Fun Black Bear Hamster Facts For Kids

Do you recollect the cute little creatures from the famous American animated movie, 'G-Force'? Well! They are known as hamsters. There are around 19 species of hamsters, and the Black bear hamster is one of the popular hamster breeds to be kept as pets.

But how can you distinguish the Black bear hamster breed from other rodents? The Black teddy bear hamster is a small creature with short and dense black fur. The Black bear hamsters are a black variation of the Syrian hamster and were first discovered in 1985-1986 in France. Little Black bear hamsters have a docile temperament. However, they are well-known for their friendly, curious, and fearless nature, often found either wandering around in their surrounding, burrowing, or exploring. If you plan to keep a hamster as a pet, remember their friendliness depends on the gender type, how you tame them and whether you are keeping them alone or in pairs or groups.

Do you want to know about these incredible animals? Read below to find out more. Also, don't miss out on the other exciting rodents like the Roborovski dwarf hamster and dormouse.

What type of animal is a black bear hamster?

Many people now keep the Black bear hamster breed as household pets due to their friendly nature. The Black teddy bear hamsters are social, and some are solitary animals.

Black teddy bear hamsters are smart and intelligent. This adorable creature can even learn its name if appropriately tamed. Try to call out their name frequently, let them hear it, start responding, and even come out when called.

The teddy bear hamsters are primarily active at night. Wild hamsters are known to hibernate during extreme cold climatic conditions. They usually wake up periodically to eat. If enough food is not available, they will first fill up with surplus food and continue their hibernation.

What class of animal does a black bear hamster belong to?

The Black bear hamsters belong to the class Mammal and the family Cricetidae.

How many black bear hamsters are there in the world?

The exact number of these hamsters is unknown, but there are around 19 species of wild hamsters.

Where does a black bear hamster live?

The Black bear hamster breeds live in the woods in burrows. They are distributed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. However, the first domesticated hamster breed was the Syrian hamsters. In 1936, the people of the United States brought the Syrian breed.

What is a black bear hamster's habitat?

Their habitat comprises warm and dry regions like the edges of the deserts, dunes, and steppes in the wild.

Like all other hamster breeds, the Black teddy bear hamsters are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and come out at night. As household pets, they should be kept in a cage with proper bedding.

The teddy bear hamster, also known as the Black bear Syrian hamster, dig burrows with many tunnels to live in the wild. They store their food in these burrows. Also, they spend most of their time inside these burrows during the extreme summer and winter days. In the winter season, they usually hibernate.

Who do black bear hamsters live with?

The Black bear hamsters usually live alone. They live in pairs only during mating.

How long does a black bear hamster live?

The Black Syrian hamster has an average lifespan of two to three years in the wild. However, they are expected to live for five or six years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The Black bear hamsters are eligible to have offspring when they are 15 months old. Well-experienced breeders should carry out the breeding of the Black teddy bear hamsters.

Depending on the type of hamster species, pregnancies last for 16-22 days. The teddy bear hamsters remain pregnant for 16-17 days. You can see a slight increase in their abdomen. As the female pregnant hamsters approach delivery, they become restless, and some may also have vaginal bleeding.

Before they are ready to give birth, prepare for a suitable nesting site. The litter size of the teddy bear hamster varies from six to eight pups. The newborn babies are hairless, and their eyes and ears are closed. But the front teeth of the newborns are visible. The young ones are weaned for 21-28 days.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Black bear hamsters is considered Vulnerable to extinction.

What do black bear hamsters look like?

The Black bear hamsters are around 6 in (15 cm) in length, and their weight is 4-6 oz (113-170 g). The body is covered with long-haired black fur with some white spots on the chest and the feet. Like other rodents, the hamster's front teeth grow throughout its lifetime. Its teeth are hard enough to bite on hard things. Keep a wood-chew block inside the cage to let them chew.

The Black bear hamsters have thick and shiny fur. The long-haired fur is usually black and often described as satin and rex. Satin means that the fur coat is shiny and has empty hairs that reflect light to shine. Rex means that the hair is curly.

The teddy bear hamster needs proper care and grooming. Give them fresh water or filtered water to drink. You should make a point to brush them with a flea brush.

*Please note, this is an image of a Syrian hamster. The Black bear is one of the mutation/variations of this hamster.

