Chinese hamster
Body length: 10cm-12cm (82mm-127mm)
Tail length: 20mm-33mm
Weight at birth: 1.7g
Adult weight: 30g-45g
Lifespan: 2yrs-4yrs
Sexually mature: 5weeks
Gestation period: 18-21days
Litter size: 2-7pups
Time for pups to develop fur coat: 5days
Characteristics: Long, thin, long tail, vicious temperament, handled easily, calm, gentle, highly territorial, prone to diabetes, fast, good natured, rarely nip, active
Tail length: 20mm-33mm
Weight at birth: 1.7g
Adult weight: 30g-45g
Lifespan: 2yrs-4yrs
Sexually mature: 5weeks
Gestation period: 18-21days
Litter size: 2-7pups
Time for pups to develop fur coat: 5days
Characteristics: Long, thin, long tail, vicious temperament, handled easily, calm, gentle, highly territorial, prone to diabetes, fast, good natured, rarely nip, active
Chinese hamster as a pet
- One of their endearing traits is that of clinging to a finger with all 4 paws
- Nervous as youngsters
- The Chinese hamster is not the same as the Chinese striped hamster, they are two different species
- Can be kept in single sex or breeding pair groups
- Not suitable for young children
- Male Chinese hamsters often live happily in pairs or groups, but the females can be intolerant of each other and may be better living individually.
- Best suited to plastic cages & tanks due to their small size
- Need places to hide in in their cage as they are nervous in wide open spaces
Breeding
Females can be highly aggressive to males, causing them serious injuries. Here are some ways to get around this:
Once the female is pregnant she can become highly aggressive to the male. If the hamster owner wants to try and keep the breeding pair together, then plenty of hiding places should be provided so that the male can get out of the way of his mate.
After giving birth, the female will come into season again a few hours after birth, so if another litter is not wanted the male should be removed before the birth.
The male pups should be separated from their mother and sisters at about three and a half to four weeks old. The female pups can stay with their mothers until they are found new homes.
- Introduce a male and female pup to each other by the time that they are 5 weeks old, and let them grow up together. A number of breeders have had considerable success using this method.
- Introduce a younger female to an older male. In this situation (doesn’t always work) the male will be dominant.
Once the female is pregnant she can become highly aggressive to the male. If the hamster owner wants to try and keep the breeding pair together, then plenty of hiding places should be provided so that the male can get out of the way of his mate.
After giving birth, the female will come into season again a few hours after birth, so if another litter is not wanted the male should be removed before the birth.
The male pups should be separated from their mother and sisters at about three and a half to four weeks old. The female pups can stay with their mothers until they are found new homes.
Color mutations
Only three known color mutations are found in Chinese hamsters:
- normal/wild type
- dominant spot
- black-eyed white.