Knowing Hamster Type in Indonesia

Hamsters, who are they ? are you kidding me you don’t know them ? #OhMyGod. Ok, based on wikipedia Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera. Hamsters are crepuscular animals which burrow underground in the daylight to avoid being caught by predators. Their diet includes a variety of foods, including dried food, berries, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. In the wild they feed primarily on seeds, fruits and greens, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects. Hamsters are typically stout-bodied,

with tails shorter than body length, and have small, furry ears, short, stocky legs, and wide feet. They have thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, colored black, grey, honey, white, brown, yellow, red, or a mix, depending on the species. In Indonesia, there are five type of hamster like campbell, winter white, syirian, roborovskii, and hybrid (mix from campbell and winter white but it's not good for their genesis). I had ever collect them all except syrian, they are two type of roborovskii (white face and brown face), several type of campbell (I forgot that), two winter white pearl, and now I have one winter white pearl and one Golden black eyes (hybrid type) at home. Ok, let's see the type of them now :

1. Campbell

Albino & Argente Campbell's Russian Hamsters 

The Campbell's dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. The Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and grey fur on the stomach. It was given its common name is honour of W.C. Campbell, who collected the first type species in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. The Campbell's dwarf hamster inhabits the deserts of Asia, the mountains of Tuva and the Hebei province in northeastern China.
In the wild, the breeding season for the Campbell's dwarf hamster is different, depending on the location. For example, the breeding season begins towards the middle of April in Tuva and towards the end of April in Mongolia. However, in captivity, there is no fixed breeding season and they can breed frequently throughout the year. Females are usually sexually mature at two weeks of age and the gestation period is around 20 days. The Campbell's dwarf hamster is crepuscular, along with all species of Phodopus and is active throughout the year. When I had them, they are very kind to me. They are very productif of pregnant, every month they can born 8-9 baby :3

2. Winter White

Winter White Pearl 

Russian winter white dwarf hamster or Djungarian Hamster, is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster, and therefore called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. Features of the Djungarian hamster include a typically thick, dark grey dorsal stripe and furry feet. As winter approaches and the days shorten, the Djungarian hamster's dark fur is just about entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity, this does not always happen. In the wild, they originate from Dzungaria, the wheat fields of Kazakhstan, the meadows of Mongolia, Siberia, and the birch stands of Manchuria. Djungarian hamsters are common as pets in Europe and North America, and exhibit greater variance in their coats than those found in the wild. They reproduce often—more so than Syrian hamsters—and, as they have no fixed breeding season, can continue to produce large amounts of offspring all year round. Young pups will act aggressively to one another; whilst breeding females may show similar aggression to males. They are lazy hamster and the opposite of Roborovskii.

Roborovskii Brown Face 

3. Roborovskii

Roborovskis (Phodopus roborovskii; formerly, Cricetulus bedfordiae) or desert hamsters (also known simply as Robos or Robs) are the smallest of all hamsters, averaging under an inch (2 cm) at birth, and (rarely) three inches (7.5 cm) during adulthood. They are very hyperactive, run faster than all type, so it's not recommended for newbie who will take it. Distinguishing characteristics of the Roborovskis are eyebrow-like white spots and the lack of any dorsal stripe (found on the other members of the Phodopus genus). The average lifespan for the Roborovski hamster is three years, though this is dependent on living conditions (extremes being four years in captivity and two in the wild). Roborovskis are known for their speed and have been said to run the equivalent of four human marathons per night on average.

4. Syrian



Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a very well known member of the rodent subfamily Cricetinae, the hamsters. In the wild they are now considered vulnerable. Their numbers have been declining due to loss of habitat (caused by agriculture) and deliberate destruction by humans. However, captive breeding programs are well established, and captive-bred golden hamsters are popular as pets and scientific research animals. Adults are from 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) long, and have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years. In captivity the golden hamster is active mostly at night, but in the wild it is a crepuscular animal. Wild hamsters sleep during the day in the deepest part of their burrows to avoid predators; they wake up just after sunset, but are active on the ground only for a few hours in the early and late parts of the night.

5. Hybrid

Of the 5 species kept as pets only two species can interbreed and produce live offspring and these are the Campbells and Winter White Russian Hamsters. The offspring produced from the mating of two separate species are known as hybrids.

Distinguishing Between The Campbells And Winter White Russian Hamsters

The Campbells and Winter White Russian Hamsters are similar particularly in their normal colouring and distinguishing between the two can be difficult to the inexperienced hamster owner.

Normal Campbells Russian 

Normal Winter White Russian 

As can be seen from the pictures above the normal Campbells Russian is paler in colour and is more brown-grey in colour than the normal Winter White Russian. The Campbells also has a distinct cream tint along the side arches that separate the brown-grey top colour from the whiter belly colour whereas the Winter White has a black tint along the side arches with no cream tint. The Winter White, also often has a few black hairs ticked in the white areas under the side arches whereas the Campbells has no coloured hairs ticked in the white areas under the side arches.  The Campbells and Winter White are in different poses above so it is not easily seen but they are a slightly different shape with the Winter White being more bullet shaped and the Campbells being "flatter" in the body. The dorsal stripe on the Winter White is thick and jet black (often wider between the shoulders) whereas the dorsal stripe on the Campbells is grey-black, thinner and does not widen between the shoulders.


The head shape is also different between the two species with the Winter Whitehaving longer head and a "roman nose". The eyes are usually larger and bolder on the Winter White than on the Campbellsand they are placed closer to the ears than the nose whereas on the Campbellsthe eyes are roughly equal distance from nose and ears. Another difference between the two species is the nose shape. The Campbells has a "puffy" nose where the profile on the side of the face puffs out around the nose. The profile of the Winter White is smooth with no "puffy" nose. Other colours and patterns in both species make them easy to distinguish apart. Albino (white with red eyes), Argente (ginger with red eyes), Opal (blue-grey with black eyes), Black (black with black eyes), Black Eyed Argente (dull ginger with black eyes), Mottled (coloured with white patches or spots or white with coloured patches and spots), Dilute Platinum (white with black eyes), Platinum (coloured with white hairs through the coat), Satin (wet look shiny coat) are all Campbells mutations. Sapphire (purple-grey with black eyes) and Pearl (white with black or purple-grey hairs ticked through the coat and concentrated along the dorsal area) are Winter Whites mutations.

Yeah, that's they are. I hope this is very helpful for the readers who come in this blog. Thanks for visiting and see you later cause I'll washing my hamster's cage now

posted by Hendrianto Kusuma

Source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hybrid_hamsters.htm