How cute are they?

The Black teddy bear hamsters are cute little creatures with long-haired black fur and revealing button-like eyes. They have white spots on their chest and foot. The eyes and ears are also covered with black fur. The paws are tiny and are light pink colored. The paws look as if it is wearing gloves. Also, the nose and the tail are covered with light pink.

How do they communicate?

The hamsters make sounds for communication. Amusingly they talk and squeak when kept in a cage with other hamsters. If you carefully listen to the sounds, you can make out what they are trying to tell. For example, mating calls by females are usually heard when they are in estrus or lactating.

Other forms of communication include sending chemical messages through the scent glands to communicate and displaying different body movements to express their feelings.

The sense of smell of the teddy bear hamster is also powerful. By smelling the scent glands, they can determine whether they are male or female or possibly know each other. Females know their babies through the scent glands. The scent glands are also used for marking their territories.

How big is a black bear hamster?

The Black bear hamsters are 6 in (15 cm) in length. Thus, Black teddy bear hamsters are two times smaller than the Syrian breed.

How fast can a black bear hamster run?

Black bear hamsters run at a speed of about 3-6 mph (5-9.6 kph).

How much does a black bear hamster weigh?

Black bear hamsters weigh around 4-6 oz (113-170 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Females are known as sows, and the males are referred to as boars.

What would you call a baby black bear hamster?

The Black bear hamster or Syrian hamster babies are known as pups.

What do they eat?

The Black bear hamsters feed on grasses, fruit, roots, stems, grains, seeds, and some small animals like insects and worms. They also eat vegetables.

Are they big eaters?

Yes, the teddy bear hamsters are big eaters. So, if you keep them as a pet, be careful not to overfeed them. They are big eaters that are prone to obesity. Feed them a small number of fruits or vegetables daily. Don't forget to clean up the cage.

The Black bear hamsters need a lot of exercise activities. Therefore, provide them exercise accessories inside their cage. Exercise options will keep them healthy and active in a cage.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, the Black bear hamsters would make a good pet. They have a tolerant and friendly temperament. They are also less aggressive and do not bite like other hamster breeds, even in intense situations. Their obedient temperament makes them the best choice as pets.

If you want to keep the teddy bear hamsters as a pet you should firstly, get them a big cage. Secondly, you will need to add more fun to the cages so that they don't get bored. The cages should be placed in spots with less sunlight. Lastly, don't forget to place some exercise accessories in their cage. An exercise wheel inside the cage for the hamster to play with is an essential accessory. When the teddy bear hamsters are out of the cage, place plastic balls outside the cage so that they can run around with them.

Did you know...

Hamsters have poor eyesight. So, they use their scent glands to find their way back home. They leave their scents by rubbing on the trails.

Like another hamster, the Black bear hamster's teeth grow continuously throughout their lifetime.

Hamsters have super stretchy cheeks. As a result, they can stuff a large amount of food inside their cheeks.

A peculiar fact about female hamsters is that they are known to kill their babies when they are scared or give birth for the first time.

Getting your own black bear hamster

You can get a pet hamster in a pet shop or animal rescue shelter. Black bear hamsters and the Syrian hamster breed are around $5-$20.

The best way to tame the hamsters is to teach them when they are babies. Start by letting them sniff your hand and letting them come near you. Then, give them something to eat when you put them away in the cage. Also, try to get friendly with them by giving them a name and talking daily. Since the Black bear hamsters have a docile temperament, they will quickly become friends.

Following are the ways to take care of your Black Syrian hamsters: hamsters eat different kinds of food, so offer them the right food. Provide them fresh drinking water or filtered water. Refresh the water often. Offer proper nutrition and don't give them high moisture content food. Clean the cage after they eat food. Lastly, make sure you brush their fur with a flea brush.

How to tell the gender of a black bear hamster

The male hamster's neck comprises a long fluffy fur coat that parts down at the back. In comparison, the female hamster's fur is a bit shorter. In male hamsters, the backend appears to be elongated and rounder than the females. When the males are four weeks of age, their scrotum with testicles is noticeable. Another difference between them is that the females have nipples.

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 hoary marmot surprising facts, and porcupine fun facts for kids pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable black bear hamster coloring pages.

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