The Turkish Hamster (Mesocricetus brandti) inhabits Turkey, Northern Transcucasia, Lebanon and Israel.

Turkish Hamsters are solitary animals and are nocturnal. Their lifespan is approximately 2 years.

The Turkish Hamster can hibernate for a continuous period of up to 10 months but usually 5 to 6 months. One or two days activity usually occur every 2 to 7 days whilst hibernating, although they can sometimes hibernate for up to 30 days without waking.

The female Turkish Hamster is sexually mature at 7-8 weeks and has two breeding seasons: Spring and Autumn when the daylight hours are between 15 and 17 hours. Males are not sexually mature until 5 to 6 months of age. The gestation period is 14-15 days and litters vary from 1 to 13 youngsters with an average of 6. The young are weaned at 3 weeks of age.

The Turkish Hamster has been used for research in laboratories but is not known to be kept as a pet.

Hamster Species  »

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