Difference between revisions of "Hamster Breeds - WikiNormals"
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[[Image:Hamster_sizes.png|thumb|right|275px|'''Hamster Species Relative Sizes''' <br> 1.''Mesocricetus auratus'' - Syrian Hamster <br> 2.''Cricetulus griseus'' - Chinese Hamster <br> 3.''Phodopus sungorus'' - Russian Dwarf <br> 4.''Phodopus roborovskii'' - Roborovskii <br> <br> WikiCommons]] | [[Image:Hamster_sizes.png|thumb|right|275px|'''Hamster Species Relative Sizes''' <br> 1.''Mesocricetus auratus'' - Syrian Hamster <br> 2.''Cricetulus griseus'' - Chinese Hamster <br> 3.''Phodopus sungorus'' - Russian Dwarf <br> 4.''Phodopus roborovskii'' - Roborovskii <br> <br> WikiCommons]] | ||
==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
| − | *There are two common types of Hamster kept as pets, Syrians and Dwarfs | + | *There are two common types of Hamster kept as pets, Syrians and Dwarfs. The examples below do not represent all breeds of Hamster but are those that are most commonly encountered in the UK. |
*Other breed and showing information can also be found at the UK "National Hamster Council" at http://www.hamsters-uk.org/. | *Other breed and showing information can also be found at the UK "National Hamster Council" at http://www.hamsters-uk.org/. | ||
Revision as of 07:50, 27 August 2010
|
Introduction
- There are two common types of Hamster kept as pets, Syrians and Dwarfs. The examples below do not represent all breeds of Hamster but are those that are most commonly encountered in the UK.
- Other breed and showing information can also be found at the UK "National Hamster Council" at http://www.hamsters-uk.org/.
Syrians
Colour Varieties
Black
freedigitalphotos.net
Chocolate
flickr.com
Dove
freewebs.com
Champagne
geocities.com
Tortoiseshell
flickr.com
Cinnamon
freewebs.com
Black Eyed Cream
(Apricot colour)
WikiCommons
Red Eyed Cream
Pale Eared Cream
Sable
flickr.com
Black Eyed White
WikiCommons
Golden
(Comes in various shades)
WikiCommons
Dark Grey
midlandhamsterclub.co.uk
Silver Grey
hamsterhideout.com
Lilac
freewebs.com
Roan
(Comes in various shades)
hamsters.co.uk
Coat Varietes
Longhaired
(Various body colours)
flickr.com
Rex
(Various body colours)
hamstercentral.com
Longhaired Satin
(Various body colours)
mokkie.com
Shorthaired Satin
(Various body colours)
freewebs.com
Coat Patterns
Banded
(Various Colours)
WikiCommons
Dominant Spot
(Various Colours)
geocities.com
Dwarf
Russian Campbell (Phodopus sungorus)
- Russian Campbell hamsters are the most common form of Dwarf hamster and are noted for shorter tails and furry feet. Males are slightly larger than females. Most Campbells have the same appearence as the picture far left below, although modern breeding does give other colours such as the Blue Fawn. Therefore many of the standard colour examples above are also seen in Campbells hamsters. Coat types usually are either short haired or satin.
- Coat types usually are either short haired or satin.
Campbells
WikiCommons
Campbell
WikiCommons
Campbell
Blue Fawn
WikiCommons
Standard Campbell Markings
WikiCommons
Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)
- Chinese hamsters have long, thin bodies and relatively long tails. They are very territorial, with females being more aggressive than males. Therefore they should usually be housed individually.
- The two examples below show the different colours usually associated with Chinese Hamsters. On the left is an example of a Dominant Spot and on the right is an example of Standard colouring.
Chinese Hamster
WikiCommons
Chinese Hamster
WikiCommons
Roborovskii Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)
- Adult Roborovskii hamsters usually grow to approximately 5cm in length and are the smallest common type of hamster. The standard colour is a sandy brown coat on their head and back and a white colour on its belly. They also have white "eyebrows".
Roborovskii
WikiCommons
Roborovskii
WikiCommons
Roborovskii
WikiCommons
Other Varieties
Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus Sungorus)
- Currently not common in the UK but becoming more popular. These hamsters are also known as "Siberian Hamsters". Although they are very similar to Campbell hamsters, Winter White Russians are called "Winter White" because during winter they have a white coat. In summer their coat returns to that very similar to Campbell hamsters.
- It should be noted that if the hamster is not subjected to changes in length of day i.e. by living indoors, the coat change may only be minor.
Winter White
(Summer Coat)
hamsterhideout.com
Winter White
(Winter Coat Central)
hamsterhideout.com
