AY Honors/Small Mammal Pets/Answer Key
Roborovskis (Phodopus roborovski) are the smallest of the hamsters commonly kept as pets; they are also the fastest. They are distinguished by the white spots where their eyebrows would be. On average, they live the longest of any pet hamsters, living about three to three and a half years of age.
They are easily startled and are generally quite shy but curious. They're social and usually sleep together in one place. They aren't good pets for families with children. They are the world's fastest hamsters. They're obviously also not a good fit for someone who wants a hamster that they can cuddle. Roborovski's are certainly not cuddlers. They are generally the size of a thumb and can easily squeeze through the bar of the cage, so careful consideration of cage choice is important. Because of their size and speed, Roborovski's are best for people who prefer to observe rather than to play with their pet.
When observed they can be hilariously funny as they can often be seen scrapping. When they sleep, the fully grown ones are usually about the size of a ping pong ball. If kept together in mixed sex pairs or groups Roborovski Hamsters usually start to breed in the Spring following the year in which the female was born. Females often become sterile at around 24 months of age but males usually remain fertile for most of their life.
Roborovski hamsters are usually only pregnant for 23-30 days. When the young are born that usually look like beans. At around 5-6 days the skin may start to pigment and at 6-8 days hair begins to emerge and by 10-12 days the babies are covered in short fur and the eyelids are developing. At this time the babies may also start wandering around the cage, even though still blind. The female will usually collect the wandering babies and return them to the nest - this may be accompanied by squealing from the babies but is not usually anything to worry about. At 14-16 days of age the eyes open and the babies are covered in fur.
External links
de:Roborowski-Zwerghamster fr:Hamster de Roborovski ja:ロボロフスキーハムスター pl:Chomik Roborowskiego zh:沙漠侏儒倉鼠
