Teddy Syrian Hamster
Teddy Syrian Hamster Breed Profile
| Origin | Syria, Turkey |
| Genus | Mesocricetus |
| Scientific name | Mesocricetus auratus |
| Size | 4.8 to 6.2 inches (12-16 cm) |
| Color | Lots of colors; black or red eyes |
| Lifespan | 1.5 to 2 years |
| Personality | Easy to tame, fluffy fur, need careful (!) grooming |
| How to keep them | Separately |
Characteristics
The teddy hamster’s special feature is its lovely, soft, fluffy long fur. It grows to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long or even longer! As soon as you see such a cute little hamster, you just MELT. Teddy hamsters are a breed of Syrian hamster. They do not exist in the wild. They are sometimes called Angora hamsters. The dense fur is all the same length on male animals but just long on the back and rear of females (but they still look beautifully fluffy). Teddy hamsters are also lovingly referred to as teddy bear hamsters.
Caring for Teddy Fur
Things easily get stuck in such long fur. It’s mostly bedding straw or dirt. This should be removed with plenty of patience, calmness and care. If you try to pinch something out of your hamster’s fur, you could accidentally pluck out some of the hairs. It’s better to simply run your fingers through the fur from front to back. This is usually enough to remove anything. If not, use a plastic comb. If this doesn’t work, there’s only one option left: a trim with a pair of scissors.
Nutrition
As teddy hamsters care for their fur, they can sometimes swallow some of their long hair. This can lead to digestive problems. It’s best to give them special food, which you can buy at a pet store.
Picking Hamsters Up
If you want to care for a teddy hamster’s fur, you’ll obviously have to take it out of its cage. If you’re not (yet) familiar enough with your hamster, you should ideally gently coax it into a cup or a small cardboard box so it can’t run away.
And other than that? Always pick up your hamster with two hands. One hand should form a cup underneath and the other should lay gently on top. Always make sure that fresh air can get to your hamster. Once it’s calm, you can pick it up. Why is this so important? The hamster could get scared, try to run away and fall. Falling a couple feet might not be too bad for humans but it would be different for a hamster. To make it easy to understand: to account for our body size, it would be like an adult human falling around 30 feet (10 meters), so from the 3rd or 4th floor of a building (depending on the ceiling height).
