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Hamsterland.com.
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Hamsters were brought to the United States in 1938. Almost all
domestic hamsters in existence today are descendants of a
single litter that was captured in Syria in 1930. The Syrian
hamster is the breed most commonly used in laboratory research,
although the Chinese hamster is also popular with researchers.
Hamsters are small, docile rodents who are inactive during
the day and active at night. They have large cheek pouches,
which they use to transport food from the place it is gathered
to the nest or den. Hamsters have tiny, stubby tails and fur
that is reminiscent of velvet.
The gestation period for hamsters ranges from 15 to 18 days.
The average litter size is seven pups. The mother hamster will
wean her young at approximately 21 days. The average life span
for a hamster is three years.
Captive hamsters are omnivorous creatures who generally eat
pelleted rodent feed containing 15% to 20% protein. Hamsters
may also eat treats such as seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables,
and cooked lean meats.
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