Dzungarian hamsters, or, as they are also called, "dzungariki", are one of the most popular breeds of rodents for home keeping and domestication. They are referred to as dwarf breeds.
About breed
Dzungariki are very small hamsters. For example, they are almost twice as small as the Syrian hamster. In nature, the growth of the Dzungarian hamster can reach about 15 centimeters, but in captivity they rarely reach this size. Most often, the length of an adult does not exceed 10 centimeters. The maximum weight of this rodent is up to 45 grams.
Dzhungarik fur is usually grayish with white patches; a wide dark stripe (most often dark gray) runs along the back. The standard color is brownish-gray with a white belly, there are also gray-bluish, dull white and reddish-cream dzhungariki. In winter, after molting, hamsters become almost completely white.
The tail of the animal is very short, the feet of the legs are covered with wool, like in other representatives of the genus of uphill hamsters.
In nature, Dzungarian hamsters are found in Siberia, Kazakhstan, Manchuria and Mongolia.
The content of the Dzungarian hamster
The main procedures for caring for a Dzungarian hamster include feeding, cleaning the cage and brushing the fur. True, if you look for the most unpretentious rodent, then it will most likely not be a dzhungarik. Compared, for example, with his Syrian counterpart, he is much more demanding of care.
The animal needs to eat well. You can feed him with grain, fruit mixtures, seeds of peas, sunflower, pumpkin, beans. Please note that representatives of this breed are prone to diabetes mellitus, so you should not overfeed them with fruit.
But the dzungarik needs very little water: being a steppe animal, he rarely drinks. Nevertheless, a drinker with a small supply of water in his cage must be present.
It is also highly advisable to place a chalk stone in the cage to grind your teeth.
You can clean the cage about once every two weeks. If you do this less often, the characteristic smell cannot be avoided.
The hamster's fur is cleaned with sand. In no case should you bathe a rodent! This can adversely affect his health.
There must be a running wheel in the cage. This will help keep your hamster in good shape. Dzungariki are generally very mobile, so they need a fairly spacious cage. At the same time, it is not recommended to keep more than one jungarik in one cage. These rodents are big owners in terms of territory. If you settle them together, they will fight and attack each other.
Dzungarian hamsters are lodged together only temporarily - for breeding. By the way, this species reproduces very well. There are up to 11 babies in a litter.
At home, the Dzungarian hamster lives for 1-2 years. With proper care, its life expectancy can be slightly longer. So how long your pet will live depends largely on you.
