Medical research laboratories throughout New England may some day be supplied with hundreds of the furry little animal called the Golden Hamster from a house on Winslow avenue where an ex-GI’s now raising the animals as a hobby and hopes to be raising them on a commercial scale in the very near future.
It was just a year ago this month that Richard A Ferrari. 29. of 121 Winslow avenue a veteran of three years service on a torpedo boat in the Navy during the war, read about the Hamsters in a magazine r.nd decided to buy a pair of the animals, which are called toy bears, and to keep them as pets.
As the days and weeks passed. Ferrari learned more and more about the furry creatures and soon had quite a family on his hands. Utilizing the garage in the rear of h!s home, he set up his breeding nests there and now has 56 Hamsters with more and more arriving with daily regularity The females conceive and deliver their litter in 16 days and give birth to anywhere from one to 11 at one time
The little animals were first Inti oduced into this country from Syria in 1938 by the United States Health Service and from Louisiana, where the first pair were brought. The cycle of succeeding generations has spread until now there are thousands and thousands ot them all over the country, descendants ot the first two.
Medical science is now using the Hamsters by the thousands and they are said to be rapidly taking the place of the guinea pig for research purposes Their organs and blood pressure are identical with that of humans which makes them invaluable for medical tests. Their teeth are composed of the same chemical properties as humans and dentists are also using them in tneir scientific research laboratories A Hamster can live on a single potato for three to five days with the potato supplying both a solid and liquid diet.
In addition to being highly desirable for medical purposes, the Hamster is becoming a favorite household pet When full grown they are five to six inches long and weigh a little over a quarter of a pound One of ‘their natural attributes is the location of two shoulder pouches into which they- cram their food when fed. They can be taught to do tricks and children and grown-ups alike are finding them to oe ideal for pets.
They can eat almost anything except fats, citrus fruits, onions and garlic and the way they store their food away in their pouches is fascinating to watch. They only eat once a day, but will never refuse food, taking it and storing it away in their pouches for further use.
Their large shoulder pouches, distinctive color markings, gentle nature, complete absence of odor, their short, stubby tails and 16 day gestation period makes the Hamster unique among small animals. They have no diseases of their own and no contagious disease may De contracted from them, it is stated. Their life span is one to three years.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)