Types of Hamsters

Published on: Jan 29 2011 by Shenron

Hamsters are basically rodents which belong to the subfamily Cricetinae, which comprises of about 25 species. Hamsters are popular pets and people often select them as pets for their children. The major reason behind their popularity as a pet animal is their friendliness, playfulness and cuteness. Unlike other pet animals, they require very little space to live and are commonly available in pet stores. The price of hamsters depends on the pet store.  These are often kept in cages or even in aquarium. Hamsters don’t demand much from you and you can keep them even with a very low budget. These are best pets for small apartment houses where you have very little space. Hamsters are found in so many different types and each one of them is equally fascinating and odorless. You may find yourself in trouble when you don’t know which type is best for you. So, to solve this problem, we are giving you a brief description of some of the popular types of hamsters to choose from.

Different Types of Hamsters

Although, there are several different types, but below are given the five types which are widely accepted as popular types.

Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster

These are also referred to as Djungarian Dwarf Hamsters. These hamsters are known to come from Northern Kazakhstan and Siberia. They are known to be good social animals which live in colonies. Although, they are known as dwarf, they require more space to live. An important feature of these hamsters is that a male rodent clear up the area after female hamster gives birth to baby hamsters. A male hamster not only clears up the space but also makes sure that there is enough food for the female hamster and also look after the young hamsters. They are available in variety of colors such as white, gray, brown, sandy or some even found in bi-colors. Apart from the color, their coat also varies such as normal, wavy, satin or rex. In the colder conditions, their coat gets thicker.

Chinese Hamster

As the name suggest, these hamsters originated from China. These are also known as long tailed dwarf hamsters. They are long and thin with an average size of 3 inches. The Chinese hamsters can live up to 3 years. They are available in white, gray and brown color. Chinese hamsters are very small in size as they can stick to your single finger with all its four paws. Chinese hamsters need a lot of care and protection as they can get injured very easily because of their small size. So, it is suggested to leave your small children around them as they can hurt them.

Syrian Hamster

This is considered as the most popular type of pet hamsters which is often referred to as Golden hamster. These are known to rodents which grow to the length of 7 inches. Being nocturnal in by nature, this creature is more active at the time of dawn and dusk. These hamsters have a cheek pouch which is used to carry and store food. Syrian hamster is a blend of black and brown color, but there are some golden varieties of Syrian hamsters are also known. Syrian hamsters are known to be hostile towards their fellow hamsters so it is better to keep only one hamster of this type as pet at a time. It is said that a female hamster used to attack the male hamster soon after coupling.

Dwarf Campbell’s Russian Hamster

This is another extremely small type of hamsters which usually grow to the size of 8 to 10 cm. they are originated from semi deserts if Central Asia, Northeastern China, Mongolia and Altai Mountains. They are brownish in color having streaks on the spinal column. They are usually plump with round body. They have furry feet as lot of fur covers their feet. Like most of the hamsters, these are also nocturnal and become active at night time. They are social and capable of living in groups.

Roborovski Hamsters

These hamsters are even smaller than Dwarf Campbell’s Russian hamsters as they can grow only to the size of 4 to 5 cm. They possess a short tail but do have attractive whiskers. Though, these are small in size but known as the most active among all the hamsters. They are very playful and energetic and require a big cage to have a good joyful time. They usually live in groups but that group belongs to same gender. They don’t like the interference of opposite sex in their group. These hamsters usually have a life span of 3 years. These are found in yellowish brown color.

Above mentioned are some of the most common types of pet hamsters. Each and every type of hamsters is different from other type in terms of size, shape color, personality, living conditions, and nutrition etc. these are small creatures and therefore require some extra care because they can get injured easily by children. Also, these should be kept in well ventilated area away from direct sunlight as exposure to direct sunlight can cause them dehydration. Take special care of them if you have other pets like dogs or cats also. Another important fact about them which you have to keep in mind before taking hamsters as pet is their nocturnal nature. Most of the hamsters are nocturnal creature which means that they become active during the night time and sleep in the day time. So, you have to make sure that they are placed in an area where they are not disturbed during the day time.

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