Information about hamsters

First of all, I want to say that I don't know which city the landlord is in, and the price of hamsters in different places is different, so I'm sorry, I can't make a price judgment, but I can still tell the landlord something I know:

1. On the whole, hamsters are characterized by a round body, short limbs and a belly landing when walking. They mainly live in very dry areas and have strong adaptability to the environment, which is more suitable for people who have pets for the first time. Their life span is 2-4 years, and their growth rate is relatively fast, so their illness develops rapidly when they are sick.

There are about 23 kinds of hamsters, 5 of which are kept as pets. Silver fox is also called Belarus, sapphire is probably purple, and old man is also called deer hamster. Personally, the ultra-white silver fox \ old woman \ appearing on the market at present may be the remaining 18 species.

Campbell hamster has one characteristic: compared with its petite body, its big ears and strength are its characteristics.

3. Hamster is Nocturnal Animals. It has developed hearing and can even hear ultrasonic waves, so it doesn't like noisy environment. It can be seen with a little light source, but its vision is not very good, especially it can only distinguish between black and white. For it, the world is black and white. There are black spots on the left and right sides of the dorsal spine 3 mm, which are body glands, and the males are more developed. Beard is an antenna to detect the surrounding environment.

4. Distinguish between men and women: The easiest way is to look at genitals. The female hamster's genitals are close to the anus, while the male hamster is far from the anus and has testicles. It is usually difficult to distinguish hamsters, but after 8 weeks of birth, females are bigger than males. Small hamsters generally have nipples, but only female hamsters will become obvious when they grow up.

5. Hamster is an omnivore, and its feed includes grains, nuts, fresh vegetables and fruits, once a day 10 ~ 15g, when hamsters are active or at night. Walnuts can be crushed into pieces as food for grinding teeth. You must never drink water, especially during pregnancy or childbirth.

6. Spring is the most suitable season for hamster reproduction, so it is necessary to increase nutritious food. If you don't want to breed, you should reduce protein food and give more vegetables.

7. The hamster's cage is better than the hamster's three times larger. Hamsters are very active, and their range of activities in the wild is usually about 20 kilometers.

8. Grass, sawdust, rice straw or shredded newspapers and toilet paper can all be used as bedding materials. The particles should not be too small. Hamsters like black and narrow nests. They should be cleaned almost every day, but the new ones should be mixed with a small amount of bedding materials stained with excrement, which will reassure hamsters.

9. You can comb the hamster's hair with a toothbrush.

10. Hamsters are naturally afraid of water. It washes its body with its own saliva every day, so it is unnecessary to bathe the hamster. If it's really dirty, wipe it gently with a towel dipped in some water. If the hamster's hair is dark and messy, it is better to pay attention to its health than to bathe it. Personally, I don't think it is necessary to buy expensive imported hamsters.

1 1. Female hamsters in captivity usually have sex for 4-5 days. Usually, on the night of their activities, the reproductive organs will be congested and turn red, and they will discharge secretions, and their bodies will become lively and run around. In order to make male hamsters and female hamsters interested in each other, they can be locked together, and the female hamster will be put into the male cage after 3 days or more. They fight, they fight. It will soon become very close. The mating time is short and will be completed in several times, which is the main feature of hamster mating. If the mating goes well, you will find that the female hamster starts to nest or run after the male hamster. Usually mating ends after 3 days.

12. Maternal rats should increase nutrition and give more high-protein food during pregnancy. However, nuts such as sunflowers and peanuts are too fat to produce hamsters, so it is not advisable to give too much.

13. hamsters can't be disturbed until three weeks after birth. Separate the big one from the small one.

