Teddy Bear Hamster : Few Facts About This Cute Animal

Hamsters are some of the most popular children’s pets worldwide and one such is the teddy bear hamster. The cute teddy bear hamsters are quickly gaining popularity due to their looks as well as ease of handling and maintenance.

The Teddy bear hamster commonly referred to as the Long-haired Syrian hamster originates from Syria. It is a tiny Omnivorous mammal that eats grains, fruits, vegetables, small insects, and seeds. These hamsters show solitary behavior. The average lifespan of a teddy bear hamster is 2 to 3 years in captivity.

Teddy bear hamsters are easy pets as they can be teamed with patients and gentleness. These hamsters are nocturnal in nature. They get the name ‘teddy bear hamster’ due to their features, that is their large ears and small dark eyes which make them look like a teddy bear.

Scientifically referred to as Mesocricetus auratus. Are also referred to as golden hamsters.
Breed overview of the teddy bear hamster:

What Does a Teddy Bear Hamster Look Like?

The small creatures are known all around for their irresistible cuteness and thus, there’s a lot of curiosity about ‘what does a teddy bear hamster look like?’ And we are here to tell you all about them.

Teddy bear hamsters are little furry creatures, their fur may show various combinations of colors as well as solid colors. Hamsters may show coat colors like black, brown, dark gray, gold, cream, white, and gray. They may even show bicolor or tricolor combinations.

Many Teddy bear hamsters may be of solid colors whereas, others may have brown-colored fur with bands of white, black color with a white chest, they even have gray-colored fur with white chest or gold-colored fur with splashes of white. The color combinations of these hamsters are endless.

The adult teddy bear hamsters may grow from 4 to 6 inches long and may weigh between 100 to 150 grams. They do not grow longer than 7 inches in length, even a hamster of more than 6 inches is rare to find. Yet, they are one of the largest breeds of hamsters found. A teddy bear hamster is double the size of a dwarf hamster.

The cute teddy bear hamsters are stocky in appearance due to their barrel-shaped body. They have small stubby tails, long, thin ears, and dark eyes that are round and glassy in appearance. Their tails are almost hidden beneath their fur. Their nose is pink in color and their legs short and stumpy. You can also check this out about types of Dwarf Hamster.

These hamsters can be swift and agile when needed even though they have short legs.

Care Tips

Unlike dogs and cats, hamsters do not require as much care and maintenance which makes them a great choice of pet for small children or families who cannot commit a lot of time and energy towards a large pet but desire to have a companion animal. A Teddy bear hamster’s life span is short as compared to that of a dog, cat, or horse, which makes it easier for people to commit to their care.

Hamsters usually sleep throughout the day and remain active at night. Hamsters are often referred to as nocturnal creatures but they are actually crepuscular in nature, which means they are their most active self and dawn or dusk. For the rest of the day and night, they are comparatively quiet or snoozing peacefully.

Any animal requires a comparatively high amount of work during its initial days. Once they become comfortable with you, you may not need to put as much effort into caring for them.

Is advisable to let the hamster get used to their cage and their new owners before they are handled. This may take a few days. After this you may begin to handle them for a few minutes daily, to get them used to it. Make sure you do this gently and with lots of care to not cause them any discomfort.

Never approach them in a way that may startle them or scare them. You must train them not to bite you by correcting this behavior and taming them. This can be done by making them believe that it’s for their own benefit, you can do this by bribing them a little with treats, every time you handle them.

Once they are used to being handled, they can be left out of the cage for some time under your supervision for some exercise and exploring although it is not necessary for everyone to do so.

You may only let your teddy hamster out of their cage if you are comfortable in doing so, otherwise, they get enough exercise even in their cage if you install some obstacles or toys to keep them mentally and physically stimulated.

Hamsters are pretty much independent and rely very little on us in the long term. They only rely on us for their daily basics like food, water, and hygiene of their shelter. Make sure you clean their cage regularly and provide them with fresh water and food.

Remove the leftover food and provide them with fresh fruits and vegetables daily to keep them healthy and nourished.

Diet

The cute teddy bear hamsters are omnivorous in nature and enjoy a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts as well as some small insects. The food we give to pet hamsters is usually what they would eat if they lived in the wild. Giving them human food like chocolates, milk, vegetables cooked with salt and spices is a big no.

If you’re having a hard time deciding what combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts or grains should you give your hamster. You can always buy prepackaged food or pellets which are a great source of balanced nutrients for your pet hamster. If you offer such food to your hamster, you can supplement it with some amount of fresh veggies and fruits.

Avoid giving them large amounts of fruits as fruits are usually high in natural sugar content. treats and other snacks must also be given in moderation as they often have extra sugar, syrups, honey, etc.

You should also always provide your teddy hamster with fresh water. Hamsters do not drink a large amount of water but they will need 10 to 20 ml of water every day to stay hydrated.

Temperament

Hamsters have wonderful personalities and calm temperaments. If they are used to being handled calmly from a young age they usually love being held and do not get irritable.

They are curious, courageous, loving, and friendly in nature. Hamsters enjoy exploring their surroundings by wandering around, sniffing, and burrowing. A hamster’s temperament depends a lot on how they are handled from a young age, their gender, and the number of them in a cage.

Syrian hamsters are known to form a great and loving bond with their owners. They are solitary in nature, hence the only interaction they have is with their human which helps the formation of this bond.

Even though they are docile and friendly beings, just like every other animal they tend to defend themselves when scared. If they are startled or handled in a manner that causes them pain or distress, they may bite. Thus you must always respect the animal’s boundaries and handle them delicately.

Habitat

Being from Syria, these long-haired Syrian hamsters are known to thrive in arid climatic zones. In the wild, they hide in burrows during the day to keep themselves cool and safe from predatory animals and birds.

They often come out at night for food. They are their most active self during dusk and dawn, during which they feed and show most of their activity.

Lifecycle

A teddy bear hamster’s lifespan is short and thus, they reach sexual maturity at 6 weeks of age. But it is not advisable to breed them until they are about 6 months of age.

Female hamsters come in heat during which they become receptive to males, without it, they wouldn’t allow the male to mate with them. Heat denotes the stage in their Estrous cycle, where they can become pregnant (like the ovulation stage in the menstrual cycle of humans).

The estrous cycle of hamsters is short and lasts only for 4 days. They are solitary in nature which means keeping a male and female together for a long time isn’t advisable. Once pregnant, the gestation period of the hamster lasts for about 16 days.

They usually give birth to 6 to 12 pups at once, some may even give birth to 20 pups at once.

Final Thoughts

Teddy bear hamsters are extremely cute and are perfect for first-time pet owners due to their short lifespan and ease of maintenance. Now that you know about their feeding habits, exercise requirements, biology, and behavior, you can easily give them a happy and healthy life.

They are sure to add a lot of happiness to your life and a smile to your face with their cuteness and antics.

Continue reading:

• Baby Hedgehog : Pregnancy, Birth, Diet, Growth & More!
• 10 Best Low Maintenance Pets for Your Family