Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster (''Mesocricetus auratus''), which is the type most commonly kept as pets. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster (''Phodopus campbelli''), the winter white dwarf hamster (''Phodopus sungorus'') and the Roborovski hamster (''Phodopus roborovskii''). Hamsters are more

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...

than

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

and, in the wild, remain underground during the day to avoid being caught by predators. They feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects. Physically, they are stout-bodied with distinguishing features that include elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders, which they use to carry food back to their

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s, as well as a short tail and fur-covered feet.

Classification

Pearl Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster - Front

Taxonomists generally disagree about the most appropriate placement of the subfamily Cricetinae within the superfamily Muroidea. Some place it in a family Cricetidae that also includes voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice; others group all these into a large family called

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae come ...

. Their evolutionary history is recorded by 15 extinct fossil genera and extends back 11.2 million to 16.4 million years to the Middle Miocene Epoch in Europe and North Africa; in Asia it extends 6 million to 11 million years. Four of the seven living genera include extinct species. One extinct hamster of '' Cricetus'', for example, lived in North Africa during the Middle Miocene, but the only extant member of that genus is the European or common hamster of Eurasia. *Subfamily Cricetinae **Genus '' Allocricetulus'' ***Species ''A. curtatus''—Mongolian hamster ***Species ''A. eversmanni''—Eversmann's or Kazakh hamster **Genus ''

Cansumys The Gansu hamster (''Cansumys canus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, endemic to China. It is the only species in the genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, ...

'' ***Species ''C. canus''—Gansu hamster **Genus ''

Cricetulus ''Cricetulus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae (voles and hamsters); it has seven member species that inhabit arid or semi-arid regions in Eurasia. They tend to be more ratlike in appearance than typical hamsters, hence the commo ...

'' ***Species ''C. alticola''—Tibetan dwarf or Ladak hamster ***Species ''C. barabensis'', including "''C. pseudogriseus''" and "''C. obscurus''"—Chinese striped hamster, also called Chinese hamster; striped dwarf hamster ***Species ''C. griseus''—Chinese (dwarf) hamster, also called rat hamster ***Species ''C. kamensis''—Kam dwarf hamster or Tibetan hamster ***Species ''C. longicaudatus''—long-tailed dwarf hamster ***Species ''C. migratorius''—grey dwarf hamster, Armenian hamster, migratory grey hamster; grey hamster; migratory hamster ***Species ''C. sokolovi''—Sokolov's dwarf hamster **Genus '' Cricetus'' ***Species ''C. cricetus''—European hamster, also called common hamster or black-bellied field hamster **Genus '' Mesocricetus''—golden hamsters ***Species ''M. auratus''—golden or Syrian hamster ***Species ''M. brandti''—Turkish hamster, also called

Brandt Brandt may refer to: Places United States * Brandt, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Brandt, South Dakota, a town * Brandt Township, Polk County, Minnesota Elsewhere * Mount Brandt, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica * Brandt Cove, South Georgia Is ...

's hamster; Azerbaijani hamster ***Species ''M. newtoni''—Romanian hamster ***Species ''M. raddei''—Ciscaucasian hamster **Genus '' Phodopus''—dwarf hamsters ***Species ''P. campbelli''—Campbell's dwarf hamster ***Species ''P. roborovskii''—Roborovski hamster ***Species ''P. sungorus''—Djungarian hamster or winter-white Russian dwarf hamster **Genus '' Tscherskia'' ***Species ''T. triton''—greater long-tailed hamster, also called Korean hamster

Relationships among hamster species

Neumann ''et al.'' (2006) conducted a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

analysis of 12 of the above 17 species using

DNA sequence DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

from three genes:

12S rRNA Mitochondrially encoded 12S ribosomal RNA (often abbreviated as 12S or 12S rRNA), also known as Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c or Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c is the SSU rRNA of the mitochondrial ribosome. In humans, ...

, cytochrome b, and von Willebrand factor. They uncovered the following relationships: ;''Phodopus'' group The genus ''Phodopus'' was found to represent the earliest split among hamsters. Their analysis included both species. The results of another study suggest ''Cricetulus kamensis'' (and presumably the related ''C. alticola'') might belong to either this ''Phodopus'' group or hold a similar basal position. ;''Mesocricetus'' group The genus ''Mesocricetus'' also forms a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

. Their analysis included all four species, with ''M. auratus'' and ''M. raddei'' forming one subclade and ''M. brandti'' and ''M. newtoni'' another. ;Remaining genera The remaining genera of hamsters formed a third major clade. Two of the three sampled species within ''Cricetulus'' represent the earliest split. This clade contains ''C. barabensis'' (and presumably the related ''C. sokolovi'') and ''C. longicaudatus''. ;Miscellaneous The remaining clade contains members of ''Allocricetulus'', ''Tscherskia'', ''Cricetus'', and ''C. migratorius''. ''Allocricetulus'' and ''Cricetus'' were sister taxa. ''Cricetulus migratorius'' was their next closest relative, and ''Tscherskia'' was basal.

