Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK.
Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK.
J Small Anim Pract. 2022 Oct;63(10):747-755. doi: 10.1111/jsap.13527. Epub 2022 Jun 22.
Hamsters are popular pets worldwide but there is limited evidence on the overall health issues of pet hamsters. This study aimed to characterise the demography, disorder prevalence and mortality of pet hamsters in the United Kingdom.
The VetCompass study included anonymised clinical records of 16,605 hamsters.
The most common hamster species were Syrian (golden) (Mesocricetus auratus) (n=12,197, 73.45%), Djungarian (winter white dwarf) (Phodopus sungorus) (2286, 13.77%) and Roborovski hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) (1054, 6.35%). The most prevalent precise-level disorders recorded across all hamsters were a presentation categorised as 'wet tail' (n=293, 7.33%), disorder undiagnosed (292, 7.30%), bite injuries from other hamsters (235, 5.88%), overgrown nail(s) (165, 4.13%), overgrown incisor(s) (159, 3.98%) and traumatic injury (152, 3.80%). The most prevalent disorders groups across all species of hamster were traumatic injury (n=616, 15.41%), enteropathy (450, 11.26%), ophthalmological disorder (445, 11.13%), skin disorder (362, 9.05%) and mass (361, 9.03%). The median age at death across all hamsters was 1.75 years (interquartile range: 0.83 to 2.20, range: 0.01 to 3.65). The most common causes of death at a precise level were wet tail (7.88%, 95% confidence interval: 6.35 to 9.66), abdominal mass (6.40%, 95% confidence interval: 5.01 to 8.03), neoplasia (5.38%, 95% confidence interval: 4.11 to 6.90) and dyspnoea (3.99%, 95% confidence interval: 2.9 to 5.34).
This study provides veterinary professionals, educators, welfare scientists and owners with an evidence base on pet hamster health. A greater understanding of the common disorders of pet hamsters can support veterinary professionals to communicate more effectively with owners on key issues and outcomes to expect from hamster ownership.
仓鼠是世界范围内广受欢迎的宠物，但有关宠物仓鼠整体健康问题的证据有限。本研究旨在描述英国宠物仓鼠的种群统计学、疾病流行率和死亡率。
VetCompass 研究纳入了 16605 只仓鼠的匿名临床记录。
最常见的仓鼠物种是叙利亚（金色）仓鼠（Mesocricetus auratus）（n=12197，73.45%）、达乌尔仓鼠（Phodopus sungorus）（n=2286，13.77%）和罗伯罗夫斯基仓鼠（Phodopus roborovskii）（n=1054，6.35%）。在所有仓鼠中记录到的最常见的明确疾病是被归类为“湿尾”的表现（n=293，7.33%）、未确诊的疾病（292，7.30%）、来自其他仓鼠的咬伤（235，5.88%）、指甲过长（165，4.13%）、门齿过长（159，3.98%）和创伤性损伤（152，3.80%）。在所有仓鼠物种中最常见的疾病组是创伤性损伤（n=616，15.41%）、肠病（n=450，11.26%）、眼疾（n=445，11.13%）、皮肤病（n=362，9.05%）和肿块（n=361，9.03%）。所有仓鼠的中位死亡年龄为 1.75 岁（四分位距：0.83 至 2.20，范围：0.01 至 3.65）。在明确水平上最常见的死因是湿尾（7.88%，95%置信区间：6.35%至 9.66%）、腹部肿块（6.40%，95%置信区间：5.01%至 8.03%）、肿瘤（5.38%，95%置信区间：4.11%至 6.90%）和呼吸困难（3.99%，95%置信区间：2.9%至 5.34%）。
本研究为兽医专业人员、教育工作者、福利科学家和宠物主人提供了宠物仓鼠健康的证据基础。更深入地了解宠物仓鼠的常见疾病可以帮助兽医专业人员与主人就关键问题和预期结果进行更有效的沟通，以实现仓鼠的拥有。
