The Roborovski Hamster

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The Roborovski Hamster originates from Western and Eastern Mongolia and Northern China. Roborovski Hamsters were imported into the UK in the 1960s by London Zoo but the present UK stock was imported from Holland in 1990. Roborovski Hamsters were later imported into the USA and are now available as pets in many countries.
The Roborovski Hamster is the smallest of the hamster species kept as pets, being only around 4-5 cm in length. The natural colour is sandy-gold over the back with a white belly and distinctive white "eyebrows" which gives them a very appealing appearance although other varieties exist.

Roborovski Hamsters are extremely active and fast and so are not widely kept as a pet as they are much more difficult to handle than the other species of Dwarf Hamster. This makes them unsuitable pets for children who want a pet they can hold and play with but are a fascinating pet for those who prefer simply to observe, particularly when given a large and interesting environment in which to live. Roborovski Hamsters are, however, of very good temperament and rarely nip.
As Roborovski Hamsters are not a suitable pet for children they are rarely seen in pet shops but can be obtained from specialist hamster breeders in various countries.

The average lifespan of the Roborovski Hamster is 3-3½ years although they can live longer.

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Article By : http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/roborovski_hamsters.htm

The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster

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The Dwarf Winter White Russian originates from Eastern Kazakhstan and South West Siberia where it lives amongst grassy steppes.

The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is the least common of the two species of Dwarf Russian Hamster kept as pets and is therefore rarely seen in pet shops. The Dwarf Winter White Russian is sometimes also known as the Siberian Hamster. Both the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and the Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster are sometimes labelled as Djungarian Hamsters. The Russians themselves refer to the Dwarf Winter White as the Djungarian but American Scientists refer the Campbells as the Djungarian. It is however a very misleading name as neither species actually inhabit the area of Djungaria.

The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is more compact in shape than the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and has more prominent eyes, a roman nose and a curved spine towards the rear giving it a bullet shaped body. Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters are approximately 8-10cm in length when full grown with males being larger than females. They have expandable cheek pouches. Russian Hamsters have furry feet and are sometimes referred to as the Furry or Hairy Footed Hamster.
The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is so called because of its tendency to turn white in the winter. This is due to the shorter daylight hours and the hamster's coat may become lighter or have white patches or become almost completely white. Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters do not normally breed when in their winter white coat.

The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is sociable and will live with others of its own kind in single or mixed sex groups provided that hamsters are introduced at a young age. The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is nocturnal but can be quite active for short periods during the day. It makes a good pet although because of its small size it can be difficult for small children to handle. The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster can also be less tolerant of clumsy handling than the bigger Syrian Hamster but is generally nice natured. They are able to squeeze through the bars of some hamster cages and so cages designed for mice, glass or plastic aquariums make more suitable cages. The average lifespan of the Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is 1½-2 years although they can live longer.
Due to the similar appearance of the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and the Winter White Russian Hamster and their ability to interbreed it may be difficult to distinguish which species a particular hamster is, or indeed if it is a hybrid of the two species.

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Article By : http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/dwarf_winter_white_russian_hamsters.htm

The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster

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The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster inhabits the Steppes and semi deserts of Central Asia; the Altai mountains Tuvinskaya Autonomous Region (Tuva), Transbaikalia, Mongolia, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), and the adjacent parts of Heilungkiang and Hebei provinces of Northeastern China, where it lives in sand dunes.

The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster (sometimes incorrectly labelled as the Siberian Hamster in pet shops) is the more common than the other species of Dwarf Russian Hamster, the Dwarf Winter White Russian (Siberian) Hamster, and is often seen in pet shops in many countries today.

Both the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and the Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster are sometimes labelled as Djungarian Hamsters. The Russians themselves refer to the Dwarf Winter White as the Djungarian but American Scientists refer to the Campbells as the Djungarian. It is however a very misleading name as neither species actually inhabit the area of Djungaria.
The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster is approximately 10-12cm in length when full grown, with males being larger than females. The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster has a plump rounded body and expandable cheekpouches. Russian Hamsters have furry feet and are sometimes referred to as the Furry or Hairy Footed Hamster.
The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster is sociable and will live with others of its own kind in single or mixed sex groups provided that hamsters are introduced at a young age. The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster is nocturnal but can be quite active for short periods during the day. It makes a good pet although because of its small size it can be difficult for small children to handle.

The Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster can also be less tolerant of clumsy handling than the bigger Syrian Hamster and more prone to nip when annoyed. They are able to squeeze through the bars of some hamster cages and so cages designed for mice, glass or plastic aquariums make more suitable cages. The average lifespan of the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster is 1½-2 years although they can live longer.
Due to the similar appearance of the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and the Winter White Russian hamster and their ability to interbreed it may be difficult to distinguish which species a particular hamster is. So how do you tell if you have a Campbells, a Winter White or a hybrid?

Due to the similar appearance of the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster and the Winter White Russian Hamster and their ability to interbreed it may be difficult to distinguish which species a particular hamster is, or indeed if it is a hybrid of the two species.

