Teddy bear hamster

[lorrapaw]

What is a teddy bear hamster and how do they differ from syrians?

[Amelioratione]

Teddy Bear Hamsters are Syrians, it's just more of...the petshop name for them. I think it's some sort of marketing gimmick.

[samzyzg]

I know some place in europe sell the hamsters based on their colourings. But a said before a Teddy Bear hamster is a Syrian hamster.

[cathface]

it seems to be more in the US, but some pet shops choose to market their Syrians under fancy names they've given to different colours. from what I understand, a teddy bear is usually a long-haired Syrian, a black bear is a black Syrian, and a panda is a black and white Syrian. I can't think of any other names that are commonly used, though some pet shops probably do make their own up for their stock, like the recent thread about 'blizzard hamsters' that RCalabraro posted about, which just seems to be a long-haired white hamster.

[HadleyHam]

The pet shops in the US (eg. Petsmart/Petco) tend to charge more for what they call "fancy bear" hamsters, which is basically anything other than a standard golden Syrian

[Ellisxxx]

Teddy bear hamsters got longer hair than normal syrian hamster xxx

[StarlightSerenity]

Silly marketing names IMO! All it does is confuse people

[chewy1991]

A marketing name. There really is no difference. I have seen some pet shops use "Teddy bear" to refer only to long hair Syrians, while I've seen many others (this is more common where I live) that use "teddy bear" as a blanket term referring to all Syrians. It (along with Black Bear, Honey Bear, and all the other "bears" you will see) is merely a marketing term used by pet shops and some not so knowledgeable breeders to make a sell. I suppose they think most people will find the term "teddy bear" cuter than Syrian hamster.

[Trixafena2]

I'm from the US and I use Petco/Petsmart.

My cream banded was labeled as a "Fancy Hamster"
My black and white Syrian who has passed was a "European Black Bear" ((google said otherwise to that.)
and My solid black was labeled as just "Bear Hamster."

Long haired Syrians are always called "Teddybears" which I find appropriate because they're very cuddly.. atleast the ones I've had were..


It's all just names. Though my "Fancy hamster" and my "bear hamster" actually are a bit different weight/thickness wise. the "bear" is thicker/heavier and my fancy is lighter..

[racinghamster]

As far as I`m concerned they are all syrian hamsters! I do like the term "Teddy Bear" hamster, but they should have this alonside the true species name so potential owners actually know what they have. Syrians do resemble a grizzly bear which makes them appealing.