Hamster World

It all began in 1930 with one mother and twelve young hamsters that a zoologist found in the Syrian Desert (situated in the Middle East to the north of Israel). Deep in a burrow eight feet underground he came upon a hamster mother and her litter. By the time he got his tiny family back to his laboratory in Jerusalem. All but three of them had died or escaped. These three, however, continued in excellent health and within four months the first litter of Golden Hamsters ever to be born in captivity was delivered.

As they matured, these babies were interbred, and as the tame hamsters multiplied they were used in research experiments. Soon they began to attract widespread attention in the scientific world. Because hamsters were so disease-free and bred so rapidly (they can have a new litter every month!) and because they were so friendly and easy to handle, they came to be highly regarded as laboratory animals and their fame spread throughout the world accordingly. They’re often used for cardio-vascular research, as their cardio-vascular system is remarkably similar to that of the human.

From Jerusalem, scientists took them to laboratories in France, England and, in 1938, to the United States. All present-day Golden Hamsters in captivity with the exception of a few brought back by travelers and military men are the descendants of that first tiny family found in Syria.

In Syria and other Middle Eastern countries where hamsters are common, the farmers do not only harvest their own fields, they dig into the hamsters’ granaries as well. In each burrow they find a storage bin which may hold anywhere between 30 and 60 pounds of grain which the hamsters have stored away for the winter.

Hamsters got their name from an old German word associated with storing food. (The word “hamper” comes from the same root.) One of the characteristics of the hamster, like many rodents, is to stuff their cheeks full of food, which is a hamster-like activity.

If your hamster is doing anything out of the ordinary that worries you – coughing, wheezing, shaking, developing sores or callouses, walking weird, or any other abnormal behaviour – see a vet immediately because he might be very ill and will need immediate assistance.

Wet Tail:

Wet Tail is a bacterial infection or an imbalance of the natural bacteria in the hamster’s stomach or intestine and is often confused with diarrhoea. Although a hamster with Wet Tail has diarrhoea, the diarrhoea is so severe that the hamster is wet and/or dirty not only around the anus but usually around the top of the tail as well. The diarrhoea is accompanied by a strong unpleasant smell. Droppings are pale in colour and extremely soft and may contain mucus. The hamster often walks hunched up, is weak and lethargic and may squeal in pain. Symptoms take 7 days to appear and the disease is often fatal with death occurring as early as 24 hours after the appearance of the symptoms. Therefore it is vital that veterinary treatment is sought immediately if a hamster shows symptoms of Wet Tail. Do not comletely rely on over-the-counter products such as Dry-Tail to treat Wet Tail as these are often not effective against severe cases of Wet Tail. These should only be used if it is not possible to get the hamster to a vet immediately and veterinary advice should still be sought at the earliest opportunity, but do ensure if you have used any over-the-counter product that you inform your vet when you visit.
Any equipment occupied or used by a hamster that has died from Wet Tail should be disinfected thoroughly with a disinfectant designed for small animal cages and left to stand for a few weeks before being used by another hamster.

Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was something wrong with one of the two hamsters he holds prisoner in his room.

“He’s just lying there looking sick,” he told me, “I’m serious, Dad. Can you help?”

I put my best hamster-healer look on my face and followed him into his bedroom. One of the little rodents was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do. (Call my wife.)

“Honey,” I called, “come look at the hamster!”

“Oh, my gosh,” my wife diagnosed after a minute.

“She’s having babies.”

“What?” My son demanded.

“But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!”

I was equally outraged.

“Hey, how can that be?! I thought we said we didn’t want them to reproduce!” I accused my wife.

“Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?!” She inquired. (I actually think she had the gall to say this sarcastically.)

“No, but you were supposed to get two boys!” I reminded her (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth together).

“Yeah, Bert and Ernie!” My son agreed.

“Well, it’s just a little hard to tell on some guys, ya know,” she informed me. (Again with the sarcasm, ya think?)

By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it.

“Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience,” I announced. “We’re about to witness the miracle of birth.”

“OH, Gross!” They shrieked.

“Well, isn’t THAT just great! What are we going to do with a litter of tiny little hamster babies?” My wife wanted to know. (I really do think she was being snotty here, too. Don’t you?)

We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later.

“We don’t appear to be making much progress,” I noted.

“It’s breech,” my wife whispered, horrified.

“Do something, Dad!” My son urged.

“Okay, okay.” Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gingerly tug. It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results.

“Should I call 911?” My eldest daughter wanted to know,”

Maybe they could talk us through the trauma.” (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)

“Let’s get Ernie to the vet,” I said grimly.

We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap.

“Breathe, Ernie, breathe,” he urged.

“I don’t think hamsters do Lamaze,” his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean what she does to ME is one thing, but this boy is of her womb.)