14. hamster disease: wet tail is a unique disease of hamsters, which will become dirty around the buttocks and die in 2~3 days. Hamsters born after 5~6 weeks are particularly prone to this disease, and it can be transmitted to other hamsters. Cheek pouch ulceration: the neck is swollen due to tumor or suppuration. Treatment: antibiotics are used after surgical resection of the wound; Lice: The whole body hair falls off and itches badly. You can take or inject anti-lice drugs to treat it. Prevention: Pay attention to cleaning cages frequently and keep them dry. Heatstroke: the body becomes soft and bubbles are spit in the mouth to prevent the temperature from being too high. Hello. Rats and mice are good animals, and their feed can be bought in the flower and bird market, but it is more affordable to match according to the feed table of Shishi's mother, and the flower and bird market can eat for a long time! The main formula: pockmarked seeds with shells, millet (where birds are sold in the flower and bird market), then you can go to the supermarket to buy corn flakes, buckwheat, cereal, and finally add some original melon seeds, remember to be original! ! It tastes not salty. Rats will get angry and dry when they eat it.

. Wood chips.

This is necessary. It can absorb moisture and deodorize. General prices range from 25-60 yuan by weight.

. Mouse cage

Shishi recommends importing plexiglass cages with good ventilation effect. There are many plexiglass cages with different prices on the market. Shishi suggested not to buy something too big and complicated, which is inconvenient for cleaning and sanitation. Secondly, don't buy a cage with wire around it. Rats will be cold in winter. It's best to buy one with ventilation on both sides! As long as you cover one side with cardboard in winter, mice will keep warm!

. Drum.

The roller is for mice to exercise and play. There are separate and closed cages on the market. If it is separate, remember not to buy wires, because rats are prone to sprain their feet.

. Food basin.

You don't have to buy a dish specially for mice, you can also change it into a small dish for people.

. Bathtub and sand bath

Rats, mice, it is necessary to take a bath to keep clean! So a bath basin is also necessary! Keeping clean is the first condition for healthy mice!

★ About diet

Staple food:

The life span of mice is only two or three years, so it is not too much for them to eat well. Rats are omnivores and can eat almost anything.

But the staple food is whole grains: you can refer to the formula told to you above.

Humidity:

Rats don't need to drink water. If you want to drink water, remember to boil it! Absolutely clean. The mice in Shishi's house are all fed vegetables and fruits by their mothers to get water! Because they are really small, a little water is enough! They like vegetables best. Remember, vegetables must be rinsed and dried. Bean sprouts and cabbage can also be used! But they all need cleaning! Like tomatoes, cucumbers, apples and oranges, you can eat them.

. About sunflower seeds.

There are also various melon seeds, such as sunflower seeds, melon seeds, watermelon seeds and so on. Rats like to eat them.

Mice like to eat sunflower seeds, but the high fat content of sunflower seeds will cause obesity, partial eclipse, malnutrition and other problems for mice. Therefore, sunflower seeds can only be used as snacks or non-necessities to enhance feelings. You can't feed too much, and you can only eat one or two at most. However, if it is in winter, more mice can be given more heat to spend the cold winter.

. Edible food.

Although mice are omnivores, there are still some things that cannot be eaten. If you eat them carelessly, you will have diarrhea or die. Don't be careless !

. Spicy food.

Such as pepper, green pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, leek, nine-layer culture and so on.

. Peach, plum, apple and other nuts.

It is said that it will lead to the rapid heartbeat of rats and may lead to symptoms such as shock. The detailed reasons are not very clear, but I would rather believe and be careful. These things have high potassium ion content, which easily leads to overeating and tachycardia death in rats and mice.

. What people eat.

What people eat, cooked, is too oily and salty for mice and very harmful to their health, especially meat dishes or other greasy snacks. !

. How to divide men and women?

If you want your little mouse to breed the next generation, of course, you have to know whether the little mouse is a younger brother or a younger sister. However, if you don't want many mice to come out, remember to separate the males and females before separating the cages! !

. Male mouse.

The anus is far from the place where urine is urinated, and normal adult male rats will have testicles (that is, testicles).

. Mother mouse.

There will be a crack in the middle of the anus near the pee.

. Childbearing age.

Mice have the same golden growth period as humans.

Generally speaking, a normal mouse (male or female) will become an adult mouse after three months, that is, it can have sex and give birth to a baby. But it is best to wait until the mother mouse is five to six months old, so that the body and stability of the mother mouse have reached a certain level, the born mouse will be healthier and the mother mouse will recover better. When the mother mouse is more than one year old, it is best not to regenerate, otherwise the baby born will have a high probability of premature death, and the mother mouse will be prone to dystocia or stillbirth! !

