Hamster life expectancy

How long does a hamster live? The life expectancy of a hamster can vary according to breed, habitat and lifestyle, hamster life expectancy. Are you willing to breed a hamster, but before you get too attached to him, you want to know how long he can live?

Hamsters make wonderful pets, especially for children, but the downside to having these furry friends as playmates is that they have quite a short life expectancy. Most pet hamsters only tend to live between 1. Surprisingly wild hamsters can live for longer. The European hamster, for example, can live for up to 8 years. However they have a shorter average life expectancy than pet hamsters as their young are often killed by predators.

Hamster life expectancy

Hamsters can make great family pets—as long as you keep a few things in mind. At birth, they are blind and deaf with no fur. At five days, they start to grow fur. At two weeks, they open their eyes. Generally, hamsters stay with their mothers until they are 21 to 28 days old. Hamsters reach sexual maturity at approximately weeks of age. Ideally, they should not be bred until they are at least weeks of age or weigh between grams. Gestation periods are quite short, at days. By about 14 months of age, hamsters are no longer able to breed. On average, hamsters live about months, with the Syrian hamster breed more likely to live longer than dwarf varieties. Any hamster that is a year and a half old is considered elderly. Like many other animals, domesticated hamsters live longer than their wild cousins. In the wild, hamsters are targeted by predators including owls and foxes. Their lifespans are also affected by environmental conditions and fighting with other hamsters.

These factors have made it harder to get good data on their overall health until now. What to feed hamsters.

Published: 23 Jun Last Updated: 23 Jun The average lifespan of pet hamsters was 1. Hamsters are popular pets worldwide, often being the first pet that a child will own as their own. Despite this popularity, there has been very little research into the health issues of these beloved rodents kept as pets to date. Often purchased by parents as short-commitment pets, hamsters are brought to the vets less frequently than other companion animals such as cats and dogs. These factors have made it harder to get good data on their overall health until now. Previously, owners and vets largely had to rely on personal experience, small research studies and anecdotal reports.

Hamsters are endearing little pets, but their sadly short lifespans compared to cats and dogs often deter potential owners. Just how long do these pocket-sized rodents live? The average hamster lifespan runs between years generally but varies across popular hamster types kept as pets. Read on for a breakdown! These are the expected lifespan ranges for common domestic hamster species:. Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamsters — 1. Winter White Russian Hamsters — 1. Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters — 2 to 3 years average lifespan making them the longest lived species.

Hamster life expectancy

Hamsters make wonderful pets, especially for children, but the downside to having these furry friends as playmates is that they have quite a short life expectancy. Most pet hamsters only tend to live between 1. Surprisingly wild hamsters can live for longer. The European hamster, for example, can live for up to 8 years. However they have a shorter average life expectancy than pet hamsters as their young are often killed by predators. Fortunately they have a very high reproduction rate, which helps them survive. Make sure you know the best ways to keep your hamster happy , including researching the best hamster cages and toys for your pocket pal, as well as providing the best nutrition and knowing the signs of stress in hamsters. Wild hamsters tend to live longer than pet hamsters if they manage to escape their predators. The Syrian hamster, for example, generally lives between years, but can live longer in captivity.

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Syrian hamsters can make fantastic companions. Substrate: A good substrate is very important to soak up urine and protect their feet. Average life expectancy per species. The life expectancy of a hamster can vary according to breed, habitat and lifestyle. Several types of cages are excellent habitats for your furry friend. Sign up for weekly pet health tips and insights from our veterinarians. Exercise is essential, let your hamster have a supervised run around indoors as often as possible. References Brown, Susan. The average lifespan of pet hamsters was 1. You can check your hamster is happy with the temperature and humidity by making sure they are not sweating, shivering or finding it hard to breathe, losing their energy or appetite or drinking more than usual. On average, hamsters live about months, with the Syrian hamster breed more likely to live longer than dwarf varieties. Email Address. Do provide them with a suitable wheel or spinning disk so that they can run freely in their enclosure. From a list of the 20 most common disorders across all hamster species, the most common disorders were "wet tail" — diarrhoea or liquid discharge 7. Husbandry and Medical Care of Hamsters.

Hamsters can make great family pets—as long as you keep a few things in mind.

When it comes to cage size, bigger is better but you can research the best dimensions for each breed. Seems like a simple answer, right? Versele-Laga, the best choice for your pet Advice for your animal Small mammals Tips and facts How long can a hamster live? A female hamster can become pregnant again 24 hours after birth. How long does a hamster live? Despite this popularity, there has been very little research into the health issues of these beloved rodents kept as pets to date. Language: English English. Hamsters as Pets. Mitchell, Sandra. References Brown, Susan.