History

Although the Syrian hamster or golden hamster (''Mesocricetus auratus'') was first described scientifically by George Robert Waterhouse in 1839, researchers were not able to successfully breed and domesticate hamsters until 1939.Barrie, Anmarie. 1995. Hamsters as a New Pet. T.F.H. Publications Inc., NJ . The entire laboratory and pet populations of Syrian hamsters appear to be descendants of a single brother–sister pairing. These littermates were captured and imported in 1930 from Aleppo in Syria by Israel Aharoni, a zoologist of the University of Jerusalem.Fritzsche, Peter. 2008. Hamsters: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual. Barron's Educational Series Inc., NY . In Jerusalem, the hamsters bred very successfully. Years later, animals of this original breeding colony were exported to the United States, where Syrian hamsters became a common pet and laboratory animal. Comparative studies of domestic and wild Syrian hamsters have shown reduced genetic variability in the domestic strain. However, the differences in behavioral, chronobiological, morphometrical, hematological, and biochemical parameters are relatively small and fall into the expected range of interstrain variations in other laboratory animals.Kuhnen, G. (2002). Comfortable quarters for hamsters in research institutions. In "Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals" Eds V. Reinhardt and A. Reinhardt. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington DC. pp.33-37

Etymology

The name "hamster" is a loanword from the German, which itself derives from earlier Middle High German ''hamastra''. It is possibly related to

Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language. Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with Standard language, standardizing the lan ...

''khomestoru'', which is either a blend of the root of Russian хомяк (''khomyak'') "hamster" and a Baltic word (cf.

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

''staras'' "hamster"); or of Persian origin (cf. Av ''hamaēstar'' "oppressor"). The collective noun for a group of hamsters is "horde". In German, the verb "hamstern" is derived from "Hamster". It means " Hoarding".

Description

Die vergleichende Osteologie (1821) Cricetus cricetus

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 ''

'', the Chinese striped hamster (''C. barabensis'') and the

Chinese hamster The Chinese hamster (''Cricetulus griseus'' or ''Cricetulus barabensis griseus'') is a rodent in the genus '' Cricetulus'' of the subfamily Cricetidae that originated in the deserts of northern China and Mongolia. They are distinguished by an unco ...

(''C. griseus'') have a dark stripe down their heads to their tails. The species of genus ''Phodopus'' are the smallest, with bodies long; the largest is the

European hamster The European hamster (''Cricetus cricetus''), also known as the Eurasian hamster, black-bellied hamster or common hamster, is the only species of hamster in the genus ''Cricetus''. It is native to grassland and similar habitats in a large part ...

(''Cricetus cricetus''), measuring up to long, not including a short tail of up to . The hamster tail can be difficult to see, as it is usually not very long (about the length of the body), with the exception of the

, 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, however their bones are somewhat fragile. They are extremely susceptible to rapid temperature changes and drafts, as well as extreme heat or cold.

Senses

Hamsters have poor eyesight; they are nearsighted and colorblind. Their eyesight leads to them not having a good sense of distance or knowing where they are. Even though their eyesight isn't good it doesn't stop a hamster from climbing their cages or even from them being adventurous. Hamsters can sense movement around at all times. This sense helps them protect themselves from harm in the wild but in a household situation it helps them sense when their owner may be near and might be going to pick them up. Hamsters have

scent glands Scent gland are exocrine glands found in most mammals. They produce semi-viscous secretions which contain pheromones and other semiochemical compounds. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status, territorial marking, mood, and sexu ...

on their flanks (and abdomens in Chinese and dwarf hamsters) which they rub against the substrate, leaving a scent trail. Hamsters also use their sense of smell to distinguish between the sexes, and to locate food. Mother hamsters can also use their sense of smell to find their own babies and find out which ones aren't theirs. The scent glands can also be used to mark their territories, their babies, or their mate. Hamsters catch sounds by having their ears upright. They tend to learn similar noises and begin to know the sound of their food and even their owner's voice. They are also particularly sensitive to high-pitched noises and can hear and communicate in the ultrasonic range.

