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Teddy Bear Hamster- Complete Guide To House A Hamster!
Teddy bear hamster or the Syrian hamster is among the most popular choices among small pets. It is also known as a golden hamster due to its breathtaking cute appearance.
This pet is generally fun to watch, easy to tame, and are fairly low maintenance which makes them great pets for beginners. Teddy bear hamsters come from arid regions of Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. The natural color of this teddy bear hamster is golden brown. But due to selective breeding, you can find many other colors and mixed patterns. with various hair lengths.
Their population in wild regions is considered to be vulnerable due to the loss of habitat. But captive breeding programs are dealing with this issue both for pet trades and science. Thanks to their high popularity as pets, you can easily found a good diet for your teddy bear hamster in most of the pet stores. Also, their housing does not require much space and they are pretty simple to set up and maintain. All these features indicated that they are great pets.
Here are some of the most important facts and features to know about the teddy bear hamster.
Behavior and temperament of teddy bear hamster
Although they have a previous reputation of being somewhat nippy pets, you should know that it only happens due to improper and infrequent handling of these pets. As long as you are squeezing your little pet when you hold it, it is really easy to deal with.
These hamsters are among the most solitary animals present in the wild making them territorial equally. This means that they should be the only pet at your house if you are planning to house them.
Sometimes young hamsters may tolerate other cage mates for a few days but as they mature, there are good chances of them being aggressive and uncountable. They can even fight to the death. It is best to keep any other pet you have far away from these hamsters as they might try to hurt them.
Teddy bear hamster usually sleeps the whole day and remain awake when it’s dark. They are generally calm and quiet pets but they do some nighttime activities that can disturb your sleep if they sleep near your bedroom or inside of it.
Some hamsters also tend to adapt to their owner’s schedule, but do not try to wake a hamster out of its good night’s sleep. There are good chances of your hamster biting you. Instead, evening hours or early morning hours can b used to interact with your pet.
They do not form a close bond with anyone, be it your or your pets at the house necessarily. But they often love lounging in their owner’s hands and shoulders when they trust you enough. You have to spend a few days figuring out more about your hamster’s behavior. Once you know, you can easily spend time with them to keep them tame.
Below given are some of the most important facts you must know about your teddy bear hamster
1. They Are Ideal For Children
Wild teddy bear hamster has come out to be a wonderful pet after it has been domesticated. If you handle them properly, they are very friendly and adorable.
They are ideal for a first-time pet owner. If you are a reasonable child. you can bring these pets. If your child a pet with whom they can spend time and interact, it is the best pet they could be given
However, hamsters are pretty delicate and when they feel pain or stressed, they might bite as their reaction. Make sure you are teaching your child to look after your pet properly and let them know how to handle a hamster. Try to supervise their sessions while they pet the hamster.
This pet makes a great companion for your child. The teddy bear hamster is the cutest and adorable pet to have, it not only acts as a companion for your child but adults too.
2. Lifespan
Wondering how long your teddy bear hamster might live? The answer to this question varies a lot. Golden hamsters residing in the wild live shorter than the domesticated ones. Wild teddy bear hamsters would be able to live for 1 or 2 years on average.
However, the life span of a pet teddy bear hamster can reach up to 3 years. This pet is not a long-term commitment like other pets.
Do you know how many years the longest living hamster has lived? The hamster mentioned in the book of world Guinness records has lived for 4.5 years which is quite a time when we talk about these tiny ones.
3. Personality
Another fun reason to be around a teddy bear hamster and but it. They have an astonishing temperament being a housepet. If you help them get used to being handled by you, they will surely love it and come to you again and again.
The Teddy bear hamster is highly curious, adventurous, and cute, of course! They just love wandering around, exploring, and burrowing. That’s their simple and non-problematic life.
However, if they are startled or scared by someone or something, their first instinct is to bite. They are very small but their bites arent’. They are going to hurt a lot. Make sure you are not trying to surprise your hamster as it may seem fun to you, it is a crazy scary experience for the little one. Try to handle them with care.
Speak to your teddy bear hamster before putting your hand inside their cage especially when ty are sleeping as it might not turn well for you. Wake them up with your voice instead of nudging them with fingers.
4. They share an interesting history
Most of you might not know this but their history is pretty fascinating. Some people often neglect the origins or history of their pet but it could be really fun and thrilling to know where your tiny ones come from or ho their ancestors seemed like. In 1930, a photographer caught a Syrian hamster on camera in Aleppo, Syria. It is seen that most golden hamsters come from that first captive line. They came from Syria to America in the year 1936.
These little creatures were soon able to gain desired fae and popularity and were introduced to the Britisher’s pet market in the 1940s. The first hamster club by the British opened in 1945. Many teddy bear hamsters were involved in that pet market. Other clubs for teddy bear hamsters include the California hamster association in America and the midland hamster club from England.
5. Solitary pets
If you are planning to have a pet for the first time, these hamsters make the perfect choice because they do not require a lot of attention ad prefer to live on their own without much interaction.
Some breeds of these hamsters like the Russian dwarf hamster likes having company and lives quite well when kept with other pets or hamsters.
But, this hamster should be kept alone as it lives alone when present in wild too. If you try to put 2 hamsters together in a cage, they might end up fighting and hurting each other so just try to keep one by itself. This is a good thing as having a pet for the first time makes things less intense a lot easier.
