Natural Habitat of the Syrian Hamster

Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus Auratus) are also known as golden hamsters. These animals are popular pets because they require minimal space and are easy to care for. In the wild, however, they are considered a pest population because of the damage they do to agricultural crops. The Animal Diversity Web states that extensive methods to control hamster populations, including rodenticides and traps, have resulted in wild golden hamsters being listed as endangered.

  1. Geography

    • The Animal Diversity Web notes that golden hamsters originally came from the Aleppinian Plateau in Syria, a country in the Middle East. They have also been spotted in parts of Eastern Turkey.

    History

    • In 1930, a zoologist captured a mother and her 12 cubs in the Syrian Desert. The Elite Pets website explains that the researcher dug them out of a burrow that was eight feet under the ground. He took the animals with him back to Israel, but by the time he arrived only three of them were still alive. The three survivors mated and reproduced. They soon attracted the attention of scientists because they were easy to handle and could be used in research experiments. In 1938 the hamsters were introduced to the United States, where they quickly gained popularity as pets.

    Diet

    • Hamsters eat seeds, vegetables, grasses and insects. According to The Young People's Trust for the Environment, hamsters are hoarders. They have large cheek pouches that they fill with food. They take the food back to their burrows, where they either eat it or store it for the winter.

    Habitat

    • Hamsters prefer to live in dry places. In their natural environment, the golden hamster builds underground burrows on the steppes, which are open areas of grassland. The Animal Diversity Web explains that the Aleppinian Plateau is a settled agricultural area, and hamsters often invade crops. Elite Pets claims that farmers in Syria often harvest the hamster's burrows as well as their own crops because they can often find as much as 60 pounds of grain buried beneath the surface.

    Behavior and Temperament

    • Golden hamsters are territorial and are aggressive towards other members of their species. They distance themselves from one another except during mating season in the wild. In captivity, two golden hamsters will become aggressive and may fight if placed in the same cage, according to the Animal Diversity Web.

    In Captivity

    • Syrian hamsters can be comfortably housed in 10 gallon aquariums or wire cages. The bottom should be lined with an absorbent substrate such as shredded paper or hay. The hamster will need an exercise wheel to provide exercise, and it will also need tubes to crawl in, since hamsters are natural burrowers. Since a hamster's teeth are constantly growing, it will need wood or twigs that it can chew on. The ASPCA recommends using an upside-down water bottle with a drinking tube, and the water should be changed each day. Finally, the hamster's cage should be cleaned of droppings and leftover food each day and thoroughly scrubbed with soap and warm water once a week.