1.
How will you feed your animal and what are your feeding
choices?
I will feed my pet every 6:00
p.m.~7:00 p.m. So my pet could know when is her dinnertime. I will choose many
different kind of food so she could choice which kind of food she wants to eat.
2.
How will you house your animal? List down the things you are
going to put inside their house and their significance for your pet. Think of
your pet’s comfort and well being.
3.
How will you handle your pet? Research about how to take care
of your pet properly. List down the dos and don’ts in handling your pet.
Dos
- Establish a routine where
my hamster
will know that you are feeding and playing with it. It may even look forward to
the next playtime!
-Small treats given to my hamster after playing with it will help your hamster gain confidence in you and know that you mean no harm.
-Talk/whistle to my hamster and they may
learn to recognize your voice.
-Prepare enough food and
water.
-Remember to clean my
hamster’s cage.
Don'ts
-Never pick up your hamster when it is still sleeping.
-Make sure my fingers do not smell of food or your hamster may
accidentally nip it, mistaking it for food.
-Upon alerting my hamster of your presence (by
tapping softly on the cage, for e.g.), give it enough time to investigate your
presence.
-Do not blow or breathe heavily on the hamster.
-A sure sign that hour hamster is annoyed will be that its
ears are curled and laid back. Do not handle the hamster when this happens.
•
4.
Tell us about the behavior of your pet
Hamsters are nocturnal, and sleep through most of the day. It is
tempting for owners to want to wake their hamsters to play when they are asleep.
This is very disruptive to your hamster and causes stress. My hamster will bite my sometime. Hamsters can also get stressed by an improper
environment; too small of a cage or frequent loud noises for example. Stress
can make your hamster sick or even die.
5.
How will you take care of your pet’s health? Research about
this.
If my hamster
does become sick or injured, I will take her to a vet who is
experienced with treating small animals. It is also a good idea to
plan ahead by asking
the pet store personnel for some recommendations. When playing with her or looking at her, be aware
that if she is acting weird or not feeling well. Be sure that to take care the
change in temperature because she is sensitive to these changes.
6.
List down possible problems that may arise with your pet,
while in your care and the immediate solution that you will take if a problem
arises.
- Illness-
find a vet to cure her
-Bit
my finger- wear gloves
-Feel
to cold or too hot- prepare things that make her feel confortable
- Picky
about food- try to control her diet and try to let her eat everything by taking
away her favorite foods, like seeds
7.
Know your pet’s details by knowing and understanding their anatomy.
This includes their eyes, nose, skin, tongue, limbs, tail, internal organs,
thermo regulation and some characteristic feature unique to your animal only.
Eyes
Hamsters have a poor sense of sight despite having large
protruding and round eyes. They are near sighted, and hence are unable to see
objects that are in close range. However, the lateral position of their eyes
meant that they can see a wide angle of vision, and are able to spot
movements of other animals and predators from a greater perceived distance.
Hamsters are rumored to be color blind, being able only to see in different
shades of black and white. They are also believed to be nearly blind in
bright daylight. Some also believed that hamsters with red or ruby eyes have
poorer eyesight than hamsters with black eyes.
Ears
To compensate for a hamster's poor eyesight, a hamster's
sense of hearing is very well developed. Hamsters are able to hear a wide
range of sounds, including sounds made in the ultrasonic frequencies This
helps hamsters to communicate with each other without being heard by other
animals.
The hamster's sense of hearing is so keen that they can often be
seen to freeze when they hear unfamiliar sounds or noises. Therefore, they
should be kept away from loud noises, especially when they are transported
outside the home.
A hamster's ears are delicately thin and can be easily
bitten by other hamsters should a fight occurs.
Nose
Hamsters have an acute sense of smell, and they can
distinguish one another by their distinct scents. They also makes use of the
distinct musk like liquid produced from their scent glands to identify other
hamsters as well as to mark their territory. They may also be able to tell
the sex of another hamster through their sense of smell.
Due to hamsters'
keen sense of smell, they can also recognize their owners when they are
handled often. If you carry a hamster before handling another one, the second
hamster may also pick up the previous hamster's scent from your hands. They
may also give you a nip on your finger if your hand smells of food. For these
reasons, you should always wash your hands before handling your hamster.
Cheek Pouches
Hamsters got their name from the word 'hamper',
which means 'to hoard', as a result of this interesting feature of their
anatomy.
Hamsters use their cheek pouch to collect and transport food and
nesting material from one place to another. When emptying their cheek pouch,
they will use their forepaws to push the contents from the back of the cheek
pouch forwards. This is especially important in the wild, as the cheek pouch
enables a hamster to hoard and store food in winter, and when food supplies
are low.
The skin lining a hamster's cheek pouch is dry and tough, and
digestive processes such as salivating on the food do not occur in the cheek
pouch, ensuring that the food stored in the pouch remains dry and fresh. The
bristly texture of the cheek pouch's skin also prevents food from falling out
into their mouth.
Whiskers
A hamster's sensory whiskers helps it to navigate around
its surroundings and detect objects around its environment. Whiskers, or vibrissae,
are found not only on the face but also on the sides of the body. A hamster's
whisker helps the nocturnal animal to move and feel around its surroundings
with ease in the nighttime.
Mouth/Teeth
Hamsters are classified as
rodents because they have enlarged, chisel-shaped upper and lower front incisors
that grow throughout their lives. Falling or broken teeth is not a sign of
old age, but a condition that needs veterinary attention. A hamster's mouth
contains 16 teeth - four incisors and 8 molars.
Because a hamster's
incisors continue to grow throughout its life, they need to gnaw continuously
to grind the teeth down. Overgrown teeth are a painful condition and will
prevent a hamster from closing its mouth properly.
A hamster may sometimes
bite parts of its cage (such as the wire bars, water bottle and wheel) if
they do not have sufficient gnawing materials. Supply your hamster with
sufficient gnawing toys, wood chews, nibblers and hard foods such as corncob
to satisfy their need for gnawing.
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