Diet

Hamsters are omnivores, which means they can eat meat and vegetables. Hamsters that live in the wild eat seeds, grass, and even insects. Although pet hamsters can survive on a diet of exclusively commercial hamster food, other items, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be given. Although store-bought food is good for hamsters, it is best if fruits and vegetables are also in their diet because it keeps them healthier. Even though hamsters are allowed to have both fruits and vegetables, it is important to understand exactly which ones they can have and how much. Hamsters do best with fruits that don't have citrus in them and most green leafy vegetables. Hamsters should never be fed junk food, chocolate, garlic, or any salty/sugary foods. Hamsters tend to love peanut butter but it is important to feed it to them carefully because this sticky food can get stuck in their cheeks. Hamsters in the Middle East have been known to hunt in packs to find insects for food."hamster." Encyclopædia Britannica. Standard Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007. Hamsters are

hindgut fermenters Hindgut fermentation is a digestive process seen in monogastric herbivores, animals with a simple, single-chambered stomach. Cellulose is digested with the aid of symbiotic bacteria.coprophagy) to recover nutrients digested in the hind-gut, but not absorbed.

Behavior

Cream-colored long-hair pet Syrian hamster with banana

Feeding

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. Hamsters lose weight during the autumn months in anticipation of winter. This occurs even when hamsters are kept as pets and is related to an increase in exercise.

Social behavior

Most hamsters are strictly solitary. If housed together, acute and chronic stress may occur, and they may fight fiercely, sometimes fatally. Dwarf hamster species may tolerate siblings or same-gender unrelated hamsters if introduced at an early enough age, but this cannot be guaranteed. Hamsters communicate through body language to one another and even to their owner. They communicate by sending a specific scent using their scent glands and also show body language to express how they are feeling.

Chronobiology

Hamsters can be described as

(active mostly at dawn and dusk). Khunen writes, "Hamsters are nocturnal rodents who are active during the night...", but others have written that because hamsters live underground during most of the day, only leaving their burrows for about an hour before sundown and then returning when it gets dark, their behavior is primarily crepuscular. Fritzsche indicated although some species have been observed to show more nocturnal activity than others, they are all primarily crepuscular. In the wild Syrian hamsters can

hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

and allow their body temperature to fall close to ambient temperature. This kind of thermoregulation diminishes the metabolic rate to about 5% and helps the animal to considerably reduce the need for food during the winter. Hibernation can last up to one week but more commonly last 2–3 days. When kept as house pets the Syrian hamster does not hibernate.

Burrowing behavior

All hamsters are excellent diggers, constructing burrows with one or more entrances, with galleries connected to chambers for nesting, food storage, and other activities. They use their fore- and hindlegs, as well as their snouts and teeth, for digging. In the wild, the burrow buffers extreme ambient temperatures, offers relatively stable climatic conditions, and protects against predators. Syrian hamsters dig their burrows generally at a depth of 0.7 m. A burrow includes a steep entrance pipe (4–5 cm in diameter), a nesting and a hoarding chamber and a blind-ending branch for urination. Laboratory hamsters have not lost their ability to dig burrows; in fact, they will do this with great vigor and skill if they are provided with the appropriate substrate. Wild hamsters will also appropriate tunnels made by other mammals; the Djungarian hamster, for instance, uses paths and burrows of the pika.

Reproduction

Fertility

Hamsters become

fertile Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertilit ...

at different ages depending on their species. Both Syrian and Russian hamsters mature quickly and can begin reproducing at a young age (4–5 weeks), whereas Chinese hamsters will usually begin reproducing at two to three months of age, and Roborovskis at three to four months of age. The female's reproductive life lasts about 18 months, but male hamsters remain fertile much longer. Females are in estrus about every four days, which is indicated by a reddening of genital areas, a musky smell, and a hissing, squeaking vocalisation she will emit if she believes a male is nearby. When seen from above, a sexually mature female hamster has a trim tail line; a male's tail line bulges on both sides. This might not be very visible in all species. Male hamsters typically have very large testes in relation to their body size. Before sexual maturity occurs, it is more difficult to determine a young hamster's sex. When examined, female hamsters have their anal and genital openings close together, whereas males have these two holes farther apart (the penis is usually withdrawn into the coat and thus appears as a hole or pink pimple).

