[ad_1]
Do you have a pet at home? Well, if you still haven’t got one, among the best choices is the hamster. Hamsters come in different types. The larger species are the Syrian hamsters and the smaller ones are called dwarf hamsters. Before you pick a pet from a local breeder or pet shop, make sure that you gather enough information first about hamsters. That way, you will know how to care for her properly. There are facts and myths that you need to know prior to having a hamster as a pet; read on to find out.
The Facts
Dwarf hamsters are really cute and interesting. Did you know that you can manipulate the sex of the babies while the mother is still pregnant? If you prefer male hamsters, you will need to provide warmer temperatures but if you want to have more females, cooler temperatures are required.
Hamsters can be trained to recognize their names and they also remember their relatives! Now, this is really interesting because hamsters are animals and most animals don’t have that capability. You can prolong the life of dwarf hamsters to around four years if you keep them healthy and happy.
One way to extend the breeding season for the whole year is by providing light for 8 hours a day or longer. These creatures usually breed beginning in April and will continue until September but you can encourage breeding by providing the right amount of light. Never breed female hamsters until they’ve reached four months. Early breeding might lead to cannibalism or the female will not be responsible enough to care for the babies.
Breeding hamsters can be easy especially if you know what to do. Cannibalism can be a problem especially if the breeder keeps on handling the babies. You will feel at ease once the babies are more than one week because the mother will no longer eat them.
There is a continuous growth of the hamster’s teeth and by providing chew toys you can curb their need to chew. If you notice them chewing on the cage, you can give them dog biscuits. Another problem is with the toe nails. If you want, you can customize the wheel by putting fine-grain sandpaper. By doing so, the nails of the hamster will be trimmed as she runs for miles and miles.
The Myths
A very common myth is that the pet cage that usually comes from the pet store will already serve as a good home for your pet. This is not true because hamsters require a much bigger space. In fact, the bigger the cage, the better.
Mother hamsters always eat their young. This is not true and although there are cases of eaten babies, this only happens when the breeder keeps on holding the babies while they are still very young. One way to prevent cannibalism is to provide enough privacy for the mother and the baby hamsters.
These are the facts and myths that you should know. With this info in your hands, you can now take good care of your pet.
[ad_2]
Source by Marc Stonebright