Hello ladies and gentlemen, the respectable pet owners who are looking for a guide on animals care and husbandry. Now, today, we are going to discuss hamster and their relatives Cobayes or some people called it Guinea Pig. Although you might see that it is similar to the hamster, they are actually quite different.
Cobayes or guinea pig are related to a hamster. Both of them are looking awfully similar. They are small, cute fluffy ball of furs, with little nose and mouth with cute little teeth and of course very adorable to pet. However, they are certainly different animals. They are two different animals, with distinct differences in many things from size, diets, behavior, habits and many more. Some people consider Cobayes or guinea pig as a hamster, and because of that, they treat them like they treat hamster. This is actually a misconception where you can’t treat Cobayes the same as you treat ordinary hamster. It will take slight extra attention and care.
So what are the differences between guinea pig and hamster? Why some people consider these two are the same, and how we can differentiate between them? If you are looking to buy a cute little hamster or guinea pig as your home pet, then you might need to consider to choose between them. How we can differentiate these two cute little ball of fur? And Do the Cobayes Can Categorize as Hamster? Right now we will answer this question right away.
The differences between Cobayes or Guinea Pig and Hamster
It is a very good question about what is differences between Cobayes and hamster as many people are often mixed up by this. If you look closely, actually they clear differences in their body shape and behavior. So, what are the differences between Cobayes or Guinea pig and Hamster?
- Their body shape
Judging by their size and body shape, Cobayes are generally bigger and they also have a longer body shape. Hamster is generally smaller than guinea pig and it is actually a clear distinction between Cobayes and hamster. Adult hamster can only grow for up to 5-6 cm, and some certain species could grow into 7 cm. Cobayes though, they can grow up to 16-17 cm for the adult. Hamster has a smaller and rotund body, where Cobayes have a slender and long body.
- Their legs and paws
Cobayes always use their front paw to walk, so they walk generally with four legs and rarely stand with only their hind legs. Hamster though, their front paws are used for many ways, from holding their foods, climbing, standing up, gnawing, and many more. Hamsters can sometimes stand with only their hind legs.
- Their genus and sub-family
Both of Cobayes and hamster belongs to the same order, and it is the order of Rodentia. However, they belong to different genus and sub-family. Cobayes belong to genus Cavia, while hamster belongs to the subfamily of Cricetinae. Well, to put it simply, they are distant cousins. Hamster and mice are cousins, while hamster and guinea pig are a distant cousin.
- Diets
Cobayes are herbivore which means they eat seeds and grains. Cobayes or guinea pig has a strange habit, and that is Coprophages So that they sometimes eat their own poop. Yes, you hear it right. Cobayes or guinea pig sometimes eat their own poop. This is because they have a certain metabolism that makes them can digest poop and obtain even more nutrition from it.
Hamster is omnivorous, as they can eat a wide variety of foods from seeds, grains, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and they also can eat meat. What you need to watch from hamster is, a hamster can also sometimes have cannibal habit. This is sometimes when mother hamster doesn’t recognize their own babies and eat their own babies. This is caused by mother hamster losing the smell of their babies and can’t recognize their own babies.
- Social Habits and interaction
There is quite a difference in the social habits of Cobayes and hamster. Cobayes are social animals, which means they can get along pretty well with other animals. Male Cobayes with other male Cobayes get along pretty well, and they are even getting along with creature from different species. Cobayes can get along just fine with other animals such as rabbit, but make sure you get them safe from any other animals that are a predator to Cobayes.
Hamster is quite solitude animals. They sure can get along with other hamsters, but they tend to be quite competitive. They can compete for foods, drinks, nests, and mate. If you have a group of a hamster with a largely male population, they tend to have a destructive competition that can be resulted in a fight, harm and even death of your hamster. You need to keep it in mind if you want to take care of the hamster.
- Time of active (Nocturnal or day dweller)
There is a clear difference in time of action for Cobayes and Hamster. Cobayes are mostly active during days, or the most active whenever you are active too. If you bought Cobayes from breeding, then mostly they are trained to be active during days.
Hamster is different, since hamster is nocturnal, meaning that they will act and running around during night then sleep and doze off for all day long. So you might want to leave your hamster be if you see them sleeping peacefully.
So, in conclusion, the answer to Do the Cobayes Can Categorize as Hamster? Is that Cobayes can’t be categorized as Hamster. They are two different animals, with much of differences from different sub-family, different body type, different diets, and we have listed most of it here. Many people are still categorizing Cobayes as a hamster. It might be fine in some case, but it is better to categorize Cobayes as an entirely different from Hamster. If you are looking for a guide on how to take care of a hamster, Cobayes, and many more animals, then you must take a look at our site.