. Maturity of adult rats.

. Male mouse.

The male mouse's balls come out, which is a symbol of his growth. In addition, another characteristic of adult rats is that the incense thread (navel) will start to secrete liquid, and there will also be turf wars and fights. Please separate the rats from the mice at this time. In addition, male rats are in a state of wanting to have sex every day after they start estrus, that is, they may get pregnant at any time. If they don't want to get pregnant, they should separate immediately.

. Mother mouse.

It is difficult to tell whether a female rat is an adult rat from its appearance, but when it grows up, it will begin to produce a secretion, which has a special smell (the smell of a golden female rat is heavier and easy to find) and is secreted by the genitals. In addition, female rats will also have menstruation, but only a small amount, which will not make people feel it. Therefore, if you find bleeding in the buttocks or genitals of the female mouse, you must check it immediately. It may be just a minor injury, or it may be a uterine disease or rectocele. ! Remember ~

. It's important to know about upbringing.

Although being a grandma and grandpa mouse has a great sense of accomplishment, you need to consider whether you have money, time and space to raise a baby mouse. Please think twice before you act.

. Males and females must be of the same breed.

That is to say, Kampei → Kampei, Jiaka → Jiaka, etc. Rats and mice of different species can cause dystocia or mouse deformity. Please find out the species of rats before raising them.

. No close relative can compare.

In other words, brothers and sisters or cousins can't match, or they will give birth to deformed or genetically defective mice.

. Whether there are hereditary diseases in rats and mice.

Like diabetes. Rats may inherit their parents' diseases instead of 100%. But the probability is very high, it is best not to let mice with genetic diseases have children.

. Is the mouse pregnant?

Generally speaking, female mice are round. If the mouse is fat, it is really hard to tell whether she is pregnant or not.

1. Female rats strongly resisted male rats.

The female rat desperately resisted the male rat, refused to let the male rat approach, and even screamed and fled or attacked the male rat when the male rat approached. Attention should be paid at this time, the female mouse may be pregnant, and the male mouse should be isolated immediately! !

2. The mother mouse has a bulge on her abdomen.

Touch the mother mouse's abdomen. If she feels small bumps and runs around, it means that the mother mouse has a baby. But this will not be detected until the middle and late pregnancy. Remember that you can only "touch". If the force is too strong, it may cause the mother mouse to abort or hurt the mouse! ! ! !

The mother mouse is shaped like a pear.

Pay attention to the body shape of the mother mouse. Her abdomen is particularly round, not chubby, but round that looks very strong. "Also, it should be noted that if the female rat's body shape has become like a western pear (the lower abdomen is particularly round), the female rat is likely to give birth soon. Be especially careful, be sure to isolate the male rats! !

. Need to know before and after production.

Feeding children is very hard work. What the owner can do is to provide a good and suitable environment for the mother mouse to give birth with peace of mind.

1. Male rats must be isolated.

Before delivery: Male rats will cause mental stress in female rats, which may lead to miscarriage in female rats.

After giving birth: Male rats will make female rats feel pressure, which may make female rats give up breeding or kill their own children. The most important thing is that the mother mouse can get pregnant again immediately after giving birth, but continuous pregnancy and childbirth will do great harm to the mother mouse, shorten the life span of the mother mouse and make the born mouse die easily. Don't be careless !

2. Nutritional supplements.

Prenatal and postpartum nutritional supplements are very important. Animal proteins such as breadworm, boiled protein and animal cheese can be properly ingested, so that the mother rats have enough physical strength to raise their babies before and after production.

3. Quiet environment.

The mother mouse must keep the environment quiet after giving birth to the baby. Don't peek at the mouse or disturb the mother mouse, otherwise it may cause the mother mouse to abandon or kill the child. When it is found that the mother mouse has given birth to the young mouse, please move the cage to a quiet and dark place first, and try not to put it in places where people come and go or near other mouse cages. If the weather is not hot, you can cover the cage with a piece of cloth, so that the mother mouse can have a more secure baby! ! After the mother mouse gives birth, don't rush to change the sawdust, just wait patiently for the mouse to open its eyes. At this time, what the owner can do is to reassure the mother mouse and put clean and sufficient feed and water quietly every day without disturbing the mother mouse. Everything can be handled with disposable chopsticks at this time! Avoid direct contact with mice or things around them.

