The Syrian Hamster or Golden Hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a very well-known member of the rodent subfamily Cricetinae, the hamsters. In the wild they are now considered vulnerable, due to farmers poisoning them, but are popular as housepets and scientific research animals. Adults grow from 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) in length, and will usually have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years. They do not like direct sunlight. Although often considered noctu...
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The Syrian Hamster or Golden Hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a very well-known member of the rodent subfamily Cricetinae, the hamsters. In the wild they are now considered vulnerable, due to farmers poisoning them, but are popular as housepets and scientific research animals. Adults grow from 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) in length, and will usually have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years. They do not like direct sunlight. Although often considered nocturnal, Syrian hamsters display crepuscular behaviour, being most active at dusk and dawn.
Like most members of the subfamily, the Syrian Hamster has expandable cheek pouches, which extend from its cheeks to its shoulders. In the wild, hamsters are larder hoarders; they use their cheek pouches to transport food to their burrows. Their name in the local Arabic dialect where they were found translates to "father of saddlebags" (Arabic: أبو جراب) due to the amount of storage space in their cheek pouches. If food is plentiful, they store it in large...
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