Netherlands in 1990. They were imported in the U.S.A. in 1998, though they are now commonly found in pet shops in several countries. In South Korea, they are almost as common as Winter white Russian dwarf hamsters in pet shops. They are also fairly commonly sold as pets in Israel.
Variation
Currently there are 2 confirmed variations of roborovski hamster; the agouti and a mutation producing a white-faced hamster.
Breeding
The gender of a roborovski is determined as such: Female openings are very close together and may even look like just one opening, while male openings are further apart. Males usually have a visible scent gland near the navel, above the two openings appearing as a yellow stain.
Roborovski hamsters may reach sexual maturity as early as 5 weeks but usually do not breed until the year after they where born, usually early spring. It is advised when keeping them as pets that females should not be mated until they are closer to 4 months of age, males usually reach sexual maturity at 3 months. The gestation period of Roborovski hamsters is usually 20-22 days but can be up to 30 according to some sources. As the birth day grows closer the female will become more aggressive towards the male and often banish him from the nest till after the birth. It has been known that the female roborovski hamster can bite an owner if she is handled when she is heavily pregnant. Litters are usually small, being typically of 4-6 pups, though larger litters have been reported of up to 10. If the male is still around the female shortly after her birth he will attempt to mate with her again.
Breeding these lines with agouti Roborovskis produces a diluted appearance of their natural sandy colour.
As Pets
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Footnotes
- ^ Shar, S. & Lkhagvasuren, D. (2008). Phodopus roborovskii . In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 14 Jule 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
- ^ a b Website specifically about Roborovski hamsters
- ^
- ^ Dwerghamsters - Judith Lissenberg p.22-23
- ^ Konijnen en Knaagdieren Encyclopedie - Esther Verhoeff-Verhallen p.130-131
- ^ Petwebsite.com
Resources
- Lissenberg, J. Dwerghamsters. Aanschaf, verzorging, Voeding, Fokken Zuidboek Producties: Lisse, The Netherlands: 2002
- Verhoeff-Verhallen, E. Konijnen en Knaagdieren Encyclopedie Rebo Productions: Lisse, The Netherlands: 1997 Justin napierala
External links
- A website completely devoted to Roborovski hamsters - photos, care info and more.
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