All About White Dzungarian Hamsters

When you want to have a quiet and easy-to-care pet, you should pay attention to the Dzungarian hamster. These cute little animals easily make contact, are friends with a person and do not require complicated care.

The Dzhungar hamster is also called the Siberian hamster and dzhungarik. He is part of the family of bony hamsters, which is represented by only 3 representatives. In nature, these animals live in Western Siberia, in the north-west of China, in the territory of Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Campbell's dwarf hamsters are very similar to jungariks. These two species can interbreed, resulting in hybrids. Such experiments are undesirable. Male dzhungariks have a single gland, the work of which is responsible for creating a male smell. This gland is located below the abdomen, it often has the appearance of a bulge and can be covered with oily secretions.

At home, this feature is rare. Domestic dzhungariki have a short life expectancy. Usually it is about 2 years, only in rare cases the hamster can live 4 years.

From their close relatives of Campbell's hamsters, jungariki are distinguished by a softer and smoother coat. And also the transition from forehead to nose is smoother. The Dzhungar hamster also has a number of the following external characteristics:

• on the back there is a dark strip that runs along the entire ridge;
• the tail is small, almost imperceptible;
• the sole on all legs is shaggy;
• the head is rather large in comparison with the body; large black bead eyes are located on it;
• body shape is round, length varies between 7–10 cm;
• weight is in the range of 30–65 g;
• capacious cheek pouches;
• Jungariki food is grabbed with the front paws, as marmots do.

The color of domestic Dzhungar hamsters is very different from the coat that wild animals have. There are several options for the color of the fur at home dzhungariki:

• "standard" It is represented by brown wool with a gray tint, the fur on the abdomen is white;
• "sapphire" determined by gray fur with a bluish tint and white abdomen;
• "Pearl" - It is a matte wool with white color, which is diluted with gray spaces;
• "mandarin" It is represented by a light red color of a cream shade.

The white Dzhungar hamster is a peaceful animal, which is not characterized by aggressive behavior. And yet in the cage should be only one animal, regardless of gender. Dzhungariki are territorial hamsters, therefore, in a confined space, they can be aggressive towards each other. Fights can result in injuries and even deaths.

In order for the hamster to be healthy, please its owner and not become a source of problems, it is necessary to know and observe some features of the content.

• To live, the dzhungarik needs a cage. It is undesirable to use the aquarium, because in this design ventilation is not good enough, and condensation may form on the walls. In such circumstances, the hamster will feel bad.

• Hay, sawdust, special filler are laid on the bottom, intended for rodents, or shavings from trees, but not conifers. Also, toilet paper, non-stained napkins and paper towels can be used as bedding. Vata is strictly prohibited.

• Dzungariki are prone to obesity, therefore they need physical activity. To do this, toys, tunnels, hammocks and a wheel with a diameter of more than 17 cm are required in the cage.

• Water treatments are contraindicated for these animals. But the sand baths Dzhungar hamsters are very fond of. Digging in the sand, the animal cleans its fur coat from crumbs and small debris. Regular sand baths help get rid of oily gloss on the coat and prevent odors. Dzhungariki are very clean.

• Dzhungariki constantly grow teeth, which they need to grind regularly. For these purposes, you can place in the cage mineral pebbles, branches of fruit trees (not cherries and apricots) or wooden cubes.

• These animals are nocturnal. For a day's rest, they need a house. And also in the cage it is necessary to arrange a feeder, a drinking bowl and a toilet.

• The cage should be installed away from drafts and direct rays of the sun. And also she should not come into contact with wallpaper and curtains, as the animal quickly gnaws them.

• The cage needs to be cleaned and washed regularly; the animal may get sick from unsanitary conditions. The same goes for food and water: they should always be fresh. The hamster can carry food into the house, you need to monitor this and regularly remove such caches. After all, food in the house can go bad, which will cause poisoning of the jungarik. The feeder and drinker should not be washed using chemicals.

In pet stores a wide selection of ready-made mixtures that are intended for hamsters is presented. The diet should not consist of only mixtures. For a change, you can make a number of products:

• cereals (wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, rye);
• from vegetables you can give carrots, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini;
• fruit is not worth keen on; sometimes you can offer your pet apples, bananas and apricots, only necessarily without seeds;
• from meat you can choose only chicken and rabbit;
• boiled eggs (chicken, quail) can be included in the diet of dzhungariki;
• cottage cheese should only be low fat;
• from greens, you can give plantain leaves and salad.

Each hamster requires the selection of an individual diet, which will correspond to its addictions. The amount of food should be enough for a day. And also you should always remember about the food that can not be given to the pet:

• foods high in fat (butter, milk and cottage cheese with a high percentage of fat content, veal, beef and pork);
• seasonings and spices, including onions and garlic;
• sweets and products that can freeze in the cheeks of the animal;
• exotic fruits and citrus fruits;
• semi-finished products, including sausages;
• raw potatoes are also banned;
• watermelons and melons.

In captivity, dzhungariki breed well. This requires compliance with some prerequisites:

• the female must be older than 4 months, and the male must be more than 3 months old;
• pregnancy lasts about 3 weeks, during this period, protein foods (cottage cheese, breast and boiled yolk) are necessarily included in the diet of the female;
• during pregnancy and until the end of feeding, the female should be at rest;
• before delivery - in about 2 days - the cage is disinfected, including all accessories and toys;
• during the first 3 weeks, the cubs feed on mother’s milk, during this period they are strictly forbidden to pick up, since a young mother can abandon her children and even eat them.

5 days after birth, the calves become calmer and stop squeaking. On the 7th day of life, the body of the kids is covered with wool, and after 10 days they begin to make their first movements and try soft food. In a separate cage dzhungarik can be planted a month after birth.

This point should be paid attention and approach the process of choosing a name seriously. The name for the rodent should be simple and sonorous. Often the name is chosen according to temperament, taste preferences of the pet or features of appearance. We have selected the most interesting and original variants of names for dzhungariks:

• names for boys: Nutlet, Bagel, Fat Boy, Zhora, Cupcake, Pirozhulya, Bobblehead, Ginger, Wales, Ruddy, Antoshka, Gray, Garfield, Black, Knight, Snowball, Umka;
• names for girls: Donut, Bun, Gourmet, Lady, Gadget, Seed, Baby, Apricot, Butterscotch.

When buying, it’s important to choose a good pet in every way, for this you need to take advice from professionals:

• it is best to buy a pet aged 5 to 6 weeks;
• the hamster should be moderately active;
• if the health of the rodent causes even the slightest doubt, then the purchase should be abandoned;
• the wool should not be bite or bald, and it should be clean and dry;
• eyes and nose should have a healthy appearance, without discharge and suppuration;
• near the anus, the coat should also be dry and clean.

All about the Dzungarian hamsters see in the video below.