|
SYRIANS |
||
|
Syrians
|
|
|
|
Syrians are the larger of the hamsters, are nocturnal and live in solitude. In captivity they MUST live in a cage on their own. If they are put in with another hamster they will fight and can cause serious injuries. Syrians love climbing and therefore in many ways the wire cage is preferable. The cage must be large. Many of the cages for sale classed as 'starter homes' are too small for adult hamsters. The wheels that come in most cages as standard are in fact too small for an adult Syrian - some Syrians can grow quite large. It is vital a hamster is given the opportunity to exercise - in the wild they would travel for up to 5 miles a night in search of food. If the wheel is too small they will be unable to use it. Females tend to be a bit more alert than males, and often wake up during the day to see what is going on. Males prefer to laze around or occasionally they pop out of their nest to use the loo or find something to eat. It is possible to train them to come out earlier in the day, which is especially helpful if the hamster belongs to a child as otherwise by the time it would normally rally round, the child will be going to bed and will miss them. It is the male who will have the very long fur and a 'skirt'. This will need brushing regularly to prevent wood chippings getting caught in it and it becoming matted. Use either a small pet brush, or you could try using an old toothbrush. With the long haired hamsters finer sawdust is sometimes preferable as it is easier to brush out of their fur rather than the larger pieces of wood chip that can get matted into their coat and usually end up needing to be cut out. |
||
