Hamsters do not lose their popularity as homemadepets. It is very tempting to have at home a funny and clever little beast, which is so small that it fits in the palm of your hand, and besides, it's very simple to care for such pets. By the way, homemade hamsters are far from uniform. Here, too, there are breeds of which the representatives can be fluffy or smooth-haired, monochrome or variegated, large or small. The smallest homemade hamsters are Dzungarian or, as they are called, jungariki. Many people think that there is no need to take care of such babies. Enough to feed them and sometimes clean the cage. However, in such grief-owners hamsters do not live long. Animals begin to ache, become sluggish and cease to please people with their amusing antics and business behavior. And for the hamsters themselves, such a life is not a joy. But the literate and very easy care of the jungar and will guarantee the comfortable existence of this baby next to a man. So how to properly care for small dzhungar hamsters?
How many jungarikov to get?
Many new owners of Dzhungar hamstersfirmly believe that these small animals just need a company. Therefore, they immediately buy a pair of hamsters, a cozy cage for them and all the necessary devices: drinkers, feeders, houses and other devices. However, not everyone knows that the jungariki do not need partners at all. Moreover, every Dzhungar hamster should live in its own cage! They are such individualists. However, this is not a whim, but a natural feature of these animals. Under natural conditions, they live separately, so loneliness in captivity does not make their life boring. On the contrary, in a spacious cage without neighbors, the jungars feel free and comfortable. But the forced need to share the territory with other hamsters makes the jungariks aggressive and restless. In most cases, the content of several animals in one cell leads to truly tragic consequences. Hamsters begin to share the living space, arrange fights, which end not only with injuries, but with the death of animals. However, there are examples of peaceful co-existence of the Djungar hamsters. But you still have to make the final choice. And if you are determined to acquire more than one hamster, then for each pet prepare a separate cage. By the way, the cage for these kids also needs to be chosen in accordance with their lifestyle.
Which cell to choose?
Care for the Dzhungar hamster begins with a purchasesuitable cell and accessories for it. To make the hamster feel comfortable, he needs a fairly large cell with dimensions of 60x30x30 centimeters. The matter is that Djungar hamsters are very mobile and spend a lot of time in jogs and warm-ups. Note that the rods in the cage for the hamster should be placed horizontally. Then the hamster will be able not only to run around the floor of the cage, but also to climb along the rods as if on a gymnastic wall. In addition to a spacious cell, you need to buy a special drinking bowl, a bowl for feed, a house and a rotating wheel. This is the standard minimum required for any home hamster. Active jungariks will not be hampered by additional gymnastic shells: stairs, tunnels, sections. In addition, it would be good to provide the cage with a bathing and stoning stone, which can be chalky or mineral. All these accessories can be purchased at a pet store, and some of them can be made by hand. A significant element of the dwelling of the jungar hamster is the filler for the cell. Here everything is simple - for jungariki any filler with the exception of cotton wool will do. Vata is simply dangerous for these animals, since its fibers can wrap around tiny feet and corpuscles, disrupting circulation and causing swelling and necrosis. As for other types of filler, the hamster will feel comfortable even in a cage filled with cat litter. And of special fillers are especially common cellulose, wood and corn. In addition, ordinary sawdust, fragments of toilet paper or paper napkins can be used as a filler. By the way, the last materials are used by hamsters to construct a nest.
Hygiene of the home
Caring for a hamster's home is reduced to a timelycleaning the cage and replacing the filler. A pleasant feature of the jungariks for people is the almost complete absence of a specific smell, so that the content of these animals in the house is almost unproblematic. Therefore, to clean up the entire cell, where only one hamster lives, it is enough once a month. But this is only if the animal is accustomed to the toilet and allocated for these purposes a nook in his home. If your pet is not so neat, you do not know how to equip your toilet and leave traces of your vital activity throughout the cage, then you will have to remove it more often. And the most reasonable solution will be weekly cleaning. For the cell itself, you need to find the right location. So, for example, you can not put a dzhungar hamster's dwelling near the central heating battery, next to a TV, computer, refrigerator. Not the best option will be the content of the hamster in the cage on the windowsill or on the curbstone near the window - sunflowers are harmful to jungariki. In any case, try to shade the cell from the sun's rays.
Hygiene of the Dzungarian
It is believed that taking care of the jungari veryjust. This is true. But caring for these babies should be very delicate. Strictly speaking, there is no need for special hygiene procedures. It will be enough to have a cage with sand in the cage so that the animal can take care of its own hygiene. You only need to periodically inspect the pet to detect possible injuries or illnesses. If you want to properly care for a miniature and active by nature jungarik, then you must provide the hamster the conditions for maintaining physical fitness. This is the already mentioned wheel, tunnels and steps. It is advisable to purchase a wheel with a solid surface that does not injure the hamster's paws. As for bathing, the answer to them is unambiguous - no, you can not bathe the jungariks. This is dangerous not only for the health of such miniature creatures, but even for their lives. If the animal is very dirty, then brush the fur with a damp sponge.
Feeding jungariki
It is clear that the care for any pet is notreduces only to hygienic procedures. That's your hamster should not only be clean and healthy, but in time and properly nourished. Note that feeding these babies does not complicate their care. Dzungariki in food are unpretentious and almost omnivorous. They can be given fruits and vegetables, greens and cereals, chicken meat, cottage cheese and egg white. However, the basis of the diet should be a food for rodents with a dosage of 10-15 grams per day. A list of additional products that the Dzhungar hamster will not refuse:
- walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts,
- sunflower seeds, melons and pumpkins;
- wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal;
- apples, plums, pears;
- carrots, radishes, tomatoes;
- parsley, green salad, dandelion leaves.
However, your hamster should receive a sufficient amount of protein food. Therefore, give him once a week one of these products:
- flour worms (sold in pet stores),
- boiled chicken meat;
- hard-boiled chicken egg;
- low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt;
- lean boiled fish.
In short, proper feeding, maintenance and careguarantee your pet a comfortable life. Wait until the hamster settles in a new place, let him get used to his home and to you. Soon the baby will start taking a snack from his hand, and then it will be happy to go to your hands. So, there is a contact! Do not forget that for pets you need not just to look after, but also to love them. Even a miniature Djungarian hamster needs love and care. Remember that we are responsible for those who have tamed. We advise you to read: