Fun Gansu Hamster Facts For Kids

Are you fascinated by hamsters? Then here we have all the information on the Gansu hamster.

The Gansu hamster (Cansumys canus) is a species of rodent that belongs to the genus Cansumys and the family Cricetidae. They are adorable little hamsters with hoary gray fur on their body.

They are mainly endemic to China but live in households as pets around the world. The ones that live in the wild are actually arboreal. They are mainly found in deciduous forests around the mountainous areas within some provinces in China.

Similar to most other species of hamsters, they also don't like the company of other hamsters from their own species or otherwise. It may cause them intense stress and long-term health issues, so don't keep two of them in the same place if you have a pet Gansu hamster.

Read on to know more about the Gansu hamster and if you like this article, then also check out hamster facts and Chinese hamster facts.

Gansu Hamster Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Gansu hamster?

The Gansu hamster (Cansumys canus) is a species of rodent similar to the gray dwarf hamster.

What class of animal does a Gansu hamster belong to?

The Gansu hamster belongs to the class Mammalia.

How many Gansu hamsters are there in the world?

The population of the Gansu hamster in an exact number is not known. They can be seen in households living as pets all around the world. Being a part of the pet trade, keeping track of their population becomes hard.

Where does a Gansu hamster live?

The Gansu hamster species is known to be endemic to China. They are only found around the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Ningxia. They are also a part of the pet trade and live in households as pets around many parts of the world.

What is a Gansu hamster's habitat?

The Gansu hamster species lives mainly lives in deciduous forests. Unlike all other hamster species, the Gansu hamster is actually arboreal in nature. They also live primarily in mountainous areas within their geographic range. They live between the elevation range of 0.6-0.9 mi (1000-1400 m).

Who do Gansu hamsters live with?

Most hamsters are solitary in nature. If two of them are put together, they might fight or develop some sort of intense, long-term stress issue. They get along pretty well with humans. We can assume the same temperament in the Gansu hamsters as well.

How long does a Gansu hamster live?

The exact lifespan of the Gansu hamster (Cansumys canus) is not known. However, hamsters are known to live for about two to three years in general. We can assume the same lifespan range in the case of the Gansu hamster species as well.

How do they reproduce?

Not much is known about the breeding process of the Gansu hamster species. However, we can certainly assume their reproductive behavior from other species of hamsters in general.

Hamsters become sexually matured within about ten weeks of age, and the best breeding age stays till they are about 15 months old. In the wild, they mate naturally, but if you're breeding them at home, then be very careful when you put the males and females and in one place because they can be very aggressive when mating.

The gestation period lasts for about 16-22 days. After the gestation period ends, the females will give birth to six to eight young pups on average.

Many mother hamsters eat their offspring. When you're breeding them at home, please provide them with safe nesting materials as that can lower the chances of the mother eating her babies.

The weaning period of the young pups is about 21-28 days. After that, they will become independent.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Gansu hamster species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature is listed as Least Concern. There are no great threats to their population within their geographic range as of now, so no conservation actions are still being taken. They might occur in some protected areas around the country.

Gansu Hamster Fun Facts

What do Gansu hamsters look like?

We've been unable to source an image of a Gansu hamster and have used an image of a Turkish hamster instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Gansu hamster, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com

The Gansu hamster (Cansumys canus) is a large-sized hamster species. They have hoary gray fur on their body. They have white patches of fur on their neck, the base of their ears, and cheeks. They have dark brown-colored ears. Compared to other hamsters, these hamsters have light fur on their feet. They also have long toes.

How cute are they?

This species of hamster can be pretty cute. Many people find them extremely adorable, so they are considered great pets. They also make a great bond with their owners.

How do they communicate?

All species of hamsters communicate vocally through body language and chemical means. They secrete a specific smell that they use to mark their territory. Hamsters mainly squeak in ultrasonic sound when they are communicating with each other. They also use several body language cues to communicate.

How big is a Gansu hamster?

An adult Gansu hamster is about 3.9-6.7 in (10-17 cm) in length. They are about the same size as Syrian hamsters, which are about 6 in (15 cm) in length.

How fast can a Gansu hamster run?

All species of hamsters can run for a long time and at an average speed of 3-5 mph (4.8-8 kph). They are nocturnal in nature, so if there is a wheel in their container, they will run at night, and according to various reports, they can run several miles in one night.

How much does a Gansu hamster weigh?

These are big hamsters. However, an adult Gansu hamster (Cansumys canus) weighs only about 2.1-4.2 oz (60-120 g) on average.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males of the species are called bucks, and the females of the species go by doe.

What would you call a baby Gansu hamster?

Gansu hamster babies are called pups.

What do they eat?

Unlike European hamsters, and many other species of hamsters, Gansu hamsters are known to be herbivorous in nature. Their diet mainly consists of grasses and leaves.

How active are they?

They are moderately active. They are primarily nocturnal, so they are mainly active at night. Hence, please keep them in some other room when you're going to sleep, or they might wake you up several times at night.

Would they make a good pet?

These species of hamsters make really good pets. It's easy to look after them. Get a big enough cage or container where they can move freely, get a wheel in there, clean the container weekly and always give them food in a dish.

Did you know...

Gansu hamsters (Cansumys canus), and all the other species of hamsters, are a part of the family Cricetidae, which is a family of mice, New World rats, and many more rodents. In North Africa and Europe, their evolutionary history dates back to 11.2-16.4 million years ago, while in Asia, it dates back to 6-11 million years ago.

These animals belong to the genus, Cansumys, and they are the only species of their genus.

Why are they called Gansu hamsters?

These animals got their name from their geographic range. They can be found in the Gansu province of China, along with a few other places. They got their common name from this place.

Why do hamsters eat their babies?

The primary reason why mother hamsters have been noticed to eat their babies is that they couldn't recognize the scent of their babies. When the pups are born, if they are handled by humans, the scent of the humans gets left behind, and the mother recognizes it as a threat and kills the pups and eats them.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our golden hamster facts and Roborovski hamster facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Baby Hamster coloring pages.

Main image by John Stockla.

Second image by Dennis.