Topic: Hamsters can they survive in UK?

[Digeroo]

For some years now I have seen something in my garden which look like hamsters.  They have very small stumpy tails and are rather flat in shape.  I saw a mouse recently on my lottie and realised just how different it was. And I see them quite frequently they seem to be fairly tame.  If they see me they waddle off at their own pace.  When I saw the first one I thought it was an escaped pet and asked around.  But several years later I am still seeing hamsters and I am sure they do not live that long so they must be breeding.   They are now in the back garden as well as the front.

Can anyone tell me if they can survive outside in the UK?  They are a real pest.  They eat peas, beans, courgettes etc etc.  

[saddad]

Not small Guinea pigs? (Cavies?)  :-\

[Hector]

Sounds like this
http://www.arkive.org/field-vole/microtus-agrestis/

edit to add a better piccie
http://www.arkive.org/field-vole/microtus-agrestis/info.html

[Unwashed]

Certainly field voles and bank voles are common.  But what colour are your hamsters, because hamsters are golden, and voles are dark brown.

I'd have thought it was perfectly possible for a colony of hamsters to survive in the UK.

[Mortality]

I recon they could survive here, as long as they had plenty of food and had dug a decent burrow. There are many different coloured types of Hamsters, long haired, etc. There are also Russian Hamsters which are smaller than the Golden type.

http://web.fccj.org/~dbyres/2011projects/hamster.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hamster

[Hector]

Are they appearing singly or in groups?

[Digeroo]

I think that Hector is right.  It fits even down to the holes that it digs which seem to have a smooth round entrance considerably bigger than the animal, whereas mice have one that looks considerably smaller than the size of the mouse.  However they are not dark brown more tan coloured certainly not golden.   Mind you the local pet shop has hamsters in every colour you can imagine including black and white spotty. Certainly not a guinea pig, much too small and actually has a small stump of a tail.

Certainly not a water vole - no water and they are bigger and yes dark brown we used to have a couple of colonies locally but they have unfortunately gone.

I think I will try and use the bucket method to catch one, even better the watering can.  With a view to relocation.

[Hector]

If they are hamsters theres a National Hamster Socity...I'm sure they would be interested. If they hang out in groups its more likely to be a vole...not being funny but are you near any wildlife parks etc? There are other possibilities...tan doesn't sound vole like?

[Digeroo]

Cotswold Wildlife park only five miles up the road, but that is a long way for such a small creature.  I will try and catch one for a better look.  There is something wrong with the design of our house and we often get mice in the house, so I am an expert at catching rodents.  My children lost the class hamster and taught me the official way of getting it back again.

[Pesky Wabbit]

...  taught me the official way of getting it back again.

And that would be ??

[Digeroo]

The official method for catching the class hamster was to take a plastic bucket and put food into it.  Then get a pile of books and make a staircase.  The hamster climbs up the staircase of books and jumps into the bucket to get the food but cannot get back out.

A mouse on the other hand will simply jump straight out of a bucket,  so for mice a watering can will work better.  You bung up the spout and put in chocolate, and type will do but they do not like turkish delight.  You then cover the top of the watering can except for a very small hole.  They will squeeze through the hole to get at the chocolate but cannot jump back through it from a foot or more below.  So in the morning there is the mouse in the bottom of the watering can. 

There is something wrong with the construction of our house and we habitually get mice infestations.  I once caught four in one night in the sitting room.

For those who have never been subjected to the torture of the class hamster.  This is when your eight year old suddenly appears out of school clasping a cage and announces that that they have done some good deed or other and have been awarded the class hamster for the weekend.  Joy o joy.  It has only been in the house a matter of moments when someone drops it on the floor and you have complete anxiety for the rest of the weekend that they entirety of the village children under the age of ten will hate you for ever becuase you did managed to loose their precious hamster.

So you pray constantly that your child will never do anything remotely worthy ever again in case yet again you are blessed with the class hamster.  It may be wise to choose a school without a hamster.  Certainly when my daughter changed schools it was a great relief not to have to host the hamster or worry about its possible demise.