Gestation and fecundity

Syrian hamsters are seasonal breeders and will produce several litters a year with several pups in each litter. The breeding season is from April to October in the Northern Hemisphere, with two to five litters of one to 13 young being born after a gestation period of 16 to 23 days. Dwarf hamsters breed all through the year. Gestation lasts 16 to 18 days for Syrian hamsters, 18 to 21 days for Russian hamsters, 21 to 23 days for Chinese hamsters and 23 to 30 for Roborovski hamsters. The average litter size for Syrian hamsters is about seven pups, but can be as great as 24, which is the maximum number of pups that can be contained in the uterus. Campbell's dwarf hamsters tend to have four to eight pups in a litter, but can have up to 13. Winter white hamsters tend to have slightly smaller litters, as do Chinese and Roborovski hamsters.

Intersexual aggression and cannibalism

Female Chinese and Syrian hamsters are known for being aggressive toward males if kept together for too long after mating. In some cases, male hamsters can die after being attacked by a female. If breeding hamsters, separation of the pair after mating is recommended, or they will attack each other. Female hamsters are also particularly sensitive to disturbances while giving birth, and may even eat their own young if they think they are in danger, although sometimes they are just carrying the pups in their cheek pouches. If captive female hamsters are left for extended periods (three weeks or more) with their litter, they may

cannibalize Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

the litter, so the litter must be removed by the time the young can feed and drink independently.

Weaning

Hamsters are born hairless and blind in a nest the mother will have prepared in advance. After one week, they begin to explore outside the nest. Hamsters are capable of producing litters every month. Hamsters can be bred after they are three weeks old. It may be hard for the babies to not rely on their mother for nursing during this time, so it is important that they are supplied with food to make the transition from nursing to eating on their own easier. After the hamsters reach three weeks of age they are considered mature.

Longevity

Syrian hamsters typically live no more than two to three years in captivity, and less in the wild. Russian hamsters (Campbell's and Djungarian) live about two to four years in captivity, and Chinese hamsters –3 years. The smaller Roborovski hamster often lives to three years in captivity.

Society and culture

Hamsters as pets

The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster (''Mesocricetus auratus''), which is the type most commonly kept as pets. There are numerous

Syrian hamster variations Colours of the Syrian hamster can be described in three ways: as "self", "agouti" or "combinations". Self colours are a consistent coat colour with the same colour topcoat and undercoat. Agouti hamsters have a different, lighter undercoat and marki ...

including long-haired varieties and different colors. British zoologist Leonard Goodwin claimed most hamsters kept in the United Kingdom were descended from the colony he introduced for medical research purposes during the Second World War. Hamsters were domesticated and kept as pets in the United States at least as early as 1942. Syrian Hamster Cage

Other hamsters commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster. Campbell's dwarf hamster (''Phodopus campbelli'') is the most common—they are also sometimes called "Russian dwarfs"; however, many hamsters are from Russia, so this ambiguous name does not distinguish them from other species appropriately. The coat of the winter white dwarf hamster (''Phodopus sungorus'') turns almost white during winter (when the hours of daylight decrease). The Roborovski hamster (''Phodopus roborovskii'') is extremely small and fast, making it difficult to keep as a pet.

Hamster shows

A hamster show is an event in which people gather hamsters to judge them against each other. Hamster shows are also places where people share their enthusiasm for hamsters among attendees. Hamster shows feature an exhibition of the hamsters participating in the judging. The judging of hamsters usually includes a goal of promoting hamsters which conform to natural or established varieties of hamsters. By awarding hamsters which match standard hamster types, hamster shows encourage planned and careful hamster breeding.

Owner activism

When the first reported case of animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong took place via imported pet hamsters, researchers expressed difficulty in identifying some of the viral mutations within a global genomic data bank, leading city authorities to announce a mass cull of all hamsters purchased after December 22, 2021, which would affect roughly 2,000 animals. After the government 'strongly encouraged' citizens to turn in their pets, approximately 3,000 people joined underground activities to promote the adoption of abandoned hamsters throughout the city and to maintain pet ownership via methods such as the forgery of pet store purchase receipts. Some activists attempted to intercept owners who were on their way to turn in pet hamsters and encourage them to choose adoption instead, which the government subsequently warned would be subject to police action.

Hamsters as lab animals

The extracted cells of babies' kidneys and adults' ovaries are used to study cholesterol synthesis.

Similar animals

Some similar rodents sometimes called "hamsters" are not currently classified in the hamster subfamily Cricetinae. These include the maned hamster, or crested hamster, which is really the maned rat (''Lophiomys imhausi''). Others are the mouse-like hamsters (''Calomyscus'' spp.), and the white-tailed rat (''Mystromys albicaudatus'').

References

External links

National Hamster Council (UK)
{{Authority control Cricetidae Articles containing video clips Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim