Hamster Lifespan In The Wild
These fluctuations in some areas inform the burrowing of hamsters underground and the growth of dense fur.
Hamster lifespan in the wild. The tunnels also serve to accommodate food storage and an environment large enough for breeding purposes. Lifespan of a wild hamster. However the lifespan varies depending on the type of hamster and ranges from 1 5 to 3 5 years. This hamster which can get up to fourteen inches or 35 centimeters long can live for up to eight years.
In fact the european hamster otherwise known as cricetus cricetus can live for up to 8 years. The gestation period for hamsters is less than 3 weeks. Therefore it stands to reason that the smaller the hamster the shorter its lifespan. The largest hamster in the world is the european hamster known by its scientific name cricetus cricetus.
Large in stature this hamster is double the size of a syrian. Chinese hamsters are. Although there are almost twenty species of hamster in the world. Lack of food drought diseases extreme temperatures and the risk of being killed by predators are reasons for the shorter lifespan in their natural habitat.
European or russian wild hamsters are thinner and smaller than house pets and might have longer fur. The current guinness record for world s oldest hamster stands at 4 5 years and is held by a uk owned hamster of unknown species though it s probably safe to assume it was a dwarf hamster rather than a syrian. Many people believe that hamsters live up to an age of 4 years or more. On average siberian dwarf hamsters live between 18 months 2 years in captivity.
The average life span of a hamster is around 2 3 years. Hamsters from desert regions may be pale yellow or golden or reddish brown with stripes which reflects the rocky deserts of asia and the middle east. We ve already mentioned that some hamster species live longer than others so you re probably wondering which type of hamster has the longest lifespan. All hamsters wild and domestic have relatively short lifespan only a couple of years.
Other than climatic conditions hamsters in the wild have to adapt to variations in food volumes. These places have wide temperature variations and can change from scorching hot to frigidly cold in a short time. Here is lifespan information for specific hamster species. The lifespan of campbell dwarf hamsters and chinese dwarf hamsters is a little bit lower with an average of 2 2 5 years.
Hamsters attain maturity in a very short time. How long do russian dwarf hamsters live. Hamster lifespan by hamster type. Wild hamsters generally have more markings than their pet cousins in order to better blend into the terrain around them.
On average a hamster will live for around 2 5 years. When it becomes too cold outside wild hamsters will opt to hibernate. In optimal surroundings the average lifespan for a pet hamster is 2 2 5 years. Smaller varieties of hamsters tend to live for only two to three years.
Wild hamsters dig a series of tunnels which provides them with enough living space to spend most of their time. The average life span of a dwarf hamster is even shorter at 2 years and in very rare cases a little above that. Living under the earth also provides the small rodents with a cooler temperature in an otherwise hot climate. In the wild hamsters have can live for many years longer than pet hamsters in captivity can providing they steer clear of predators.
In the wild hamsters often inhabit sparse rocky and desert areas. For the sake of comparison hamsters reach puberty after around 8 weeks of age. However not all hamsters are fortunate enough to live this long.