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Old 12-26-2015, 07:15 AM   #1
HamsterObsessed
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Smile How to age hamsters

Hi there

Not sure if this is the right place to post but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on working out the age of Syrian Hamsters?

Thanks
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Old 12-26-2015, 07:35 AM   #2
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

I think the simple answer is you can't really!
Once they mature they don't really show any changes & even with young hams that aren't fully mature you can't really age them precisely.
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Old 12-26-2015, 09:09 AM   #3
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

You can only take a guess if no information is known of Date of Birth but one thing I know can show immediately if a hamster is old(IF the hamster in question is Healthy that is) is their ear fur. Really young adults have their ears completely covered with fine fur. At around 8 months (Plus or minus) that fur starts falling out and the ears becomes eventually around 18 months(again Plus or Minus) completely bald, and very shiny.

Their teeth also can give clues as a young adult has rather small and pointed teeth, where and elderly Hamster has much bigger and often uneven teeth showing quite a lot of wear. However you can't go by the yellow coloring as that is a natural occurrence after just 5-6 weeks. Of course this clue is tossed out the door if the younger hamster has been housed in a bar cage as bar chewing can make a young healthy adult's teeth look very old and worn very quick. However the younger hamster who has bar chewed if removed from the bars will usually grow healthy teeth back where and elderly hamster will take a much longer time to regrow(if they regrow) a proper size and shape tooth(teeth)

Thinning of the fur around the head and hips can also be a tool to know at least if the above clues are present if the hamster is older.

However all the above can occur on a younger hamster who is not healthy or has been starved or mistreated. Cushings will cause the hair to thin on the rump area, Diabetes can cause it too. Also Mites can thin or completely cause the hair to fall out, on the face and body(and that includes on the ears). So that means in MOST cases the above things can be used to make a guess at young or old but in no way can give and exact age of and unknown age hamster.
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Old 12-26-2015, 09:39 AM   #4
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

Is the loss of fur on the ears a syrian thing Nancy?
I've never seen that only having had dwarf hams & even between 18m & 2yrs they still have very furry ears.
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Old 12-26-2015, 11:16 AM   #5
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

Thank you Cypher and Nancy

Only reason I am asking is because she is a big hamster already and I was wondering if she may get a little bigger. As far as I can see her ears are still covered in a light fluff. I don't know much about her history, I reckon she must be at least four or five months maybe more. Her teeth are surprisingly white though, not sure how as all the hamsters I've met have had bright yellow ones!

My winter white had bald ears from the start I think, and I got her when she was tiny.
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Old 12-26-2015, 11:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

Right my little syrians wakey wakey I want to look at your ears. Great info. Nancy. Cant wait to check out the fluffiness of Woodstock and Gopals ears!
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Old 12-26-2015, 12:31 PM   #7
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

My Hugo's ears are bald must mean he is a year and a half, no wonder why he has slowed down a bit in the last few months.
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Old 12-26-2015, 01:30 PM   #8
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
Is the loss of fur on the ears a syrian thing Nancy?
I've never seen that only having had dwarf hams & even between 18m & 2yrs they still have very furry ears.
Yes only a Syrian thing ,However I have seen really accelerated fur thinning on many many older Hybrids on their back and belly from old age.
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Old 12-26-2015, 01:37 PM   #9
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

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Originally Posted by HamsterObsessed View Post
Thank you Cypher and Nancy

Only reason I am asking is because she is a big hamster already and I was wondering if she may get a little bigger. As far as I can see her ears are still covered in a light fluff. I don't know much about her history, I reckon she must be at least four or five months maybe more. Her teeth are surprisingly white though, not sure how as all the hamsters I've met have had bright yellow ones!

My winter white had bald ears from the start I think, and I got her when she was tiny.
White teeth can mean many things but my first thought would be was she in a bar cage at any time before she came to you? A white incisor(the big front teeth) in a healthy hamster usually means they have just grown back from being broken off. However if she has not broken them off it could be a thing to watch to be sure her health is OK as white teeth can indicate internal health issues which is preventing her from developing the proper yellow enamel coating which BTW aids her teeth from breaking. White teeth are much more frail then proper Yellow colored teeth.
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Old 12-26-2015, 01:44 PM   #10
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Default Re: How to age hamsters

Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerfairy View Post
Right my little syrians wakey wakey I want to look at your ears. Great info. Nancy. Cant wait to check out the fluffiness of Woodstock and Gopals ears!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryHamster View Post
My Hugo's ears are bald must mean he is a year and a half, no wonder why he has slowed down a bit in the last few months.
Please do reread my post on the ear hair as a Bald ear on a younger adult is possible if they are not fully healthy. Mites can cause a bald ear and baldness around the eyes, nose and ears. HarryHamster slowing down can also indicate something not right with Hugo, though odds are it is just he is and older chap.

Nobody can use the amount of or lack of ear hair as and exact age gauge and you should always observe your pet hamster for other signs that it is not just age involved.
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