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Old 06-19-2017, 03:23 PM  
Fluffagrams
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Location: Bath, UK
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Default Re: Melody, my Chinesey hammy :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago View Post
My assumption is that it's due to how difficult it is to breed chineseys. It may also have to do with demand- or perhaps even a mix of both! I hope they don't leave the US, but I also hope mills stop breeding them, so it's a conflict of interest unfortunately..
They're not that easy to find in pet shops over here these days either and it's a case of finding one at a show or going through a breeder although I know that there are rodent mills breeding them.

I think that there's probably a number of factors contributing to how difficult they are to find and one is the lack of demand. Pet shops are going to want to stock what sells best rather than trying to appeal to a more specialist market and we all know that more people prefer the idea of a cuddly Syrian, often available in a greater variety of colours than a shy little mouse-like creature which is really only available in two colours.

I feel also that there is a lack of understanding about Chinese and I feel that the assumptions that they are shy, skittish and hard to tame don't do the reputation of the species a lot of good. We know that assumptions aren't always correct and I've had some Chinese who have been far cuddlier than any of the Syrians I've had.

They're not an easy species to breed and I've heard several people in the hamster clubs saying that they are the hardest species to breed although the way I look at it is that every species will present their own challenges when it comes to breeding.
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