The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass.

“What do you think, Doc, a c-section?” I suggested scientifically. My son appeared impressed by my observation.

“Oh, very interesting,” he murmured.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?” I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.

“Is Ernie going to be okay?” My wife asked.

“Oh, perfectly,” the vet assured us.

“This hamster is not in labor. In fact, that isn’t EVER going to happen Ernie is a boy.”

“What?”

“You see, Ernie is a young male AND occasionally, as they come into maturity, like most male species, they um …. er … masturbate, just the way he did, lying on his back.”

He blushed, glancing at my wife. “Well, you know what I’m saying, Mr. Cameron.”

We were silent, absorbing this.

“So Ernie’s just … just … excited?”! My wife offered.

“Exactly,” the vet replied, relieved that we understood.

More silence. Then my vicious, cruel wife started to giggle. And laugh. And then even laugh loudly!

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness. Tears were now running down her face.

“It’s just … that … I’m picturing you pulling on its … its teeny little …” she gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more.

“That’s enough,” I warned.

We thanked the Veterinarian and hurriedly bundled the hamsters and our son back into the car. He was glad everything was going to be okay.

“I know Ernie’s really thankful for what you’ve done, Dad,” he told me.

“Oh, you have NO idea,” my wife agreed, once again collapsing into laughter.

Enough said.

3. A shady looking man walks into a bar and orders a drink.

The bartender says, “No way, pal. I don’t think you can pay for it.”

“You’re right,” the guy says. “I don’t have any money, but if I show you something you haven’t seen before, will you give me a drink?”

“You have a deal, my friend,” says the bartender.

The guy reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a hamster. He puts the hamster on the bar and it runs to the end of the bar, down the side of the bar, across the room, up the piano, onto the keyboard and starts playing classical music. The hamster can really play…

“You’re right… I’ve never seen anything like that before,” says the bartender. “That hamster is really gifted.”

The guy downs the drink and asks the bartender for another.

“Will that be cash or another miracle, pal?” asks the bartender.

“Watch this,” replies the guy.

Again, he reaches into his coat again and pulls out a frog. He puts the frog onto the bar, and the frog starts to sing. The frog has a marvelous voice and great pitch. A fine singer.

A stranger from the other end of the bar runs over to the guy and offers him £500 for the frog.

“It’s a deal,” says the guy. He takes the money and gives the stranger the frog. The stranger runs out of the bar.

“Are you some kind of nut?” asks the bartender. “You sold a singing frog for £500? It could have been worth millions. You must be crazy.”

“Not so,” says the guy. “The hamster is a ventriloquist.”

1.Where do hamsters come from?
Ans: Hamsterdam

2. What is white and brown and eats hamster food?
Ans: My hamster!

You may feed your hamster with the hamster foods found at pet stores but it is also alright to feed your hamster with fresh vegetables and fruits such as cabbages, carrots and apples. You may also buy chewing sticks for your hamster to balance their length of their teeth.

Most of the time when you put hamsters to live together, the would end up fighting. If that happens, separate the hamsters immediately. If any of the hamsters are injured, wash them in warm water without soap and dry them. After that, send them to a vet or let it cure by itself.

It is recomended for dwarf hamsters and any other small hamsters to live in a cage made specially for small hamsters but it is also alright for small hamsters to live in aquariums. Other hamsters may live in cages for hamsters.

Examples of the brands of hamster cages:
- Habitrail
- Rotastak
- King Fischer
- Critter Trail

Actually, it is not recommended to bathe your hamster but if you want to bathe it, you will have to be careful not to get water into it’s nose and ears. DO NOT bathe hamsters which are less than 5 months old. DO NOT bathe the hamster’s head.

Directions of how to bathe your hamster:

- put some warm water into the sink (or the place where you want to bathe your hamster) and make sure that it is not too full)

- put your hamster into the water and wet it ( DO NOT do this for too long)

- get some fragrance-free soap and rub it on your hamster’s body ( DO NOT put too much soap and only apply soap on the hamster’s body)

- rinse the hamster with the water for two times

- get new warm water and rinse the hamster two times with new water

- dry your hamster with a clean cloth by wrapping it in the cloth

- leave your hamster attended in a box or something else which it can’t climb out of it or run away under ths sun for 5 minutes (at this time, your hamster might be very scared so, give it some food to eat or a wheel to run on)

- Now, you are done!

OPTIONAL: You may dry your hamster by using a hairdryer. Leave your hamster attended in a box or something else which it can’t climb out of it or run away and start drying it. DO NOT put the hairdryer too near to the hamster as it might frighten it/ burn it/ make it move uneasily.

Most of the information below are from:

www.exoticpets.about.com

For more information about hamsters, please check out the website above.