Do I have a winter white or Campbell?

[Babycakes]

Hi, I today bought a Russian Ham from p@h. I think it is female and think it might be a ww as it has a dorsal stripe and two stripes on its side. What do you think? Also I can't see pom poms so I think female, what are your thoughts?

[evel_lin]

It's a hybrid, P@H don't sell pure bred campbells or WW's. Can't tell from that photo if it's male or female but testicles do tend to be fairly obvious so you may be right

[Babycakes]

Thank u, so I hope she will be Ok if a hybrid, is this what people call a pudding hamster?

[Munchalot]

The colouring seems to be more campbells, but it must be a hybrid. The hamsters in P@H come from a huge rodent farm where breeding is far too casual for the animal's well being. To find a pure example of either species you would need to go to a breeder.

(Also, both Campbells and WW have dorsal stripes and side arches, though they are more pronounced on the WW. The two species are quite hard to distinguish from each other as they are so similar)

If you're unsure of the sex, try to get a pic of her/his bottom and we can help you decide.

[Babycakes]

Thank you, I will try and get a pic. Do we change colour if kept in captivity?

[Babycakes]

Winter whites*

[Munchalot]

Sometimes. If it's a pure WW, then yes. Sometimes a hybrid with strong WW genes will start to change, but it won't be perfect as the hybridization effects the colour change. My little Todd isn't pure but he has very strong WW characteristics - he and his brother changed colour and went almost completely white but for the dorsal stripe. His only flaw was an odd white spot on his back when he changed back.

In captivity, they don't necessarily change colour in winter. It's all to do with how much daylight they experience, as short hours of light would cause the hamster to react as though to winter photo periods.
For example, Toddy was changing colour in June, because his tank in the shop was in a dim corner, and the lights were only on for opening times from 9 - 5:30.

[Babycakes]

Thank u that's really helpful x

[Munchalot]

No problem. x

Winter whites are lovely. I sometimes think that hybrids with more WW characteristics are so much more docile and loving.

[Silver]

Just to say I had a Pure WW from A NHC Breeder in normal colour & she never changed colour ever

Some people say it's triggered with the amount of daylight they get in a day. Less daylight in winter months triggers the coat change as they go whiter to blend in with snow.

As it gets dark we put the lights on so even though it's not daylight there is still the same hours in the day with light as in summer.

Who knows really lol.

Some Hybrids do & some don't & some Pure WW's do & some don't

xxx