Hamster Breeds
Learn About the Different Hamster Breeds
If you are thinking about getting a hamster, you have five different hamster breeds from which to choose. These are the Syrian Hamster, Roborovski Hamster, Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster, Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster and the Chinese Hamster.
Of these, the Syrian Hamster is the most well-known of the hamster breeds and the one you are most likely to see in a pet store. Black Bear Hamsters and Teddy Bear Hamsters are both types of Syrian Hamsters. The most common Syrian Hamster is the Golden. This is the one that was first discovered and its color was really a mix of gold, brown and black. It is sometimes called the “standard” hamster. Other colored hamsters are called Fancy Hamsters. With Syrian hamsters, the female is usually larger than the male.
Back in the late nineties, research trips were made to Syria to try and discover if the hamster was still living wild there. Wild hamsters were found--usually one to a hole. Males and females were collected and were taken to Germany to start new breeding stock. What was curious was that wild hamsters who lived in holes in the ground liked to be alone and away from other hamsters as well. This gave all the more validity to the instruction of one hamster per cage that is given to people buying pet hamsters. Hamsters can be very aggressive with one another and will defend their small space to their death.
The Roborovski Hamster is one of the hamster breeds that is a short-tailed dwarf. Unlike other dwarf hamsters, it is yellowish-brown in color and has striking whiskers. Not many people have heard of the Roborovski Hamster--they do not have as many young as other hamsters and can be difficult to obtain. They are very small, normally 2-¾ inches to 3-½ inches, and are the smallest dwarf hamster. Unlike many hamster breeds, Roborovski hamsters of the same sex can live together in the same cage.
The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is aptly named because when the hamster lived outside in the wild in his native Russia, he got a white coat in the winter to blend in with the snow. This hamster is also known as a Djungarian Dwarf hamster. It originally came from Northern Kazakhstan and Siberia. Now domesticated, however, the White Russian prefers the same temperatures as other hamsters, from sixty-five to eighty degrees.
The Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster is very similar to the Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster. They have a thicker coat and a dorsal stripe. Campbell Russian Hamsters have a yellowish-brown coat and it turns slightly gray in the winter. They grow to be four to five inches long and seem to gain more weight in captivity than other hamsters. Groups of the same sex can live together as long as they have been together since birth.
The last of the hamster breeds is the Chinese Hamster. They are a dwarf breed with a long tail, but are not really similar to other dwarf hamsters. They have short fur and a dark brown dorsal stripe on the back. Many times the stripe is barely visible. The Chinese Hamster has a light gray stomach. They tend to be slightly aggressive at first but with patience, become very friendly--not to each other though--only one Chinese hamster per cage.