Whats your fave hamster breed?

[Marbleandjasper]

I was just wondering what hamster breed people like most.

Whether you have one or not is irrelevant it still counts and also what colour of that breed do you like most?

As for me I really like the look of the tortoise shell looking Syrians.

but I have not yet looked into the colours you can get with hybrids.

[cypher]

If you're thinking about getting a hybrid be prepared for them to change colour!
My first was almost pure black & slowly turned to a deep chocolate brown with white patches, my second changed quite a lot, lovely silvery greys in his coat but mostly just became lighter, Mickle has changed the most starting out a really lovely mandarin type colour & is now almost pure white! Flynt is the only one I've had who hasn't changed colour he still looks like a little piece of flint & probably always will as he's an old man now.
As for a favourite species I guess after having Zephyr it will always be Chinese for me & I actually prefer the natural colouring over the white.
Hybrids will always come a second favourite what ever colour they may be, I still like the idea of having a robo one day too but much as I enjoy other people's syrians I've never had a yen for one myself, I'm just a total sucker for the little people!

[SinNyx]

Hamsters have species, not breeds

I've always been a big Syrian owner, the majority of hams at my rescue are Syrians. However I do love them all. My current Russian hybrid is quite cage aggressive so although I don't have a bond with him, I still love him (he's white, red eyes).

I'm getting more fond of Chinese hamsters now though, they are ever so sweet.

[Fluffagrams]

Originally Posted by cypher

If you're thinking about getting a hybrid be prepared for them to change colour!
My first was almost pure black & slowly turned to a deep chocolate brown with white patches, my second changed quite a lot, lovely silvery greys in his coat but mostly just became lighter, Mickle has changed the most starting out a really lovely mandarin type colour & is now almost pure white! Flynt is the only one I've had who hasn't changed colour he still looks like a little piece of flint & probably always will as he's an old man now.

I can testify to that one as well. When we got Sooty, she was a pretty little black, grey and white hamster but during the winter of last year she changed to being nearly all white with a few black spots on her sides, nose and tummy.

As cute as the other species are, my favourite species has to be the Chinese Hamster and I fell in love with them after bringing two adorable brothers home from Pets at Home well over three years ago. I've had two others since and am on a breeder's waiting list for another.

I'd say that predominantely I am a dwarf hamster person!

[Marbleandjasper]

Wow!

I never knew hybrids changed colour!
Is there no colour chart for them then because they change?

[cypher]

They don't all change, some stay the same some carry the winter white trait & change with the seasons but really it's a case of wait & see! I have seen lists of hybrid colours but they don't seem to mention the chances of a hybrid looking quite different as it ages.

[Bertiebobbins]

I think they're all lovely to look at. I've only every owned Syrians, but I love watching the robos and dwarves in the pet shop. I've never seen a Chinese IRL and I think I want to get one! I think they all have their own qualities and attributes. I'd love some robos to watch at home!

[Marbleandjasper]

I went to just go look at hybid colours and I found this! is all that true?

"Now you may think 'so what?', but the breeding of hybrids really is a big problem for a number of reasons. Firstly, there can be problems with giving birth as the 2 species are not the same size and do not have the same sized babies. Mothers can die from giving birth to hybrids because the babies are simply too large for her to push out. This is an awful, agonising death and those who have witnessed the mother's screams never forget them.

Secondly, there is the fact that most hybrids do not live long and healthy lives. They may look fine when you buy them from the pet shop, but at some time in their lives they may develop any number of health problems, common ones being neurological issues. Neurological problems are the cause of behaviours such as head-tilting, spinning around in circles or back-flipping. A lot of videos get posted online of hamsters displaying these so-called 'hilarious' antics, but it is not funny in the least. The hamsters are behaving like that because they are sick and they have a compulsion to do these things. That is, they cannot stop doing it. Think about how you would feel if you could not stop your legs from moving and forcing you to run in a circle all day. Along with neurological issues can come many other health problems and hybrids often die young.

Thirdly, the breeding of hybrids also promotes the extinction of the separate species, which is terrible as the two species are totally different, both physically and behaviourally. The pure species are only kept alive due to the dedication of show breeders in this country. Without shows, I dread to think what would happen to these beautiful animals. Again, some people may say 'so what if you lose the pure species?' and in response to this I would ask them to imagine that it were possible to inter-breed cats and dogs, creating a hybrid species called a 'cag'. Now imagine that pure cats and pure dogs die out and all you can buy is a cag. Wouldn't it be terrible if cats and dogs were extinct and you could never buy a cat or dog again? Hamster lovers like myself feel passionately about these two species, either for one or both, and would be devastated to lose them."

[Marbleandjasper]

Now that I read a bit more of what this person has written I think they maybe biased and kinds wrong because they are saying that you should not buy any winter whites or Campbell's from pet shops and saying things like "those who have witnessed the mother's screams never forget them." seems rather un professional
Plus a more professional site stated that its common for hybrids to be infertile so it would be pointless to try to breed them as pet shop stock :/

[Marbleandjasper]

Blast, I kind of really wanted a hybrid hamster they sounded so good at first cool little colour changers <3 BUT now having read about them getting one seems like a bad idea x.x

I can see ways round certain problems like the size difference ( make sure the male is the ww) and the lack of pures ( go to Russia with a net XD) but I guess my main issue is that they are less healthy but by how much?

How long does a hybrid last compared to a ww or Campbell?

And what are the health risks percentages compared to the ww or campbell?