4. The mouse was left halfway.

Some careless mothers will forget to bring the little mouse home when they move. The little mouse may get lost and find her mother, because she is afraid that the little mouse will catch a cold if she leaves her mother for too long, so she must find a way to send it back to her mother. Don't rush to "catch" the mouse back to mom, lest the mouse smell you and mom deny him. First, observe whether the mother mouse has really forgotten this mouse. If the mother mouse hasn't brought the mouse back after a while, remember to roll the mouse back to the mother mouse with sanitary chopsticks or bring the mouse back to the mother mouse with a spoon. Remember not to catch the mouse directly with your hands! !

. The growth process of mice.

The growth rate of mice is amazing, and there are different changes every day, but don't disturb the mother mice just for observation.

1. Just born.

Newborn mice are all red, except for some black places where they can't see the coat color and eyes (red-eyed mice can't see the color of their eyes), and their ears haven't grown out yet. At this time, the mouse can't see or hear, just like a moving bright red meat ball.

2. One week after birth.

A week after birth, the mouse still can't see or hear, but at this time, the mouse has fetal hair, and it can be seen that it looks like father or mother.

3. Two weeks after birth.

Two weeks after birth, the coat color of the mouse will be more obvious, and a small crack will appear in the ear at this time, which is a sign that the mouse's ear begins to grow. At this time, the mouse can hear some sounds, and its eyes will open slowly (depending on the mouse, some mice's eyes are completely open at this time, and some are only half open). Two-week-old mice will also start to steal some biting feed, but at this time they still feed on breast milk.

Two-week-old mice are more active and often go out to explore by themselves, so they often see their mothers struggling to find their children everywhere.

4. Three weeks after birth.

Three weeks after birth, the mice completely imitate the mice, and because the teeth of the mice have grown up at this time, they often bite their mothers when sucking milk, so some mothers will start to be reluctant to breastfeed at this time, but because the three-week-old mice can basically eat by themselves, they don't have to worry too much if they don't breastfeed.

. One month after birth. A month-old mouse is about to start preparing to close its cage. If the young rats are not kept in cages, it may arouse the resentment of the female rats, and some female rats may even attack the rats.

Taking the mouse away from its mother looks miserable, but it is quite normal in essence. When the wild mouse grows up, the mother mouse will drive the mouse out of its nest and let it stand on its own feet. (* Remember to make some cereal and milk for the mouse when its mother is pregnant and just weaned. You can also eat this to increase nutrition. Remember, the original cereal and milk thicken in the microwave for 3 minutes. )

☆★ About the environment ★☆

. How to cool off the heat?

Rats wear thick fur coats all year round, so they are very sad in hot and humid summer. Yun doesn't like to let mice blow cold air (even occasionally), because it will reduce the heat resistance of mice, and even people will get cold air disease, let alone mice! ! There are many ways to help mice cool off summer heat, and several are put forward for your reference.

1. Replace the mouse room with a ceramic room, where mice can enjoy the cool and sleep.

2. Reduce the indoor temperature, open the doors and windows to increase convection, and turn on the electric fan to circulate the air.

3. Put less sawdust, just put a thin layer.

Take Bote's bottled water to the freezer and put it outside the rat cage. Remember to be careful not to let water fall into the cage. Frozen bottled water gives off cold air, which can make mice feel cool.

Take a small glass bottle with cold water and put it in the cage, so that the bottle will be cold and the mouse can rely on it to dissipate heat. The reason why the glass bottle is used is that it won't be bitten by mice if it leaks, and the glass bottle has the function of driving away the cold.

6. Put a stone or tile in the cage, and the mouse will sleep on it to enjoy the cool, but when choosing a stone or tile, pay attention to whether the edge is too sharp and cause harm to the mouse.

. How to keep warm?

1. Use a plastic house instead of a mouse house, and you can use a napkin tube instead.

2. Move the squirrel cage to a place where the cold wind can't blow.

3. put more sawdust, about 3-5 cm thick.