6. Extremely easy to take care of
This teddy bear hamster makes a great choice for first-time pet owners because they are easy to maintain and take care of. You can simply care for your hamster without being more involved.
The wild hamsters dig deep burrows underground to live and to breed. Make sure you give them plenty of space to burrow in. You can buy large cages and large tanks that can be easily filled over 10 inches after burrowing.
The food of a hamster includes vegetables, grains, and seeds. You can easily get this in any pet store near your home. You can also give them fruits to eat at times but make are to give only small amounts because they are high in natural sugars.
You will also require to clean your hamster’s bedding or home regularly. Till the time you clean set them in free areas where they can run and play easily without being escaped. It is really fun to watch these tiny creatures wander freely.
7. How to handle a teddy bear hamster
This is quite a tame pet so you do not have to worry about handling them. As long as you are handling your pets properly from a very young age, they will love sleeping in your hand and inserting with you for all good reasons without biting you back.
Handling your tiny companion is an amazing way to build a strong bond and interact with them. This is also one of the reasons they are adored so much as a pet because everyone would love to have a pet they get to cuddle with and play with.
8 Size of a hamster
Another amazing reason to get a teddy bear hamster is their size! The Teddy bear hamster ranges between the size 4 to 6 inches long generally. They can even grow longer in some cases. Syrian hamsters or golden hamsters are one of the biggest breeds of hamsters present, they are almost double as compared to dwarf hamsters.
It is interesting to note that female hamsters grow longer than males. They are big enough to be handled nicely but not so big that they would require plenty of space to be around.
9. They are nocturnal pets
Teddy bear hamster is a nocturnal et which means they usually sleep during the daytime whereas they are active at night.
This is the same for wild hamsters and the ones you keep as pets. It completely makes sense because their place of origin, Syria is very hot during the day and cooler at night. For children who have to spend a lot of time in school in the day can easily take care of these hamsters.
Also, if you want a pet you can leave easily without being tensed, hamsters are the best. You can always interact with them in the late evenings and early mornings. But, as they do not sleep at night, the bedroom is not an ideal place to keep their cages, they can be slightly noisy when exercising and burrowing at night.
10. Patterns and colors
Teddy bear hamsters make great pets as they come in so many different patterns and sizes. Each hamster is pretty unique when it comes to its family in terms of color and pattern.
There are more than 40 variants of these little hamsters. Some colors may include gray, yellow, cinnamon, and chocolate brown. Their bellies in most hamsters are white. They might also have dark or light patches on their body. Their color might not matter to the adult but children do pay attention to tiny details like these.
11. House of a hamster
One of the most crucial things to do while planning to buy a hamster is getting them a spacious home. All the hamster types, be it a teddy bear hamster or a dwarf hamster needs a large cage so that they can carry out all the activities like running around and burrowing. Small cages may lead to unhappiness, stress, and sickness in hamsters. They may turn aggressive and depressed.
Bigger cages on the other hand allow them to carry out all the fun activities like climbing over, burrowing, running in the cage. This helps the hamster remain happy and contained in the cage. Know that you should not get confused by looking at their small size, they need a much larger cage to live in.
It is difficult to estimate how big the cage should be because there is no legal size chart to know. The cages available at pet stores may be small for hamsters. According to ASPCA, you can get them a 10-gallon aquarium size as a minimum for hamsters.
But bigger is always better. If possible, try to choose a good home for your teddy bear hamster. It should be spacious ad filled with fun objects for you tiny one to play around with. These objects may help stimulate your little pet.
Hamster cages are available in local stores in all sizes and shapes so choosing the right one would be really fun. After all, getting a new pet is always exciting. You can choose from a large variety of shapes, materials, and colors to build a dream house for your teddy bear hamster.
Make sure to choose one that has plenty of space for burrowing and running around. Also, it should have some accessories to stimulate your teddy bear hamster.
12. Price of hamster
Another good reason to bring a teddy bear hamster home is that they are highly affordable, unlike other pets. These little animals are very easy and cheaper to take care of. You might have to spend hundreds of dollars in the care and maintenance of large pets but this is not the case with teddy bear hamsters.
The most expensive part of housing a hamster is just making sure they have needed supplies for their home and you are good to go.
Depending upon the places you live, the price and supplies may vary. They only require the initial cost at once. Their maintenance cost is very low and you can easily afford them.
13. Fun to be around
One of the main reasons why many people often choose a Syrian hamster or teddy bear hamster as their pet is that they are very fun to be around. They do not just sit in their cages all night, they are really fun!
They are highly active at night. They just gain all the energy from sleeping throughout the day to exercise wheels and hamster balls at night.
If you want to explore their funnier side, you just have to fill their cage with equipment and toys, and you will just keep laughing at them.
You can also put some treats in their cage and let them explore the rest. Hamsters are really good at learning new habits and tricks, so it can be fun to interact with you.
Also, another reason you must bring a teddy bear hamster is that they are very cute and adorable. With their round and black eyes, fluffy fur, tiny twitching nose, you will do nothing else but fall in love.
Teddy bear hamsters are undeniably great pets and highly fun to be around. Now that you know almost everything about their history, personality, and behavior too, you can easily get them home.
If you are looking for a tiny pet, this is the perfect choice for you. You can also gift a teddy bear hamster to your kids and other loved ones. Look at them, who wouldn’t be happy taking care of them and playing around with them?
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