... Basically everything radiocricket just said
For instance, I would love to have baby Robos. I could quite easily go out today, buy another Robo from the pet shop, shove her and Darla together, and get a pregnant hamster. (Or a massive fight on my hands
) Yay, cute baby hamsters, right?
Well, Robo genetics are nowhere near as complex as Syrian genetics, there's only seven or eight documented mutations I believe, and no lethal combo, but even so... doing what I described is so ethically wrong. Hypothetically, I could have no knowledge of hamster gestation, how to look after mum and babies, plus as far as I can tell, most backyard breeders don't know how to look after one ham properly (too small cages/wheels etc), never mind knowing how to breed safely and ethically.
As for European hamsters, they look kind of like golden Syrians, but more brown than golden, and with a black tummy! I was so bemused when I first saw a picture
I hadn't even heard of European hamsters, and I knew it must be a type of hamster but it was like no hamster I'd ever seen before