You can put a napkin, and the mouse will make a warm bed to sleep in.

When the weather is really cold, you can cover the mouse cage with a piece of cloth to keep out the cold wind, but be careful not to cover it too tightly so as not to suffocate the mouse.

. New here, cultivate feelings.

I think every rat friend has his own way to get rats, and Shishi just provided some experiences for everyone to share.

At the beginning, Yun will put the new mice in the observation cage for a week, on the one hand, let them adapt to the smell, sound and temperature of Yun's house, on the other hand, you can also use this time to train the mice to go to the mouse toilet (please refer to the mouse toilet for training methods) and let them get used to interacting with me. It is important to remember to call the mouse's name all the time, so that the mouse can respond to the name.

Steps to cultivate feelings:

. Rest.

When the mouse comes home on the first day, don't be too eager to play with him, because the mouse will be nervous when he first arrives in a new environment, so let the mouse take a day off first.

. habit From the next day, feed the mice regularly every day, so that the mice can get used to your hands and taste quickly. The way to feed is to put the feed in the palm of your hand, put your hand into the cage quietly and stop, let the mouse approach slowly, and don't disturb him when the mouse is eating, otherwise he will be wary of your hand. At first, the mouse may not come near at all, or run away immediately after eating, so don't worry, take your time! !

. Close.

After a week, the mouse has adapted to the environment, so it can be replaced with a big cage. At this time, I think the mouse should be used to taking things from your hand (a bolder mouse may dare to climb up), or try to make the mouse eat in his hand (that is, hold the mouse with your palm and let it eat in it, but be careful not to let the mouse fall). You can call it softly while eating. !

. know each other

Get the mouse used to the way you call him. For example, before the cloud wants to carry the mouse out, it will knock on the cage door, call the mouse's name, let the mouse go to the cage door, smell me, and then carry him out. The owner should also know the ways that mice like and hate. For example, there is a mouse in Jiayun. If you want to hug him without calling him to the door first, he will definitely bite first, but it will be sweeter to be with the other party after the mouse and the owner can understand and trust each other (as if talking about the relationship between men and women).

. Interact more and build feelings.

Once the mouse recognizes you, it will be dead set.

I often see people asking again in major forums, why did the mouse and mouse bite me? In fact, it is normal for a mouse to bite, because you are a huge unknown object to him, so he must take precautions for his own safety, and the only weapon of a mouse is small and pointed teeth.

So don't be sad and angry because of being bitten by a mouse, and don't give it away or abandon it. It takes time for people to understand each other, not to mention that mice and mice like to eat what they have. The best food for mice, such as melon seeds, peanuts and breadworms, is usually fed to mice, which will make them swim in the street (be careful not to let them fall off).

. Nursing care of rats in 2008.

It takes a lot of thought to take care of mice. Rats can live longer if they are taken good care of.

The average life span of rats and mice is about two years old, so rats and mice over one and a half years old are considered rats and mice. The situation of rats and mice getting out of trouble is that their physical strength is obviously worse, and they spend most of their time sleeping, stumbling, walking stagger, biting hard objects and so on. So they should pay more attention to care! !

1. Pay special attention to heatstroke prevention and warmth, because the adaptability of rats to the environment is getting worse and worse, so pay special attention in summer and winter.

2. Rats' teeth will get weaker and weaker, and they can't bite the whole grain and sunflower seeds, so their food needs to be specially made. Shishi will help mice with bad teeth prepare star feed+experimental mouse feed to grind food and soak it in milk to make them eat better. She will also cut sunflower seeds and peanuts into pieces for mice to eat, and occasionally feed some nutrition, so that nutrition is enough. If the mouse's teeth are still healthy, there is no need to prepare special feed for him, just provide the mouse with more nutritious things, but the owner should carefully observe the eating situation of the mouse and slowly adjust and improve it to the best.

3. Because rats are not physically strong, it is best to put all the facilities in the cage on a flat surface (for example. To prevent mice from climbing up and down.

What mice need most is more love, care and patience from their owners! !

