Turkish hamster

The Turkish hamster (Mesocricetus brandti), also referred to as Brandt's hamster,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Hamster-Care"/> Azerbaijani hamster,<ref name="Hamster-Care">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or avurtlak,<ref name="TrekNature">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a species of hamster native to Turkey,<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> Azerbaijan and other surrounding nations.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> The Turkish hamster, first catalogued in 1878,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> is a fairly close relative of the Syrian or golden hamster,<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> though far less is known about it, and it is rarely kept as a pet. The population of the Turkish hamster is said to be declining in the wild,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> yet this hamster is often used in laboratory testing.<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> Turkish hamsters have lifespans of about two years<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> and are solitary,<ref name="Hamster-Care"/><ref name="Pet Web Site">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> nocturnal animals, which practice hibernation.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Hamster-Care"/> They are reported to be more aggressive<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> than other members of the family Cricetidae.<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> They are tan and dark, sandy brown in color.<ref name="TrekNature"/> Like all hamsters, the Turkish hamster has cheek pouches that allow it to carry large amounts of food at one time.<ref name="TrekNature"/>

It is named after Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a German-born Russian zoologist and first Director of the Zoological Museum of the Academy of Science in St. Petersburg.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Habitat and behavior

Hamsters are found in the wild throughout Europe and Asia<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Hamster-Care"/> and are considered to be extremely adaptable,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> living in scrublands, sand dunes, desert steppes and farmlands.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Types of Hamsters">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The land where the Turkish hamster lives is extremely dry and open, with fairly little vegetation aside from grasses.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> Turkish hamsters usually live between 1,000 and 2,200 meters above sea level.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> This hamster burrows in the ground for shelter,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> and its burrows can be 20 inches to 6 feet below the ground surface.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> These burrows are complex, consisting of several tunnels leading to separate cells for nesting, food, and waste.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> Turkish hamster burrows are well-enough equipped for the hamsters to hibernate for four to 10 months (though sources do differ on this point),<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Hamster-Care"/> sometimes sleeping for 30 days at a time,<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> though usually waking weekly for a day or two of activity.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="Hamster-Care"/><ref name="Pet Web Site"/>

Diet

Turkish hamsters have fairly varied diets,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> subsisting primarily on grains and herbs.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> They do eat insects on occasion and store roots and leaves in their burrows for hibernation.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> As Turkish hamsters often live near and among farmlands, they often eat human crops and are considered a pest.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" />

Population and endangerment

The Turkish hamster is a rare species,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /><ref name="TrekNature"/> but is the most widespread of the family Cricetidae. Its ability to live in a variety of environments means the Turkish hamster often lives on farmlands, and is viewed as and controlled as an agricultural pest.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> In 1996, the Turkish hamster was categorized as an animal with the lowest risk of extinction,<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> but due to cases of direct poisoning by farmers, it is now near threatened.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> More data are needed to understand the population decline.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" />

Reproduction

Turkish hamsters are weaned from their mothers after three weeks of nursing.<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> After eight weeks of age, females are sexually mature,<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> but males do not mature until six months of age.<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> According to iucnredlist.org, Turkish hamsters have two to four litters of young per year, with four to 20 young per litter, averaging 10.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> Petwebsite.com differs on this point, arguing the litter size is between one and 13 young, with an average of 6.<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> The gestation lasts from 14 to 15 days,<ref name="Hamster-Care"/><ref name="Pet Web Site"/> or 16–17 days.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" /> The two main breeding seasons are spring and fall,<ref name="Pet Web Site"/> when daylength is about 15–17 hours per day.<ref name="Pet Web Site"/>

Relationship to other hamsters

All hamsters are solitary creatures and are generally aggressive. Turkish hamsters are most closely related to the Syrian or golden hamster.<ref name="Hamster-Care"/> The Turkish hamster is considered to be the more aggressive of the two, but this could be because the other species has been domesticated.<ref name="TrekNature"/><ref name="Types of Hamsters"/>

Domestic pets

Turkish hamsters are kept as a pet by some. Hamsters are aggressive by nature and these hamsters are recent pet species, yet this species is still improving. The domestication of the hamster was a fairly recent development;<ref name="Types of Hamsters"/> in 1930, a family of Syrian hamsters was domesticated,<ref name="Types of Hamsters"/> and this was the first instance of hamster domestication in history.<ref name="Types of Hamsters"/> Since then, only five of the 18 species of hamster<ref name="Types of Hamsters"/>— Campbell's dwarf hamster, the Djungarian hamster, the Roborovski hamster, the golden hamster, and the Chinese hamster—have been domesticated and are sold in pet shops.<ref name="Types of Hamsters"/> Turkish hamsters are often used in laboratory experiments.<ref name="Hamster-Care"/>