Cricetulus Barabensis

1 Cricetulus Barabensis Breed Overview

The striped hamster (Cricetulus Barabensis), also known as the ground hamster, is a typical mammal. It is the dominant rodent species in some provinces north of the Yellow River in China, and in agriculture it is a harmful animal that spreads disease.

Chinese Name: Striped Hamster

Binomial Name: Cricetulus Barabensis

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Cricetidae

Subfamily: Cricetinae

Genus: Cricetulus

Species: Striped Hamster

Distribution: Also found in Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

2 Physical Characteristics of the Cricetulus Barabensis

The striped hamster likes to build nests and moves slowly, with its belly to the ground when moving. Females are stronger than males and more amorous; the male’s testes are relatively large, about 13 mm. Adults are 80 to 120 mm long and weigh 28 to 40 g. The body is stout, the snout blunt, and the ears round. The tail is short, about one quarter of the body length, and there are cheek pouches. There are 4 pairs of nipples. A dark stripe runs down the center of the back from the crown to the tail base, varying in prominence among subspecies.

3 Cricetulus Barabensis Living Habits

When stimulated externally, the striped hamster gives sharp calls. It is particular about its habits: it never mixes its sleeping, eating, and toilet areas, and it stores food separately by type.

Usually only one adult lives in a burrow; young and subadult hamsters live separately from the mother, digging burrows 35 to 100 m from the maternal nest. Mother and young are distributed in a circular pattern within the same area, where almost no other rodents dig, though passing through is allowed. The sex ratio is about 1 male to 3.7 females. The hamster ranges 80 to 200 m from its burrow but is most active within 80 to 150 m; it is more active after rain than in clear weather, and in winter its range shrinks as it lives on stored food. Population peaks are in May to June and October to November, and it does not hibernate. It is omnivorous, feeding mainly on crop seeds such as wheat, corn, and beans (over 60 percent of its diet), then weed seeds (about 20 percent), plus a few insects and plant stems, leaves, and roots.

4 Cricetulus Barabensis Care Tips

The striped hamster is a typical omnivore but feeds mainly on seeds, occasionally eating few insects and plants. Like other hamsters it breeds prolifically, with many young per litter, averaging 4 to 9, usually 6, and normally does not breed in winter.

Characteristics of the Striped Hamster

It is mainly nocturnal, hiding in burrows by day and active before dawn and after dusk, causing the most damage generally between 19:00 and 21:00. In spring it digs up sown wheat, corn, and pea seeds, then gnaws seedlings, especially liking legume sprouts; at grain-filling it eats ears and fruit and jumps to spread damage; when eating fruit and melons it picks the ripe, sweet ones; in autumn nights it carries mature grain and oil crops back to the burrow to store for winter. Surveys show the striped hamster causes wheat losses of 12.6 to 16.5 percent, legumes 9.6 to 15.6 percent, and orchards 9.0 percent.

Active at night with two peaks from dusk to dawn, most intense at 20 to 22. It is more active in summer and autumn than in spring and winter, and rarely leaves the burrow in deep winter.

Breeding of the Striped Hamster

Temperature and rainfall are important factors affecting population change. At a monthly average of 10 degrees C activity is low; at 15 degrees C it becomes frequent, and the optimal breeding temperature is 20 to 25 degrees C. The May temperature strongly affects autumn numbers: if May is warm with ample food, that year’s young grow well and breed, sharply raising the autumn population.