Dwarf Hamster
Posted by on Tuesday, September 29, 2009
| Dwarf Hamsters | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dwarf Russian Hamster | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||||
The dwarf hamsters represent a group of small hamsters in the genus Phodopus. Although they do not belong to this genus, the Chinese Hamster is often referred to as a dwarf hamster as well.
Species
- Genus Phodopus - short-tailed dwarf hamsters
- Phodopus campbelli - Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
- Phodopus roborovskii - Roborovski's (Desert) Dwarf Hamster
- Phodopus sungorus - Winter White Russian (Dzhungarian) Dwarf Hamster
- Genus Cricetulus - ratlike hamsters
- Cricetulus griseus - Chinese hamster. These are not strictly considered dwarfs. They are characterized as being very aggressive and will bite if provoked.
Although more limited in colour than the Syrian Hamster, dwarf hamsters are an alternative to pet owners who enjoy a smaller, more sociable hamster.
The Campbell's Dwarf Hamster and Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster, which is often referred to in Russian as a "Shwi-shwi", usually live between 1.5 and 2.5 years and reach a length of about 8-10cm. The Chinese Hamster is 10-12cm in length and usually lives to 2.5 to 3 years. The Roborovski Hamster is the smallest at only 4-5cm and lives for 3 to 3.5 years.The Russian Winter White is 8-10cm, as are the Campbell's. Due to the similarity in size and color, they are mistaken as one species.
References
- Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
External links