How long do hamsters live? How many years can they generally live?

Hamsters is the general term for animals in the subfamily Cricetinae. Some species have become popular pets in recent years because they are close to people, such as the Syrian hamster, Djungarian hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster, Roborovski hamster, and Chinese hamster. When choosing a hamster, we first need to understand the hamster's lifespan. Let's take a look together at how long hamsters live!

How long do hamsters live?

Under normal keeping conditions, the lifespan of hamsters is generally 2 to 3 years, with most hamsters living around 2 and a half years. There are also long-lived hamsters that live to more than 3 years, but after all, these are still few. However, the lifespan of the dwarf winter white and Roborovski types is generally slightly longer, between 3 and 3.5 years. Usually, male hamsters live longer than female hamsters, while female hamsters that have never given birth live longer than male hamsters.

Factors affecting hamster lifespan

1. Breed: Dwarf winter white and Roborovski hamsters have longer lifespans, and they can usually live more than 3 years. If you really hope your hamster will not leave you so soon, you might as well buy a dwarf winter white or Roborovski hamster.

2. Sex: Male hamsters are more likely to live long lives, except in one situation——female hamsters that have never given birth live longer than male hamsters.

3. Environment: No matter what kind of pet it is, a comfortable and hygienic environment can make them healthier, and healthy hamsters naturally live longer. At the same time, most hamsters are very timid, and even a little fright may make them tremble all over, so hamsters often shrouded in fear cannot become long-lived old “rats.” In addition, hamsters are solitary animals. Even if some hamsters can be kept together, as long as they are together, conflicts are unavoidable, so solitary hamsters live longer than group-housed hamsters.

4. Diet: Preparing fresh and nutritious food for hamsters can help them stay youthful. Usually the owner should check the food every 24 hours. If the hamster has not finished eating it, the owner should not let them eat it again, and should prepare new food for them instead. Likewise, water should also be changed once every 24 hours.

5. Injury and illness: Whether injured or sick, the owner must treat the hamster promptly, otherwise no one can guarantee how long they will hold on.

Taboos in hamster keeping

1. Do not feed them food that people eat. Too high in salt and too heavily seasoned, it will increase the burden on the hamster's body, especially foods such as snacks. However, unprocessed coarse grains can be fed, and corn and coix seed can both be fed.

2. Do not expose them directly to the sun. Hamsters are very afraid of heat. When summer comes, please use heat dissipation pads or marble to help them cool down.

3. Unless necessary, do not wash hamsters with water. It will make hamsters catch cold, and in severe cases they may die.

4. Please know your own hamster's breed. Apart from dwarf winter white and Roborovski hamsters, which are forbidden to be kept in the same cage, if dwarf winter white and Roborovski hamsters do not get along, they must also be kept in separate cages.

5. If you are not mentally prepared or do not have the financial ability, please do not keep female and male hamsters in the same cage. Hamsters have very impressive reproductive ability.

6. Do not use feed of unknown origin. If it has bugs or is moldy, please discard it and do not feed it!

7. Do not let hamsters drink raw water. Please let them drink boiled cooled water, or mineral water or purified water.

8. Do not use bamboo chopsticks, popsicle sticks, or similar things to let hamsters grind their teeth. Please use hamster-specific teeth-grinding products and feed available on the market.

9. Do not use newspaper, facial tissue, or similar materials as bedding. Newspaper has too much ink, and facial tissue contains bleach.

10. Do not keep hamsters in too small a space. The space should at least have supplies such as a running wheel, water bottle, and small nest (except for bear-type hamsters).

11. Do not keep hamsters in an air-conditioned room, so as to avoid harming their health.