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Eyes: Although hamsters have large black eyes, they can not see very well, especially when it comes to long distance. Despite this, they can see from almost every angel, even somewhat behind them. This is because their eyes are placed more to the side of the head, rather than in the middle like our eyes are. Thanks to this, they can see danger and their surroundings from all around.
Bodies: Hamsters are remarkably strong, mostly in the shoulders and legs. They are excellent at digging, and can remove huge quantities of dirt in a short amount of time. And because their bodies are flexible, they can squeeze into the smallest of spaces, and dig very tight tunnels.
Legs and Paws: All hamsters have short front legs, and slightly longer back legs, more so to the Roborovski hamster. The front legs are the stronger of the two, making them good climbers. And because the back legs are longer, they are very fast animals. There are four toes on each front paw, and five toes on each back paw.
Skin: Their skin is fitted quite loosely like squirrels, providing a good defence mechanism. Because of this, it is possible to get bitten quite severely when giving a health check as they may feel threatened. This is the same case in the wild. They will turn when held, bite, and then run off at surprising speeds to escape.
Cheek Pouches: Cheek pouches are both bizarre, and intriguing. They are used to collect and transport large quantities of food and bedding to and from nests. Each hamster has two pouches on either side of the mouth. Because of this, their disfigured looking faces may appear swollen. Many new hamster owners may mistake this for an illness or abscess. If this appears constant over a certain amount of time, you may want to get the hamster checked out to make sure it isn't anything serious.
The pouches can enlarge to one third of the hamsters entire body! It can sometimes restrict the hamsters shoulder movement when trying to move. When the hamster is frightened or needs to empty his cheek pouches, he'll use either front paw to help push the food out of that pouch into the floor.
Whiskers: These are one of the most important parts of the hamsters body as it enables them to feel objects and the surroundings around them, which makes up for their poor eye sight. The other name for them is "Vibrissae". Surprisingly, they aren't just located near the nose and eyebrows, but also on the sides of their body.
Scents and Smells: This is another important part of a hamster. They depend on their nose to lead them to food and water, warn them of danger, identify other mammals, find their home and to tell them when to breed. Each hamster has a scent glad on their belly. It's more noticeable on males, and looks like a yellow stain. These help hamsters to figure out what sex another hamster is, mark their territory and to recognize each other.
Teeth: Because all Rodent teeth continually grow, you may find that they chew on hard surfaces, like the bars of their cage or their house. This is to shorten their teeth to a comfortable length and is seen as natural behaviour, not destructive, though it can appear that way. Always make sure to place some wood or gnawing blocks in the hamsters cage so they can shorten their teeth safely.
Hearing: Like most animals, hamsters have excellent hearing and are able to hear a wide range of sounds, including ultrasonic sounds. Even at a young age, baby hamsters can call to their mothers in this range. This helps them as they can communicate with each other without being heard by every predator.
Facts:
- Dwarf hamsters have four toes on the front feet, and five toes on the back feet.
- Long Vibrissae (whiskers) help the hamster to find its way.
- The mid-ventral scent gland on the hamsters belly is used to mark territory.
- The word Hamster derived from the German word "Hamstern", which meant to hoard.
- All rodents have continual growing teeth, and need wood blocks to "file" them down.
- Although hamsters are nocturnal, most hamsters divide their days with periods of sleeping and waking up
- Dwarf hamsters can live together in pairs or small groups if introduced at a young age.
- In the wild, hamsters scavenge for shreds of hair, wool and grasses to line their tunnels to maintain heat.
- In the wild, hamsters can dig tunnels between 3 ft and 6 ft deep.
- To compensate for their poor eye sight, hamsters use their scent glands to find their way home.
- Dwarf hamsters stand out as one of the most interesting of the 1,814 rodent species.
- Dwarf hamsters are referred to as "Pocket Pets" because they are so small they can literally fit in your pocket.
