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Dwarf Hamsters

Tiny Social Little Pets

There are four varieties commonly called Dwarf Hamsters - which to be completely accurate there are really two types - "true" dwarf hamsters and "rat-like" hamsters.

The "true" category has three varieties - Campbell's Russian, Siberian Winter White, and the Roborowski. There is only one "rat-like" hamster, the Chinese Dwarf.

CAMPBELLS RUSSIAN (Phodopus campbelli)

Almost all dwarf hamsters found in pet stores will be the Campbells, even if you are told you are getting a "Russian" or a "Siberian" it is a Campbells Russian. This hamster can also be called a "Djungara" because of its origins from the Djungaria region of Mongolia.

A trend is happening in the world of dwarf hamsters -- "hybridization" -- of the Campbells and the Winter White. While this hybrid hamster will make a fine pet, if you are considering breeding you are safest going to a breed to make sure what breed you are actually getting and that it is from a healthy line

APPEARANCE

The Dwarf Campbells Russian will get to be about 10-12cm (4-5in). The males will be larger than the females. They all have a dorsal stripe that runs from the head to the tail (unless they are albino) They have a plump, stocky, rounded body with short legs, large heads, small noses and of course expandable cheek pouches and in the wild are known to travel up to a mile away from home in search of food using their very large cheek pouches to bring back food. They have furry feet and are sometimes called "the hairy footed hamster."

It wasn't until the late 1970's that were other color and marking combinations except "agouti" or a tortoiseshell type coloring.

Colors:

Agouti:

Medium-brown on the back with a white underbelly. This is the dominant color in the Campbells and it is sometimes called the "wild"

Albino:

All white, no dorsal stripe, red eyes, pink ears

Argente:

This color range is from sandy to cream to apricot. The dorsal stripe is gray. There are two different eye colors, the normal red or black call BEA.

Black:

This color ranges from a very dark brown to black. The dorsal stripe is there but barely visible next to the dark fur.

Opal -

This color is a silver-blue with a cream to white underbelly. They have a dark gray dorsal stripe.

There are many other color variations available, some are Blue, Blue fawn, Champagne, Lilac and Dove.

Patterns

Spots:

Also called Mottled or Broken color. This is usually found when an animal has a white body and spotting over the head and back.

Pearls or Platinum:

A dorsal stripe and colored ticking on the face and flanks on a white animal.

Collar:

A colored body with a a solid white band around the shoulders and neck.

Mottled:

Colored body with white spots that feather into the main color the spots are not precise

BEHAVIOR

Just like the Winter White Russian this hamster also is sociable and will live happily with another hamster (same sex,) if they are introduced when they are young. Although nocturnal they will spend short periods during the daytime in busy activity. Because they are so small and quick they can be tricky to handle, particularly for small children

This hamster establishes a hierachy when it lives with other hamsters and so one hamster be dominant over the other. This plays out by what is sometimes seen as "squabbling" although there is not usually any physical fighting.. the dominant hamster will chase and corner the submissive The submissive will then provide a submissive gesture thus avoiding a physical altercation. The dominant hamster will often lick the belly of the submissive. This occurs even in hamsters from the same litter when re-housed away from the original group.

Remember if you choose to have more than one, make sure you are getting same sex hamsters as they are prolific breeders.

Scent glands

This hamster also has a scent glands but they are located in several places around the body. Scent is discharged from behind the ears, the corners of the eyes, the pouches and the rectal and urinary vents. In the male they are also located on the males

abdomen and on the female's genitalia. Although the main use of scent is territorial marking, because these tiny guys have such poor eyesight they also use this scent to mark their trail so they can find their way back to the burrow,

WINTER WHITE Russian (Phodopus sungorus)

This hamster is very close in appearance etc, to the Cambell's Russian. If you want to make sure you are getting this type of hamster you should go to a breeder as the Campbell's is the most common Dwarf hamster found in pet stores (even if it is sold as a Winter White it probably isn't.)

APPEARANCE

A very compact hamster as an adult will be about 3.5 - 4 inches (8-10 cm). Keep in mind this is small enough to fit through the bars in most wire cages – safe housing is a habitat or an aquarium -bookmark this)

They are most often dark gray under-color on their back with a black strip along the center of the back. They have black eyes and gray ears In the winter some will change to white in varying amounts (although this doesn't always happen in captivity) They also have fur on their feet.

Breeding has produced some different coat colors and patterns including:

Colors:

Sapphire:

A soft purple-gray under-color with a gray dorsal stripe and an ivory belly. Black eyes and light gray ears.

Patterns:

Pearl:

White fur with colors spread lightly throughout. It was thought until recently that all Pearl males were sterile but some have been found to be fertile.

Normal Pearl:

Black hairs ticked through with color

Sapphire Pearl:

Purple-gray hairs throughout the coat

Imperial:

An almost white belly and more white in the top coat fur. This pattern can combine with either color listed above.

BEHAVIOR

In captivity this is a very sociable hamster and will live with another Winter White if they are introduced when they are young. (You cannot put two adults who do not know each other together safely) These are nocturnal animals and will sleep most of the day, waking only for short periods.

Roborovski (Phodopus roborovski)

This dwarf hamster is the smallest of the group. It is only 4-5 cm at adulthood (1.5 to 2 in) They are rarely seen in pet stores and usually are obtained from a breeder.

APPEARANCE

The standard coloring for this hamster is a sandy-gold color over the back with a white underbelly. Also distinctive to the Roborovski is the adorable white "eyebrows" which emphasize their large black eyes. They do not have the dorsal stripe of other hamsters and although hard to notice, their legs are slightly longer.

There is only one color variation and that is "agouti" or color they are found in the wild which is a dull ginger on the back and an off-white belly.

BEHAVIOR

This tiny little fellow is very active and quick, making them difficult to handle, but great fun to observe. A wire cage isn't a good housing choice for this hamster due to their extremely small size. They need not only a wheel but several places to hide as in nature they will burrow down as far as six feet. You should also provide a large and interesting environment to live in. They spend a lot of time on grooming (see care for more info)

As with the other dwarf hamsters because of their very small size they are hard to handle and not really suited as children's pets.

CHINESE HAMSTER (Cricetulus griseus)

Chinese hamsters (Chinese Striped Hamster) are not a true dwarf hamster, but are of a similar size as the other dwarf hamsters.

APPEARANCE

These hamsters grow to the adult size of about 4 inches (10cm). They are a slender build that is similar to a mouse or rat. There are two coat colors the Agouti (natural in the wild) dark brown back, black dorsal stripe and a ivory underbelly. The second, called "dominant spot" (pictured here) is a white coat with ticking of color throughout the coat.

Behavior

These hamsters while good natured towards humans are not friendly to other hamsters so they are best housed separately. They are slightly timid but not prone to nip. They like all other hamsters are nocturnal with short periods of activity during the day. They live about 1 1/2 to 2 years.

For more information on hamster check out the other articles listed in the menu above or on the Hamster Homepage

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