Picture By : hamsteronline.com

Article By : http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/dwarf_campbells_russian_hamsters.htm

Syrian hamsters

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The Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the 'Golden Hamster' due to its original wild golden colouring although today there are many different colour and coat mutations. It is also sometimes referred to as the Standard or Fancy Hamster and Long Haired Syrian hamsters are sometimes referred to as 'Teddy Bear Hamsters'. In addition the Hairless Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the 'Alien Hamster' and the Black Syrian Hamster is also referred to as the 'Black Bear' or 'European Black Bear' Hamster.
The Syrian Hamster is the most common type of hamster kept as a pet and is approximately 6-7 inches in length with a very short tail. It has hairless feet with four toes on the front feet and five on the back feet. The Syrian Hamster has expandable cheek pouches which it uses to collect and carry food and bedding and it can carry up to half its body weight in grain in its cheek pouches

The Syrian Hamster is a solitary animal and will not usually live with another past 8-10 weeks of age and so it is important that they are housed separately as serious fighting, even death can occur if more than one are kept in the same cage. The Syrian Hamster is nocturnal, usually waking during the evening.

The Syrian Hamster makes a good pet and easy enough for small children to handle under supervision. The average lifespan is 2-2½ years although they can live longer and up to 3-4 years is not too unusual.

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Article By : http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/syrian_hamsters.htm

BREEDING HAMSTERS

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Before breeding hamsters consideration should be given as to whether the pair of hamsters that it is intended to breed are a good match to produce healthy, good natured babies and also make plans for homing the babies produced.

When considering which pair of hamsters to breed together it is important to consider their size, health and temperament as both good and bad qualities present in the parents will be passed onto the babies. It is also important to correctly identify the colours of the pair it is intended to breed together as some colours of hamster produce undesirable babies (eg eyeless hamsters) when bred together.

The average litter size for a Syrian hamster is 8 but they can have up to 26 babies although this is extremely rare. However it is not unusual for litters of 10-14 to be produced and survive.The average litter size for Dwarf hamsters is 4-6 but they can have larger litters and the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamsters can have up to 14 babies and litters of 8-10 are not uncommon.

It is therefore vital that consideration is given and plans made for homing the babies before making the decision to start breeding hamsters taking into account that 14-26 babies could be produced from a single mating. Many local pet shops have regular suppliers so don't rely on these to take surplus babies without speaking to them before making the decision to start breeding your hamsters.

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Article By : http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/breeding_hamsters.htm

How to Tame Your Hamster

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Taming can be a long process, don't expect your hamster to suddenly like be handled over night. It can take weeks or even months depending on the hamster. When you first get your hamster leave it alone for the first 24 hours to let it get used to it's surroundings. After this time feed your hamster some treats from your hand so they get used to seeing your hand. Wait until your hamster wakes up on it's own to do this, hamsters don't like being woken up and it could result in you getting a nasty bite.

Once your hamster seems confident with taking treats out of your hand you can try to start handling your hamster. Before you handle your hamster make sure you have washed your hands well. Hamsters have a strong sense of smell. If they smell something on your hand they may mistake it for food and decide to bite!

Get a cup or something similar and place it into the hamster's cage. He should come to investigate and crawl inside. Take the hamster and cup out of the cage and let him walk out onto your hand. While you do this make sure you're sat down or sat close to the floor incase your hamster decides to jump. Let him walk from hand to hand. Be careful you don't grab or wrap your hands around your hamster until he is fully tame as this may scare him and he'll jump out of your hand.

Once your hamster is more confident with you, you can start to pick up your hamster straight from it's cage. Just make sure your hamster is aware that you are there, if not you may suddenly scare the hamster and it may turn around and bite you.

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Article By : http://www.hamster-heaven.com/taming.html

Breeding & Mating

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Breeding

There are many things to consider before you decide to breed. It's something that shouldn't be rushed into. What will you do with the hamsters that are born? Many pet stores don't take hamsters from the general public. So will you keep the hamsters for yourself or try to sell them to your friends and family. Syrians can produce as many as 15 pups, will you have the space to cage all these hamsters seperately when they become adults? Another thing to consider is do you have the time and money to do this? If the hamsters become ill and need vet care will you have enough money, vet care isn't always cheap. Or if the mother suddenly dies after birth this will mean you will have to take care of the pups yourself. That will be very hard to do for someone who is at work or school. Don't go into breeding hamsters thinking you can make some money from this because you won't.

Mating

Hamster become sexually mature as early as 4-5 weeks old but this is way too young to start breeding and can lead to complications. The best age to breed a female is from 4 months old. A female syrian will go into heat every four days. This fourth day is the day when you should attempt to mate. When the time is right place the female in the males cage or create a neutral area for them to mate. Never place the male into the females cage.

When placed together they should begin to sniff each other and the male will mount the female. Once they've finished seperate them in their cages. If the female isn't ready she will attack the male, seperate immediately and try again the next night.

In dwarfs it is a little different the male and female can stay together until the birth if you wish as long as they get along well.

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Article By : hamster-heaven.com