HAMESTER

Submitted to : [Link] Ahmed

Submitted by: Shahbaz Ahmed
Registration No:2017-DVMn-040
 Outline
◦ Introduction ◦ Zoonotic Diseases
◦ Species ◦ Common Hamster Ailments
◦ Scientific classification ◦ Prevention From Ailments
◦ Feeding ◦ Vaccination
◦ Housing ◦ Behaviour of hamesters
◦ Handling & Restraining ◦ Ethics & welfare
◦ Hamster Management ◦ Interesting Fact
◦ Clinical Trials on Hamesters ◦ References
◦ Viral infection
◦ Bacterial and Parasitic infections
Introduction:
◦ Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily cetinae, which contains
19 species classified in seven genera
◦ They have become established as popular small house pets
◦ The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster. which is
the type most commonly kept as pets.
◦ Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three 
◦  Campbell's dwarf hamster
◦ Winter white dwarf hamster
◦  Roborovski hamster
Syrian hamster
 Winter white
dwarf hamster
 Roborovski hamster
Campbell's dwarf
hamster
Scientific classification
Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Rodentia

Family Cricetidae

Subfamily Cricetinae
Genera
There are seven genera
1. Mesocricetus
2. Phodopus
3. Cricetus
4. Cricetulus
5. Allocricetulus
6. Cansumys
7. Tscherskia
Feeding
◦ Hamsters are omnivores
◦ Hamsters that live in the wild eat seeds, grass, and even insects
◦ Although pet hamsters can survive on a diet of exclusively commercial hamster
food, other items, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be given.
◦ Hamsters do best with fruits that don’t have a lot of citrus in them and most
green leafy vegetables
◦ Hamsters are hindgut fermenters and eat their own feces (coprophagy) to recover
nutrients digested in the hind-gut, but not absorbed
◦ Sometimes they eat their own pups
◦ Wild hamsters also eat insects, frogs, lizards and other small animal
 HOUSING
◦ In the wild, they like to live in warm, dry areas, like steppes, sand
dunes and the edges of deserts.

◦ For pet hamsters, commercially available pens are made of wire or plastic

◦  In laboratories hamsters are housed in pens designed for scientific use

◦ There are also special pens for exhibition, as in a hamster show

HANDLING & RESTRAINING
◦ There is a large amount of loose skin by the dorsal cervical area that can be
used to restrain and lift the animal, but be sure to include a generous amount of
that skin when lifting a hamster, otherwise the animal can turn around and bite 
To initially restrain a hamster, the animal can be placed beneath the palm of one hand.

◦The hamster can then be restrained by the scruff starting with the skin near the
front of the shoulders.
◦ The scruff can be grasped between the thumb and
forefinger whilst maintaining a grip on the tail. The animal
is then secure and can be examined or injected safely.
Handling for injection
The hamster can be restrained by the scruff for intraperitoneal injection
◦ Injection techniques for the hamster are similar to those previously
discussed for the gerbil
 Hamster Management
◦ Hamsters have specific dietary and environmental requirements to keep them
healthy.

◦ Owners should be referred to their veterinarian or other experienced hamster

owners for specific details on hamster husbandry, as well as how to handle a
hamster appropriately in order to reduce the risk of bitin
Clinical Trials on Hamesters
◦ The Syrian hamster immune responses to infectious pathogens are similar to
humans and as such, this model is advantageous for studying pathogenesis of
infection including post-bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens, along with
assessing the efficacy and interactions of medications and vaccines for those
pathogens.
◦ Syrian hamster immune response is more physiological similar to the human
immune response when compared to other animals, thus offering unique
advantages when studying the disease pathogenesis and for novel drug and
treatment discovery.
 Viral infection
The Syrian hamster is an ideal small animal model to study the disease caused
by virus infection
◦ West Nile Virus
◦ Yellow Fever Virus
◦ Nipah Virus
◦ Ebola Virus
◦ Marburg Virus
◦ Rift Valley Fever Virus
◦ human influenza, including the recent H1N1, pdm09, and H3N2 viruses
Bacterial and Parasitic Infections

Agent Disease model

Clostridium difficile Clostridium difficile disease

Leptospira Leptospirosis
Helicobacter spp. Helicobacter spp. disease

Entamoeba histolytica Amebic liver abscess

Leishmania Visceral Leishmania

Babesia Babesiosis
Zoonotic Diseases
◦ Dermatophytosis(ringworm)
◦ Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM)
◦ Rabies
◦ Rodentolepiasis and Hymenolepiasis (tapeworms)
◦ Salmonellosis
◦ Tularemia
Common Hamster Ailments
Here are some of the common ailments that a hamster may experience
◦ Colds
◦ Wet Tail
◦ Diarrhea
◦ Constipation
◦ Mange
◦ Fleas and Lice
◦ Runny Eyes
◦ Lumps and Bumps
◦ Paralysis
Prevention From Ailments
◦ To prevent illness, make sure your hamster has a proper diet,
access to clean water and bedding, and a clean and sanitary cage

◦ The most important step you can take, after being sure your
hamster’s home is kept clean, is to be sure your hamster cannot get
out of its cage
Vaccination
◦ There are currently no vaccines that are required or recommended
for hamsters
 Behaviour of hamesters
◦ Sniffing Things Out
A hamster will spend a good amount of time navigating around his
environment and memorizing the layout. Sniffing is often accompanied
by standing up on the hind leg
◦ Stuffing Those Cheeks
Just like squirrels, hamsters can be real food hoarders, stuffing food
into their cheeks (in some instances, expanding them to the point of
almost doubling their head size
◦  Busy Burrowing
You might see a lot of wiggling going on underneath your hamster’s
litter/bedding
◦ Making Himself Disappear
You might find yourself wondering where your hamster is. Hamsters like
hideouts; whether they are spots in their bedding, in a hamster-size igloo
or burrowed under hamster toys

◦ Leaving A Mark
hamster hitting his flanks (hips) against things. He’s not uncoordinated;
he’s claiming the item/spot as his own
Syrians have a scent gland on each hip, while dwarf hamsters have a
single scent gland on their underside, just below where you would
imagine their belly button to be.
◦ Squeaking Or Hissing
A hamster making an audible noise is generally not a happy hamster
An annoyed or frightened hamster might squeak or resort to hissing to
further get his point across that he is quite angry

◦ Laying Back
Some hamsters prefer to lie on their backs when sleeping or just to
relax.

◦ Grooming
Ethics & welfare
◦ Make sure they are not exposed to draughty or damp conditions

◦ Try to avoid erratic hours of lighting. Hamsters are also sensitive to bright
sunlight

◦ Don't give hamsters nesting materials that separate into thin strands, e.g. cotton
wool or similar 'fluffy' bedding products.
◦ Wild hamsters live in deep burrows. They quickly dig burrows, and can escape
easily from poorly constructed cages. Pet hamsters prefer to occupy a cage
with a solid floor covered by a suitable litter material. Hamsters naturally build
nests

◦ Hamsters are very sensitive to high frequency sounds which we cannot hear,
and can find this stressful
 Interesting Facts

◦ Hamsters are nocturnal creatures

◦ Hamsters are promiscuous
◦ Hamsters love to hoard their food
◦ Syrian hamsters do not like company
◦ Hamsters like to sleep in enclosed spaces
◦ Hamsters are banned in Hawaii and California
◦ Hamster teeth never stop growing
◦ Hamsters have a high tolerance for alcoho
◦ Hamster’s offsprings are called pups
References
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uddly-and-popular-hamster
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amsters
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