How long do hamsters live at home, average life expectancy

As a pet, these rodents are especially popular, especially among children, but before you buy one, it is better to find out how many years hamsters live at home and how to properly care for them during this period. Because they are small and fragile, there are many factors that affect a hamster’s lifespan.

How much on average?

Sadly, the life of hamsters does not last too long: 2-3 years at home. In captivity, they can live even less, as they are food for larger animals. In rare cases, hamsters can live up to 4 years. Life expectancy depends on the breed, for example, Syrian hamsters live longer.

What to consider when buying

Proper care will extend the life of the hamster, but you should start from the acquisition stage. There are some tips:

• You need to buy a very young rodent, preferably from 3 weeks old, so that by this moment he already knows how to eat on his own, but he can get used to the new environment as quickly as possible – an adult hamster will live less, which will be affected by long adaptation. It is advisable to be able to determine the age of the hamster on your own, so as not to be deceived when buying;
• Hamsters are extremely susceptible to various diseases that cannot always be cured, so when buying, you need to check that it is active, nimble, quickly responds to touch, the coat is smooth, close to the body, does not fall out to holes;
• It is necessary to check the eyes – they should be shiny, clean, the tail should be dry, and also pay attention to breathing – the individual should not wheeze;
• It is advisable to purchase an animal in a pet store, as hamsters checked by a veterinarian that live in proper conditions are put up for sale – this will exclude the possibility of taking an individual with any infection. In a good store, they are even vaccinated.

The right choice of a hamster when buying increases the chances of getting a centenarian.

How correctly to look after?

As with any other pet, the main criterion for a good and long life is proper care. The following rules must be observed:

• Carefully choose food: know what can and cannot be given to a hamster from products, buy high-quality food;
• the cage should be spacious, the rods should be located often, preferably without paint – there is a chance of poisoning;
• hamsters cannot be bathed – since they are quite painful, most likely after this procedure he will get sick, which will lead to death. You can put a bowl with special sand for bathing. The rodent is distinguished by cleanliness and is able to monitor the cleanliness of the skin on its own;
• there should be entertainment in the cage: a wheel, ladders and other necessary accessories. Even older hamsters remain active almost to the end of their lives;
• you need to clean the cage at least once a week, preferably more often: waste is a source of bacteria, which is detrimental to the animal, it must be provided with clean water daily, and if it is a bowl, not a drinking bowl, then even more often – it can bring dirt there with its paws;
• the room should be ventilated, there should not be much noise – hamsters are extremely shy creatures.

These are the basic rules. A lot depends on the specific breed. It is advisable to walk with the animal, stroke it, but not much, and even talk.

Who lives longer?

As we wrote earlier, as a rule, the Syrian hamster lives longer (2,5-3,5 years). Syrians are more resistant to external influences, diseases and infections. But the life expectancy of jungars, unfortunately, is only 2-2,5 years.