Monday, April 9, 2012

Roborovski Hamster - Feeding and care



Roborovski Hamster's diet in nature consists of various seeds and small insects. In captivity their diet is similar to other species. You can give them special mixes of petshopuri seeds, but also foods like: wheat, barley, oats, rye, corn, millet, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, alfalfa, carrots, beets, peas, banana, carob, apple, carrot, celery, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, spinach and parsley. Fruits and vegetables are...

 very popular with hamsters but must be taken in moderation as they can cause digestive problems. Food should be given in 2 servings daily in the morning and evening.

You must avoid the following products at all costs: citrus fruits, chocolate, onions, garlic, dried beans, raw peas, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes and pork.

There also must be a special waterer in the cage. The small hamster needs to stay hydrated.

To blunt teeth, you can give them to chew various apple 
twigs, dog biscuits or special mineral blocks. 


Care
Until they reach adult size, (about 4.5 cm) Roborovski hamsters can easily slip through the bars of a standard hamster cage. So choose cages that have the distance between bars not greater than 7 mm. They are very suitable to be bred in 
fish aquariums and closed cages. If you decided to buy an aquarium, choose one with a minimum height of 30 cm and a larger area because these hamsters are energetic and usually live in very open areas. For the same purpose, place a wheel for running.

Being desert animals and accustomed to digging, they will appreciate chips and shavings put in sufficient quantities. You can use fir or spruce shavings, but avoid the cedar or pine which  is toxic. Don't use cotton sheets, because they can be a suffocation risk. The tank should be cleaned at least once or twice a week, but wet wood chips on the corners and remnants of food that can spoil should be removed daily.

Because in the wild they live in tunnels and burrows, you can simulate this by adding toilet paper tubes, cardboard egg crates, boxes or wooden bridges.

The notion that hamsters in captivity do not need water is all wrong. The tank must be provided with mandatory drinkers and the water changed every 2 days.

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