Teddy Bear Hamster Lifespan: What You Need to Know About Their Age
Without appropriate care, the vitality of a teddy bear hamster may reduce to the extent that it can die early. And the factors affecting their vitality will differ in captivity and the wild. You need to take those factors into account to increase their lifespan.
So, teddy bear hamster lifespan: what do you need to know about their age? In the wild, hamsters of this breed have a lifespan of 2-3 years. But in captivity, their lifespan goes up to 3-4 years. Also, with care, some of them may live more than 6-7 years.
In this article, we will enlighten you about the longevity and life cycle of this hamster breed. Also, you will learn about threats to their life and ways to extend their lifespan. So, without any further ado, let’s start.
Teddy Bear Hamster Lifespan
These hamsters are also known as golden or Syrian hamsters. In the wild, they can live up to 2-3 years on average. But in captivity, they will live a little longer.
The reason is, in the wild, they are the prey of many predators like owls, snakes, and wild cats. But in captivity, their lifespan can be as much as 3-4 years. If you have this type of hamster as a pet, with proper care you can also extend its lifetime.
With proper care, they can live more than 4 years even. Many pet owners claimed that their golden hamster lived as long as 7 years.
Lifecycle Of Teddy Bear Hamster
Male golden hamsters become sexually mature within 4-6 weeks. But female members will take up to 8-10 weeks to become sexually mature.
After mating, when the female members get pregnant, the pregnancy period will last 15-18 days. Generally, there can be 5-10 pups in each of their litter. After 4-5 weeks, the pups can live separately from their mothers.
As the average lifespan of this rodent breed is 3 years, its 13.67 days will be 1 human year. That means a 1-month aged golden hamster is equivalent to 2 years old of human age.
Threats To the Longevity Of Teddy Bear Hamsters
The Syrian hamster’s life span is less due to numerous reasons. Here are some threats to their longevity:
Genetics
Any genetic predisposition and disorders can pass on from generation to generation in the golden hamster. If their ancestors had genes of short life or fatal disease, they might also inherit that.
Diseases
The golden hamster can suffer from many diseases like digestional issues, ear infections, diabetes, and respiratory infections. They can suffer from severe diarrhea known as “wet-tail” which is due to bacterial infection. Besides, they can also die at an early age due to severe pneumonia and diabetes.
Moreover, parasites can attack their ears and cause them tremendous pain. In this case, they can also lose their hearing ability.
Fights
Teddy bear hamsters are not very social with each other. Thus, if you put them together, they will fight for their territory. As a result, they may cause serious injury or death to each other.
Stressed
This hamster can remain stressed due to many reasons like improper handling or distribution during sleep. These stress levels can reduce their vitality prominently.
Also, if the mother golden hamster becomes stressed, it can even eat up its pups. Thus, due to their cannibalism, their pups can die before 4 weeks.
Ways To Extend The Lifespan Of Teddy Bear Hamster
Though there are numerous threats to their longevity, you can take proper care of them so that they can live a little longer. Here are some ways regarding that:
Appropriate Housing
You need to provide an aquarium that has a 10-gallon capacity for each golden hamster. Alongside this, ensure you’re keeping their cage in neither direct sunlight nor cold places.
Balanced Diet
To ensure a balanced diet you can provide them with a commercial hamster food mix. With this, you need to treat them with other fresh foods like mealworms, fresh fruits, and vegetables occasionally.
If the hamsters have diarrhea, avoid feeding them fresh fruits and vegetables until they get well. Moreover, make sure they are getting adequate water to keep themselves hydrated.
Proper Exercise
To ensure they live long, you need to provide them with enough exercise options in their cages. For example, climbing ladders, tunnels, running wheels, treadmills, etc. will be good options.
Regular Cleaning
You need to clean their food bowl, water dish, cage, and bedding at least 1-2 times a week. Also, remove their uneaten food from their cages daily.
If bad odor starts coming from your teddy bear hamsters, you need to clean them too. Check this youtube video to visualize how to clean them:
Chewing Toys
To prevent dental issues of your pet, give it something to chew. Tubes of paper towels, and wooden chewing toys made of non-toxic materials can be good options for that.
Frequent Checkup
If you detect any signs of behavioral changes, lethargy, dull eyes, weight loss, etc, consult with a vet for starting treatment shortly. Also, if you visit the vet for a hamster’s checkup frequently, you will have an idea about their health conditions.
FAQs
In this FAQs section, we will answer a few common questions about the longevity of teddy bear hamsters.
Q: How Dangerous Is The Wet-tail Disease For The Golden Hampster’s Longevity?
If you don’t treat these wet-tail diseases immediately after noticing the first symptom, the hamster may die within 24-48 hours. Even with treatment, the golden hamster may not survive more than 48-72 hours.
Q: How Do I Know That A Teddy Bear Hamster Is An Adult?
You can check the hamster’s weight and size to confirm whether it’s an adult or not. Generally, if it’s an adult, it will be almost 5-7 inches in size and weigh around 145-170 gm.
Q: What Indicates A Teddy Bear Hamster Is Getting Old?
If the hamster breed is getting old, there will be a reduction in their daily activity. It will get slower and refuse to exercise like before.
Conclusion
A Syrian hamster is quite prone to several bacterial diseases, which may reduce its lifetime. Thus, you need to take appropriate care of them so that they can live longer. We already mentioned the teddy bear hamster lifespan: what you need to know about their age.
On average, they may live approximately 3 years. There are also some records of their living up to 7 years. Normally, appropriate housing and environment, proper diet, exercise, maintaining cleanliness, etc. may keep them healthy and help them to survive longer.