Species of rats and mice

Old man (Roborovski hamster):

Body length: 4-5cm

Weight: 40k

Origin: Mongolia, Heilongjiang

Hamster is the smallest, with yellowish fur, white beard and eyebrows, round ears, and feels like grandpa, so it is called grandpa, and its life span is about 3 years. Current price: 30-60 yuan.

However, most of the products on the market are impure, and the pure ones should be 2-300 yuan.

Three-line wild color, commonly known as three-line (three-line Giaccaglia Djungarian hamster):

Body length: 8- 1 1cm.

Weight: 30-45k

Origin: Siberia

Hamster, the most common breed, is non-biting, docile and cheap, which is most suitable for initial feeding. Current price: 15-25 yuan

Silver Fox (Giaccaglia Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster):

Body length: 8- 1 1cm.

Weight: 30-45k

Origin: Siberia

Generally, it is divided into silver foxes with wild color genes, that is, the black provisions on the back are more obvious.

The silver fox with purple warehouse gene is that the provisions on its back are not obvious, even all white.

If the silver fox and the silver fox mate directly, the reproduction rate is extremely low. Current price is 40-80 yuan.

Sub-warehouse (third-line Giaccaglia Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster):

Body length: 8- 1 1cm.

Weight: 30-45k

Origin: artificial cultivation

The coat color is a little lighter than the wild third line, some can see stripes, some stripes are very light, and the whole is gray, a bit like a mouse at home, hehe. Current price: 40-60 yuan.

Winter white (three-line Giaccaglia dwarf winter Belarusian hamster):

In winter, with the sunshine, half of the wild tricolor will turn white, close to the silver fox color.

So it is called Dongbai, and the current price is 30- 100 yuan.

Pudding (three-line Giaccaglia dwarf winter white Russian hamster):

Body length: 8- 1 1cm.

Weight: 30-45k

Origin: artificial cultivation

Yellow pudding is the color of pudding, and white pudding is milky white. The stripes on the back are orange or gold. Pudding and silver fox can breed golden fox, but in my opinion, golden fox and white pudding are the same thing, so the price is higher. Current price 120-250 yuan.

The wild color of a line, commonly known as a line (Campbell pygmy Campbell Russian hamster);

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

Everyone thinks it is the most violent hamster, but according to my breeding experience, I can live in harmony with my master after a long time, and I don't bite. It is very cute. The lowest price, current price: 5- 10 yuan.

Snowball (Campbell Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster):

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

Much like a mouse, except for its long tail and red eyes. Current price: 5-20 yuan.

White bear (Campbell dwarf Campbell Russian hamster):

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

Many people mistake their own silver fox for a white bear. Current price 5-20 yuan.

In fact, there are two differences between them:

1, the eyes of the white bear are dark red, and the silver fox is black.

The nose of white bear is shorter than that of silver fox.

Black bear (Campbell dwarf Campbell Russian hamster):

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

As the name implies, compared with white bears, black bears are all black.

Amber (Campbell Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster):

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

Amber with body color between khaki and brownish yellow, and red eyes. The current price is 5- 10 yuan.

Live (first-line Campbell Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster):

Body length: 10- 12cm

Weight: 20-50k

Origin: Central Asia, Mongolia,

Life: 1 .5-2 years.

It is the most brilliant variety in the first line. The white and amber body is called amber mottle, sometimes it is also called mottle. The eyes are red and the body is white and black. It's called panda or cow, with red eyes and black eyes. The current price is 5- 10 yuan.

Golden bear (Syrian hamster):

Size: 15-20cm Tail length: 5cm

Weight: 200k

Origin: Iran, Pakistan and other places

There are also different kinds of golden mice, some with long hair and some with short hair.

Hamsters are the largest in number and size.

Jerboa (jerboa)

Body length: 20cm, tail length: 20cm.

Origin: Southwest Africa

Eating habits: botanical

I feel like a miniature kangaroo, and my hind legs often jump. It has several tufts of black hair at the tip of its tail.

In addition, there are varieties with hairless tails or smaller bodies.

In areas with dry breathing, you can't stand humidity and high temperature, so choose cages with good ventilation.

Besides, they often jump, so they need bigger cages.

The import quantity is small, which is hard to see in the market.