Golden Spotted Hamster

The Golden Spotted Hamster, also known as Velvet Rat, Long-tailed Hamster, Silky Mouse, and Chestnut Rat, is originally from the Andes Mountains in South America. It has a similar appearance to rabbits and squirrels, with a pair of big and bright ruby-colored eyes, pink ears (without ear patches), and a mixture of white and beige fur.

Chinese Name: Golden Spotted Hamster

Also Known As: Velvet Rat, Long-tailed Hamster, Silky Mouse, Chestnut Rat

Scientific Name: Chinchillalaniger

Lifespan: About 20 years

The hamster originated from the Andes Mountains in South America, where it resides in caves and crevices at an altitude of 1600 feet. The local climate is dry, with a large temperature difference between day and night. The hamster relies on tropical plants such as tree bark, tree roots, and cacti to survive, making it highly adaptable to the environment in China. The main purpose of its fur is for insulation and to prevent moisture loss. However, in the 16th century, Europeans discovered that the fur of this small animal was incredibly soft, leading to the mass hunting and killing of hamsters. By the early 19th century, hamsters were on the verge of extinction. Fortunately, an American named M.F. Chapman brought back eleven hamsters to California and successfully bred them, giving us the opportunity to raise these adorable little animals today.

Lovers of small pets recommend raising hamsters. The Golden Spotted Hamster is a combination of a pink and white hamster with a beige or golden hamster. According to the color analysis of the beige and beige genetic traits, the probability of producing a golden hamster is higher. In addition, carrying the white gene forms a Golden Spotted Hamster carrying both beige genes and the white gene: ruby-colored eyes, pink ears (without ear spots), and a mix of white and beige in appearance. Like the Silver Spots, each Golden Spotted hamster has different appearances, some with more white and some with more beige, due to the distribution of coat color. The Golden Spotted Hamster also carries the white gene. According to color matching, when two hamsters carrying the white gene are paired, the mortality rate is 25%. So, for the health of your hamster, please avoid pairing white hamsters with each other.

1. Overgrown incisors - Like beavers, incisors grow excessively long due to a lack of regular grinding on materials such as cork or pumice. This affects chewing, leading to poor appetite, weakness, and even starvation. The overgrown portion should be promptly trimmed with bone forceps or pruning shears. Clean and disinfect the swollen lips with an anti-inflammatory solution for three consecutive days.

2. Throat obstruction - Eating large pieces of feed or other foreign objects can cause difficulty swallowing, as hamsters have difficulty regurgitating food from their oral cavity. This easily leads to throat obstruction. When small food particles are obstructed, hamsters may show restlessness, make swallowing movements with extended necks, and have a cough. The main symptoms include rapid or difficulty breathing, often resulting in choking, eye congestion, inability to stand on all fours, and eventually death. Therefore, do not feed hamsters hard or shell-bearing feeds, such as pine seeds and large beans. For mild obstruction, immediately administer plant oil to lubricate the esophagus and facilitate food passage into the stomach. Severe obstruction often results in asphyxiation and death before measures can be taken.

3. Gastritis - Inflammation of the gastric mucosa caused by a high proportion of grain feed in the diet, lack of dietary fiber, sudden change in feed variety, overfeeding of palatable feeds leading to gluttony, or gastric distension. Ingesting sand or contaminated feed with pesticide can also cause gastric gastritis. This condition often manifests as acute onset, sudden onset of depression, extreme pain, decreased appetite, or refusal to eat. Chronic symptoms include decreased appetite, moderate constipation, gradual emaciation, weight loss, drooling, wet lower lip and corners of the mouth, and tangled fur. For acute gastritis, feed should be stopped for 1-2 days and replaced with soft feed. Fresh tender green feed and grape milk should be added, and 2-3 milliliters of aluminum hydroxide gel should be administered orally. Chronic gastritis primarily requires improvement in feeding management and medication, but the effect is not significant.

4. Constipation - Constipation is mainly caused by improper feed, resulting in decreased gastrointestinal motility and inadequate nutrition supply to the intestinal muscles. An unstable feeding environment can also interfere with the normal movement of the digestive tract, leading to constipation. In mild cases, there may be no obvious symptoms other than slightly smaller fecal granules without pores and darker color. In severe cases, defecation is significantly reduced or stopped, with very small and dry fecal granules. Affected hamsters refuse to eat or drink, squat in one place, become lethargic, show signs of hunching and pain, exhibit depressed mental state, and close their eyes. Prolonged constipation results in gradual emaciation and significant weight loss. In addition to adjusting the feed ratio, the following medications can be used for treatment: oral or rectal administration of 2% liquid paraffin or soft soapy water in volumes of 5-15 milliliters each time; oral administration or enema of a mixture of 10-15% hot vegetable oil and water in volumes of 5-15 milliliters each time; rectal administration of laxative with the aid of suppositories to promote defecation.

