Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.

The subfamily contains about 25 species,

classified in six or seven genera.
[1]

Hamsters are crepuscular and remain underground during the day to avoid being caught by predators.
In the wild, they feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and will occasionally eat
burrowing insects.
[2]
They have elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders in which they
carry food back to their burrows.
Hamster behavior varies depending on their environment, genetics, and interaction with people.
Because they are easy to breed in captivity, hamsters are often used as laboratory animals. Hamsters
have also become established as popular small house pets,
[3]
and are sometimes accepted even in areas
where other rodents are disliked, and their typically solitary nature can reduce the risk of excessive
litters developing in households.
Description[edit source | editbeta]

Roborovski hamster
Hamsters are typically stout-bodied, with tails shorter than body length, and have small, furry ears,
short, stocky legs, and wide feet. They have thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, colored black,
grey, honey, white, brown, yellow, red, or a mix, depending on the species. Two species of hamster
belonging to the genus Phodopus, Campbell's dwarf hamster (P. campbelli) and the Djungarian
hamster (P. sungorus), and two of the genus Cricetulus, the Chinese striped hamster (C. barabensis) and
the Chinese hamster (C. griseus) have a dark stripe down their heads to their tails. The species of
genus Phodopus are the smallest, with bodies 5.5 to 10.5 cm (2.2 to 4.1 in) long; the largest is
the European hamster (Cricetus cricetus), measuring up to 34 cm (13.4 in) long, not including a short tail
of up to 6 cm (2.4 in). The Angora hamster, also known as the long-haired or teddy bear hamster, which
is a type of the golden hamster is the second-largest hamster breed, measuring up to 18 cm (7.1 in)
long.
[3]


Skeleton of European hamster

Yawning white Syrian hamster showing large incisors
The hamster tail can be difficult to see, as it is usually not very long (about 1/6 the length of the body),
with the exception of the Chinese dwarf hamster, which has a tail the same length as the body. One
rodent characteristic that can be highly visible in hamsters is their sharp incisors; they have an upper
pair and lower pair which grow continuously throughout life, so must be regularly worn down. Hamsters
are very flexible, but their bones are somewhat fragile. They are extremely susceptible to rapid
temperature changes and drafts, as well as extreme heat or cold.
Senses[edit source | editbeta]
Hamsters have poor eyesight; they are nearsighted and colorblind.
[9]

[10]
To compensate for their poor
sight when in unfamiliar territory, hamsters have scent glands on their flanks (and abdomens in Chinese
and dwarf hamsters). A hamster rubs these areas of its body against various objects, and leaves a trail of
smells to follow to return to its home den.
[citation needed]
Hamsters also use their sense of smell to
identify pheromones and gender, and to locate food. They are also particularly sensitive to high-pitched
noises and can hear and communicate in the ultrasonic range.
[4]

Diet[edit source | editbeta]
Hamsters are omnivores. Although they can survive on a diet of exclusively commercial hamster food,
other items, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be given, but these should be removed
before they become rotten. Hamsters in the Middle East have been known to hunt in packs to find
insects for food.
[11]
Hamsters are hindgut fermenters and must eat their own feces (coprophagy) to
recover nutrients digested in the hindgut, but not absorbed.
[1]

Behavior[edit source | editbeta]
A behavioral characteristic of hamsters is food hoarding. They carry food in their spacious cheek
pouches to their underground storage chambers. When full, the cheeks can make their heads double, or
even triple in size.
[1]

Social behavior[edit source | editbeta]


Hamsters fighting
Most hamsters are strictly solitary. If housed together, acute and chronic stress may occur,
[5]
and they
may fight fiercely, sometimes fatally. Some dwarf hamster species may tolerateconspecifics. Russian
hamsters form close, monogamous bonds with their mates, and if separated, they may become very
depressed. This happens especially in males. Males will become inactive, eat more, and even show some
behavioral changes similar to some types of depression in humans.
[citation needed]
This can even cause
obesity in the hamster.
hodopus, a genus of rodents in the vole and hamster family Cricetidae, is a lineage of small hamsters
native to central Asia that display unusual adaptations to extreme temperatures. They are the only
known hamsters that live in groups and, in some cases, rely on significant contributions by males to the
raising of offspring. They are nocturnal and active throughout the year; they do not hibernate. Species
of Phodopus, together with members of the genera Cricetulus, Allocricetulus and Tscherskia are called
"dwarf hamsters" because of their small size (roughly 7 to 10 centimetres or 2.8 to 3.9 inches) relative to
other hamsters.
[2]

Like other hamsters, members of Phodopus have a round body shape, short tails and cheek pouches in
which they can store food. They all live in dry conditions with extreme temperatures. They inhabit the
forests, steppes and semi-deserts of Mongolia, Siberia, China and Kazakhstan. Fossils of Phodopus have
been found in Pleistocene and Pliocene deposits in Europe and Asia.
Phodopus species are commonly sold as pets.
[3]
They are also used as laboratory organisms for a variety
of studies, especially involving seasonal endocrine variation. Some species are considered to be
agricultural pests.
[4]

All three species are widespread and probably abundant, and are assessed as Least Concern (LC) by
the IUCN Red List.
[5][6][7]
However, their ecology and population dynamics are not well understood.
Historical records indicate they were once common in places where they no longer
occur.
[8]
Consequently, they are listed in the Kazakhstan Government Regulation of Approval of Rare and
Endangered Animal and Plant Species Index (2006).
[9]

Campbell's dwarf hamster[edit source | editbeta]
Main article: Campbell's dwarf hamster
Phodopus campbelli: The lips and cheeks have white fur, and the region around the ears is grey. A
dark dorsal stripe runs from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. The fur on the throat, abdomen
and legs is white, and the fur on top of the of the paws is silvery white. When the cheek pouches are full,
they extend back to the shoulders. The average body mass is 23.4 grams (0.8 oz).
[15]

Campbell's dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It was
given its common name by Oldfield Thomas in honour of W.C. Campbell, who collected the first
specimen in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as
it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal
stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and grey fur on the stomach.
In the wild, the breeding season for Campbell's dwarf hamster varies by location. For example, the
breeding season begins towards the middle of April in Tuva and towards the end of April in Mongolia.
However, in captivity, there is no fixed breeding season and they can breed frequently throughout the
year. Females are usually sexually mature at two months of age and the gestation period is typically 20
days. Campbell's dwarf hamster is crepuscular, along with all species of Phodopus and is active
throughout the year. Campbell's dwarf hamsters are omnivores, and so feed on both plant and insect
material. Campbell's dwarf hamster inhabits burrows with four to six horizontal and vertical tunnels in
the steppes and semi deserts of central Asia, the Altai mountains, autonomous areas of Tuva and
the Hebei province in northeastern China.
This hamster is listed as of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature (IUCN). It is native to China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russian Federation.