Through our three affiliated regional clubs we arrange and organise hamster shows throughout the UK where you will see hamsters of differerent colours and species that you may never have seen in pet shops. They have terrible eyesight but their senses of smell and touch, as well as their whiskers, help them navigate. Hamsters are omnivorous, which means they eat both vegetable and animal materials. They're nocturnal, so they stay in their burrows during daylite. The European hamster has brown dorsal fur with white patches. This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only. In general, hamsters in the wild would survive primarily on a diet of seeds and other plant matter. Chinese hamsters in northern China and Mongolia. Thanks in particular to Katherine Wynne-Edwards for permission to use information from her article in BBC Wild Life magazine and to Fred Petrij and Rob Dekker from their book on dwarf hamsters… Since they're in the wild, they burrow underground in the dessert. I'm sure last year, in a lecture, we were told a story about a couple of hamsters that escaped in Manchester years ago. On the opposite side of the spectrum so called dwarf hamsters may only grow two to four inches. Russian dwarf hamsters in Siberia. Roborovski Hamsters Pinterest.com. European varieties, for example, can measure just over thirteen inches in length. You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet. A few thousand persist on many of the Scottish islands, derived from escaped pets, there are also small numbers widespread through the UK. There is also a species not nearly as commonly kept as pets known as the european hamsters... obviously they are found in Europe Probably should go in the reintroductions section, althought the animals were not released as part of a programme of reintroduction but were escapes from farmed animals. But although they’re widely thought to make excellent pets, hamsters are actually very well evolved to live happily in the wild without cages, wheels, toys or owners. The Syrian hamster, however, has been specifically bred into many different forms by many different breeders, so some of them look very different from their wild ancestors, as you can see below. All hamsters are nocturnal, or active at night. Wild hamsters are found throughout much of Europe and Asia. The tail is short and furred. Wild syrian hamsters can be found in Syria, hence the name. At around 4-9 cm, the Roborovski hamsters are the smallest. It is much larger than the The chest and belly are black. The tail is short and furred. The National Hamster Council is dedicated to encouraging the keeping, breeding and exhibition of all species of hamster to a required standard. There are 26 different species of hamster living in the wild around the world, although not always in huge numbers. Hamsters that haven’t been bred in captivity for very long, such as the Chinese or Roborovski hamster, still look a lot like their wild counterparts. HAMSTERS. There are presently about twenty four different hamster species which vary in size. They live in burrows and dig steep tunnels, some 1-2 metres (2-6 feet) beneath the sand. Wild Boar - Sus scrofa. They dug and bred so efficiently that the extensive tunnelling eventually rendered a whole row of terraced homes unsafe. The Syrian hamster, which is often referred to as a teddy bear hamster, is probably the one most of us are familiar with. The chest and belly are black. This scent lasts at least eight days. and robos in the Gobi desert. In fact, the word “hamster” is derived from the German word for “hording”. There are five main types of hamsters, let’s take a closer look at them.. 1. Re: Could a hamster survive in the wild in UK? Roborovski hamsters, or 'Desert hamster' (Latin: Phodopus Roborovskii), originate from Mongolia and Northern China where they live in semi-arid areas with little vegetation. Another hamster coming to a grooming place will roll there to add its own scent. It’s not uncommon for hamsters in the wild to be seen eating insects, and for hamsters in captivity to enjoy foodstuffs such as pieces of boiled egg. Yes, hamsters live in the wild. Take a look at how the black-bellied hamster compares to a common pet hamster. The species most commonly purchased as a pet, the Syrian/teddy bear/golden variety of hamster, usually reaches about six inches in length.