5. Intestinal obstruction - Exacerbated constipation can cause intestinal obstruction. Some hamsters develop trichobezoars due to consuming hair, forming hairballs in the digestive tract and causing obstruction. Additionally, a high content of dietary fiber in the food or excessive use of antibiotics for disease treatment can reduce the ability of intestinal microbes to digest fiber, leading to constipation and resulting in secondary intestinal obstruction. Therefore, it is advisable to use broad-spectrum antibiotics sparingly or not at all, opting for safer sulfonamide drugs for anti-inflammatory purposes. The initial symptom of intestinal obstruction is constipation, and acute onset of symptoms is rare. Therefore, all symptoms of constipation should be taken seriously. Dehydration in affected hamsters is rapid, and their eyeballs become sunken. There is usually mild abdominal distension, and hard fecal masses can often be felt in the abdomen. Affected hamsters experience abdominal pain, extend their forelimbs forward, lie with their abdomen on the ground, and severely affected ones lie on their backs with their limbs curled up. Duodenal obstruction is the most obvious form. Preventive measures: After the onset of constipation, every effort should be made to relieve constipation and prevent subsequent intestinal obstruction. When intestinal obstruction has already occurred, treatment should prioritize promoting defecation. If oil laxatives are ineffective, 10-20% sodium sulfate solution or deep rectal enema with soft soapy water, combined with a purgative, can be used for mild cases of intestinal obstruction. Severe intestinal obstruction, with inflammation or necrosis of the intestines, renders the use of purgatives ineffective and increases the risk of intestinal rupture and perforation. If necessary, surgical treatment may be required.

6. Intestinal torsion and intussusception - This condition can suddenly occur during mating, chasing, or fighting, or during intense physical activity. Once it occurs, it causes severe pain, trembling in the limbs and throughout the body, inability to stand, and sometimes squeaking. Dissection reveals twisted or intussuscepted intestines, with acute bleeding and signs of hemorrhage in the mucosa. As this disease develops rapidly and results in rapid death, measures are often not taken in time and the affected hamster dies. For treatment, manually untwist the intestines, which may be effective for some affected hamsters.

1. Alfalfa is one of the main ingredients in the diet of the Golden Spotted Hamster. Eating a large amount of alfalfa can quickly make the Golden Spotted Hamster gain weight. However, the Golden Spotted Hamster should not become overweight, so alfalfa should be used as a supplementary nutritious grass. Generally, it should be fed twice a week. But for newly arrived Golden Spotted Hamsters, they can be given more because the nutrition provided by large-scale breeding farms often cannot fully meet their growth and development needs. Other types of dry grass such as oats, wheat, and barley can also be used as auxiliary grasses to adjust the taste of the Golden Spotted Hamster. Remember that the Golden Spotted Hamster cannot eat fresh grass, so do not pick wild grass to feed them.

2. Golden Spotted Hamsters cannot eat any fresh vegetables and fruits. The only fruit they can have is apples. Foods with a high water content can easily cause diarrhea in Golden Spotted Hamsters.

3. Golden Spotted Hamsters also cannot eat peanuts and soybeans. Peanuts contain excessive oil content, and soybeans absorb water in the stomach and expand, causing discomfort in Golden Spotted Hamsters. It may even cause intestinal obstruction and death.

4. Leftover feed and dry grass should be discarded. Usually, these are the leftovers that the Golden Spotted Hamster rejects, considering them to be non-nutritious. We should trust their expert judgment.

The Golden Spotted Hamster, also known as Velvet Rat, Long-tailed Hamster, Silky Mouse, and Chestnut Rat, is originally from the Andes Mountains in South America. It has a similar appearance to rabbits and squirrels, with a pair of big and bright ruby-colored eyes, round ears, and a long tail. Usually, the hamster changes its fur every few months. The old fur starts to fall off from the neck until the tail. This cycle is not affected by the seasons, but rather by the growth of the fur. The hamster changes its fur approximately every three months, so it is not a regular occurrence throughout the year. Usually, the shed fur falls on the bottom tray of the cage, some may attach to the wire mesh. During the hamster's molting period, brushing off the shed fur not only makes them look more presentable but also prevents the fur from flying all over the place.