SYRIAN HAMSTERS Care and Management

Individual housing Hamsters are aggressive and territorial. Individual housing after weaning at 21 to 28 days of age will prevent morbidity from fight wounds and subsequent infections. If same sex groups are housed together after weaning, they must be observed frequently for bite wounds and abscesses.

Diet Dietary requirements for Syrian hamsters have not been described in detail, but a standard commercial rat or mouse diet with protein levels of 18 to 19% and 4-5% of fat are considered adequate. Supplementation with fruits and vegetables is probably unnecessary. However, hamsters are subject to vitamin E deficiency, resulting in fetal death

Hamster eating As shown in this image, hamsters have a broad muzzle and shorter snout than rats or mice, making it difficult for them to eat from a wire or slotted feeder. For this reason, commercial diets can be placed on the floor of the cage for easier feeding

HANDLING and IDENTIFICATION Picking up Many people are nervous about handling hamsters. The hamster lacks a tail to assist in restraint, and hamsters are more aggressive than rats or mice. However, there are several ways to safely pick up and manipulate hamsters. This drawing depicts one method. The hamster is grasped around the head and shoulders, with the thumb directed toward the tail.

One-hand grasp An effective method for firm restraint is to place the hamster on a flat surface and cover it with your palm with the thumb near the hamster's head. Slowly close the hand allowing the loose skin to bunch, as shown here. You will be grasping the skin, not the body of the hamster.

Picking up Grasp the loose skin over the back firmly and lift the hamster. Its eyes may appear to bulge when the skin of the head and neck is grasped firmly, but this is not painful or dangerous This method of restraint is satisfactory for administering injections, gavage, or other manipulations.

Use of container For short transfers for example, from one cage to another, a 500 ml plastic beaker or similarly sized container may be used, as long as it does not have sharp edges and can be sanitized.

Two-hand carry Another form of handling for a short transfer—the two-handed carry

Review http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/tutorials/BVA04-Hamster/Hamster.html

Identification Individually housed hamsters can be identified by cage card, without physical marking of the animals. Ear notches or ear tags are effective identification Currently, subcutaneously implanted microchip transponders with unique encoded numbers are being used in some facilities for animal identification.

ANESTHESIA, ANALGESIA, and EUTHANASIA Ketamine + xylazine Although a wide range of either injectable or gas anesthetics have been used with hamsters, only a few common examples are presented in this program. Ketamine hydrochloride administered intraperitoneally (IP) at 50 to 200 mg/kg body weight in combination with xylazine at 10 mg/kg will provide 30 to 70 min of anesthesia.

Contraindication Although ketamine and xylazine are effective when administered IP, this combination should not be administered SC, because it does not provide surgical levels of anesthesia. Ketamine and xylazine should not be administered intramuscularly (IM) for survival surgery because of resultant muscle inflammation and necrosis

Gas anesthetics Gas anesthetics include methoxyflurane, halothane, isoflurane, and ether. Isoflurane is the most common gas anesthetic

Heating pad

Resuscitation Doxapram should be available for resuscitation. Doxapram is administered as a single drop on the tongue or mucous membranes. Hamsters may also be resuscitated manually, by massaging the thorax or using a small hand insufflator

Euthanasia Two methods of euthanasia are commonly used with hamsters. An overdose of sodium pentobarbital administered at 200 mg/kg body weight IP is effective. Placing a hamster in a precharged CO2 chamber is also effective.