Albino Red-Eyed Hamsters – How To Properly Care and Reason For Eye Color

The white albino hamster, which has eyes of a red or pinkish hue, causes mixed and conflicting feelings in people. But, despite the exotic and even frightening appearance, the hamster with red eyes, except for the appearance is almost no different from other brethren.

Albinos hamsters: a separate breed or not?

The opinion that hamsters with a snow-white fur coat and red eyes belong to a separate breed is erroneous. After all, albinos are found among Hungarians and among representatives of the Syrian breed.

It is rather difficult to meet albino hamsters under natural environmental conditions, since, due to the light fur, animals are not adapted to survival and often become victims of predators.

To bring out rodents with a white color, breeders took several years of hard work and not always such experiments ended successfully. The first white hamsters, bred artificially, did not differ in good health and long life expectancy. In addition, albinos behaved aggressively and often bit their owners when trying to pick them up.

Finally, after lengthy breeding work, scientists managed to bring out white-colored hamsters, who did not experience serious health problems, and who had a friendly, peaceful nature.

Miniature rodents with a dazzling snow-white fur coat and bright red eyes are quite rare even now, which is why breeders are especially appreciated and are popular among fans of unusual pets.

Why does the hamster have red eyes

If we talk about albino hamsters, then the red or pinkish eye color of these animals is considered normal and is due to the lack of pigment melanin, which is responsible for the color of the fur and the eye iris. In rodents whose body does not produce melanin, the wool has no color, and therefore is snow-white, and the eyes have a bright red tint, since their shell is transparent and through it blood vessels are visible.

But sometimes it happens that the eyes of a small pet, not an albino, become unhealthy reddish color. Why does this happen and what treatment methods can be used to help a furry pet?

Blindness

Red eyes are characteristic of rodents suffering from congenital or acquired blindness. Identifying a hamster who is blind from birth is easy: the baby barely moves, does not respond to movement, and does not frolic with its fellows.

A healthy animal may become blind due to injury or infection in the eye. If the owner has noticed that the pet’s iris has become red and pus is released from it, you should contact your veterinarian and not start the disease, which can lead to complete blindness.

Dust irritation

The cause of redness can be dust that gets into the eyes of a rodent. This often happens when the hamster is allowed to walk freely throughout the apartment. In this case it is necessary to wash the eyes of your pet with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or chamomile decoction.

Infection

Also, the hamster’s eye redness can be caused by an infection. Especially often this happens if the owner forgets to change the litter in a rodent cage and does not carry out general cleaning in it. The frivolous attitude to the pet’s health can provoke the development of conjunctivitis in it and then long-term complex treatment will be needed.

In the event that the animal has reddened eyes and purulent discharge from them, you should not try to cure your pet by yourself. Especially not to bury in the eyes of a hamster drops intended for humans. Only a qualified specialist can prescribe appropriate treatment and help the animal cope with the disease.

Albino hamster health

Regardless of the breed of white hamsters with red eyes, they are all predisposed to visual and skin diseases. Albinos are more likely than normal-colored rodents to suffer from cancer. Also, white animals can form on the skin ulcers or papillomas.

The eyes of albinos are very sensitive, especially to sunlight. Therefore, a cage with small pets should be placed there, where there is no access to direct sunlight.
You can not expose these unusual animals and stress. Scientists have found that albinos suffer more fright and stressful situations than their fellows with the usual color.

It is quite difficult to give an exact answer to the question of how long hamsters live, with a white fur coat and red eyes. It is believed that the life expectancy of these animals is about 2-3 years, provided that they are provided with proper care.

Albino Hamster Care Guidelines

Care for snow-white hamsters is almost no different from care for the rest of rodents. But there are several features in their content that should be considered to make the pet feel calm and comfortable:

• Animals with a white fur coat do not like a neighborhood with other hamsters, so it is desirable to keep them in a separate cage. This is especially true of miniature albino jungars, who often show aggression towards the rest of the rodents;
• The owner will have to frequently change the litter in the pet’s home in order to prevent infection in the sensitive eyes of the animal;
• Cell size is also important when keeping these unusual animals. The cage should be spacious and equipped with a running wheel, shelves at different levels and swings;
• Snow-white rodents love secluded places where they can hide from everyone. For example, the Syrian albino hamster needs a house in which he spends most of the daytime escaping from the light and the sun;
• Bathing hamsters with snow-white fur is impossible. That their fur coat looked well-groomed enough to put in a cage bath with special sand ;
• These animals are very shy, so you need to protect them from noise and loud sounds.
  It doesn’t matter what breed you have a pet, a miniature Dzungarian hamster, or a fluffy white Syrian, the main thing is to devote enough time and attention to your unusual pet, because each of them needs the love and care of the owner.