Ellen.goleas

• Overview and Physical Description

The Turkish Hamster (Mesocricetus brandti), also referred to as Brandt’s Hamster. , The Azerbaijani Hamster,or Avurtlak, is a species of hamster native to Turkey, Armenia and other surrounding nations. The Turkish Hamster, first catalogued in 1878, is a fairly close relative of the Syrian Hamster and the Golden Hamster, though far less is known about it, and is rarely kept as a pet (some sources state that the hamster is not kept widely as a pet while others simply say that the hamster cannot be kept as a pet due to its aggressive nature) . The population of the Turkish Hamster is said to be declining in the wild, yet this hamster is often used in laboratory testing. Turkish Hamsters have a life span of approximately two yearsand are solitary, nocturnal animals who practice hibernation. . They are reported to be more aggressivethan other members of the Cricetidae Family and are tan and dark, sandy brown in color. Like all hamsters, the Turkish Hamster has cheek pouches that allow it to carry large amounts of food at one time.

• Habitat and Burrowing Behavior

Hamsters are found in the wild throughout Europe and Asia and are considered to be extremely adaptable, living in scrublands, sand dunes, desert steppes and farmlands. The land in which the Turkish Hamster lives is extremely dry and open, with fairly little vegetation aside from grass. Turkish hamsters usually live between 1,000 and 2,200 meters above sea level, though some have been found both above and below this range. This hamster burrows in the ground for shelter, and its burrows can be anywhere from 20 inches to 6 feet below the ground surface. These burrows are complex, consisting of several tunnels leading to separate cells for nesting, food, and waste. Turkish Hamster burrows are well-enough equipped for the hamsters to hibernate for anywhere between 4 and 10 months (though sources do differ on this point), sometimes sleeping for 30 days at a time, though usually waking weekly for a day or two of activity.

• Diet

Turkish hamsters have a fairly varied diet, subsisting primarily on grains and herbs. They do eat insects on occasion and store roots and leaves in their burrows for hibernation. As Turkish Hamsters often live near and among farmlands, they often eat human crops and are considered a pest.

• Population and Endangerment

The Turkish Hamster is a rare species, but is the most widespread of the Cricetidae family. Its ability to live in a variety of environments means that the Turkish Hamster often lives on farmlands, and is seen as a pest. Because the Turkish Hamster is looked on as a nuisance by farmers in its area of habitation, the population of the Turkish Hamster is in rapid decline. In 1996, the Turkish Hamster was categorized as an animal with the lowest risk of extinction, but due to cases of direct poisoning by farmers, the Turkish Hamster is now near threatened. More data is needed to understand the population decline of the Turkish Hamster.

• Reproduction

Turkish Hamsters are weaned from their mothers after three weeks of nursing. After eight weeks of age, female Turkish Hamsters are sexually mature, but male Turkish Hamsters do not mature until six months of age. According to iucnredlist.org, Turkish hamsters have two to four litters of young per year, with anywhere from 4 to 20 young per litter, averaging 10 young per litter. Petwebsite.com differs on this point, arguing that the litter size of the Turkish Hamster is between 1 and 13 young, with an average of 6 young. Hamster-Care.com and petwebsite.com state that the pregnancy of Turkish Hamsters lasts from 14 to 15 days, while iucnredlist.org puts the gestation period of the Turkish Hamster at 16-17 days. The two main breeding seasons of the Turkish Hamster are Spring and Fall, when there are approximately 15-17 hours of daylight per day.

• Relationship to other Hamsters

All wild hamsters are solitary creatures and are generally aggressive. Turkish Hamsters are most closely related to the Syrian Hamster and the Golden Hamster, and together these hamsters make up the entirety of the Crecitidae Family. The Turkish Hamster is considered to be the most aggressive of the three, but this could be because the other two varieties of Crecitidae have been domesticated.

• Turkish Hamsters as Pets

Turkish Hamsters are not generally kept as pets due to their aggression, but the Syrian Hamster and Golden Hamster, the closest relatives of the Turkish Hamster, are extremely common in pet stores all across the world. The domestication of the hamster was a fairly recent development; in 1930, a family of Syrian hamsters was domesticated, and this was the first instance of hamster domestication in history. Since then, only five of the eighteen varieties of hamster—the Russian Dwarf Hamster, the Winter White Russian Hamster, the Roborovski Hamster, the Golden Hamster, and the Chinese Hamster—have been domesticated and are sold in pet shops. Other varieties of hamster remain in the wild, and Turkish Hamsters are often used in laboratory experiments.