Basically, all animal pet was living as wild. Cute animal like rabbit, cat, or hamster does living free and wild before human know how to tame, pet or raise them. Whatever human’s goal to related with animal, the animal was living free and wild and so does hamster.
Hamsters come from wasteland areas in the Middle East. They live in holes dug up to tens of meters deep. The hole is designed in such a way that it resembles a cave branching with various kinds of rooms that are made according to different needs, for example there are special holes for storing food, holes for removing waste, holes for sleeping, etc.
Talk about wild, it can be representative of behaviour too. Technically, hamster will bite you at the first moment you both met. It doesn’t mean that they hate you, but it is their natural habit. They love bite so bite doesn’t mean hate. Some of hamster scare of human. It also doesn’t mean that they hate human and can’t be tame as pet animal.
No one hamster that really wild. It is about your ability to tame them so they can getting used with you. Wild hamster just hamster that rarely pet by people. Here are some facts how hamster as wild animal before become so friendly and become your friend.
- The history
Syrian hamsters are the oldest hamster during civilization discovery and change of hamsters into pets. Also, one of the most popular pet hamster species in North America and Western Europe is the Syrian Hamster found in the wild in 1797. Zoologist Israel Aharoni during an expedition in 1930 to look for this Syrian Hamster. He and the local Sheikh El-Beled were found a golden hamster that also known as Syrian Hamster and 11 young children who lived 8 feet (2.4 meters) below the wheat field. After that, he brought the hamster to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Since that people raise Syrian Hamster and it spreads both in universities, zoos, and our home like present. Another source says that hamster transported from Syria to America. According to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, on 1936 is the first time domesticated for hamster in US, still using the oldest hamster, Syrian.
- Characteristic
A habitual as rodent animal can’t be leave by hamster since a long ago. They love to biting and chewing. Beside habitual, their appearance does like other rodent animal which is small, short tails and tiny ears. What’s make them different with mouse on that time is they are available on much colour like gold, brown, light brown, grey, white, and other combination of colour. Basically, hamster is a soft animal. They are so gentle and lovely but they will bite unconsciously when they feel shock or unexpectedly awoken. There are presently about 24 different hamster species which vary in size. The species most commonly purchased as a pet such as Syrian, Teddy Bear, and Golden variety of hamster that usually reaches about six inches in length. It proves that Syrian and Dwarf Hamster has high competition.
- Behaviour
Hamster is more active on night or we know as nocturnal animal. They will dig some tunnels to spend the night time. Those tunnels usually use to safe any food all around their cage. On wild living, hamster living underground and they dig to expand their home. Hamster is animal endemic of dessert. They will catch lower temperature by living underground. When the winter come, they will hibernate to safe their energy. Talk about behaviour, hamster is actually a social animal. They can live in a colony together. It is little bit different with Syrian Hamster which is a loner. They don’t too colony orientation.
- Wild diet hamster
There are differences when hamster diet on wild life and being a pet animal. If as pet animal they consume something that can still consume by human, but in wild life they will eating insect, frog, and lizard as their diet menu.
The key to change wild animal become pet animal is patient. You must realize that to tame animal does need time. Patient doesn’t enough to create new behaviour that suitable to your character. They do can be what you want but you have to teach them first.
Tame or change their wild side doesn’t easy. Every creature life has their own wild side. Wild side doesn’t always bite or kick you, being greedy is also wild symptom moreover if you pet more than one animal at the same time.