Taming a nibbly Campbells

[Emma]

I was just wondering if people had any particular tips or success stories about taming bitey Campbells.



I met a very nibbly little Campbells at the animal rescue today. I'm considering taking him home but am just wondering if he will ever be particularly handlable. I'm not that bothered by biting (I let him have a good nibble today so I could check him over - fingers are covered in little bites now!) but I am looking really for a handlable pet at the moment. The rescue said they never have much trouble rehoming hamsters, so I don't feel like I really have to take him home.



Its been quite a while since I last had Campbells, they were mostly solitary males too. One I had was not bitey at all, a very tame little chap. Another was always very bitey, we never had much success taming him.



Em x

[SnuggleHam]

I usually always want to bring the pet home no matter what it is, especially if I think I can prove a better living space for it than it either is in, or previously was in, then I find myself justifying getting it and trying to think of a way I can clear some room for it.



I did that just today, My husband and I stopped at a pet store and I saw some really adorable Campbell’s Russian Dwarf hamsters, a pair for $25. It said they were Dzungarian hamsters but I believe that is just another name for the Campbell’s right?



Anyway in the end I decided not to since if I do decide to breed the Roborovskis I'll need the room for extra tanks.



With the nippy question I can't really offer any other suggestion besides gaining his trust with treats and just plain treating him gentle.

[Emma]

I know I always want to bring things home - I've had to learn to stop myself and think first. I almost came home from the hamster show yesterday with a pair of Campbells females - there were some gorgeous argente and plantinum blue fawn girls on the sales table.



I have a tentative "hamster plan" though and am trying to stick to it - and it allows me only one more cage at the moment - so if anything comes home it has to be solitary, I can't really allow myself to have a pair of anything in case they end up needing to be separated. But I am yearning after a more handlable ham in the house, as much as I love the Robos and as entertaining as they are, I want someone I can cuggle!

[SnuggleHam]

OHHHHHHHHHH :shock:



I saw a picture of a blue fawn Campbell’s in my hamster book I have here, First time I saw them I fell in love with them. If I were to ever get into breeding them, I would really want a line of blue fawns going, they are lovely and the coat is so unique!



I really wish I had one, if I happened upon one though, id probably buy it.

:P

[afishcalledwanda]

Is this what you are meaning by a blue fawn, Candace?

this is one of my boys, Cool Hand Luke



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/Afishcalledwanda/Picture052.jpg[/img]

[SnuggleHam]

Nope... This is a blue fawn hamster, unless there are variations to the color. But yours doesn’t even resemble the name... ??



This is what a Blue fawn looks like

http://www.hamsterhideout.com/illustrations/happycritters/campbell/blue.jpg

[afishcalledwanda]

Candace, follow the pages on the link below. It's from PWS information pages and the colors of the Campbell's dwarfs'.

This is why I think my guy is a blue fawn.

What is the title of your book? I'd like to check it out.



http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/dwar ... colors.htm (http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/dwarf_campbells_russian_hamsters_colors.htm)

[SnuggleHam]

“The Hamster handbook” by Patricia Bartlett.



I love it!! its got allot of really great hamster information.

[Emma]

They were Platinum Blue Fawns I saw at the hamster show, and look more like the picture posted by fishcalledwanda. Paler than argente but still kinda golden, with a platinumy sheen, there was an obvious dorsal stripe, can't remember eye colour sorry.



I don't know what the colour of the ham Candace posted is but theres a lot of unstandardised colours out there - is it perhaps an Opal? I am not good at all on Campbell's colourings, and there are so many now.

[afishcalledwanda]

I think I have an opal Emma, and the pic Candace has here seems really distorted. It's a bad photo that looks like whoever took the pic didn't have good lighting. It has a blue cast on the whole pic.



here is the opal I have, Sybil- she 's either a dove or opal I'm not sure.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/Afishcalledwanda/Picture068.jpg

[babyboos]

She is an Opal

Candace posted a Blue Hamster

I am a bit worried about this book if it said that was a Blue Fawn

[afishcalledwanda]

So does this mean that my Luke is a blue fawn?



The pic is EXTREMELY close in actual coloring.

[babyboos]

Looks a little like one - maybe the photograph is just a little over-exposed light wise?

There is generally a nice steely grey tint over the back of the slightly paler/less vibrant normal Argente coat.

[afishcalledwanda]

Yes, he has that tint. I'm afraid that isn't as clear a pic as I thought!



Now, Fizz Bomb, looks like a satin red eyed argente. Is that a 'proper' color?

[babyboos]

Red Eyed Argente comes in a Satin coat yes

[SnuggleHam]

Yes this book said it was a Blue Fawn and although the picture is different then one in the book its the exact same color. There are a couple other pictures like that and show a same colored dwarf wich the is called a blue campbells.



I cant see that they are wrong, I mean the name suites the color perfectlly. although I dont know much about color genetics, Afishcalledwanda doesnt look blue at all lol. If this isnt a Blue color then I dont know what is!



HERE (http://www.angelfire.com/wv2/woodview_hamstery/colors/dwarfcolors.htmlurl) is a link to one site that shows the colors, the only there that looks close to the blue fawn is the Opal.. Hmm but it does seem funny this site shows a blue fawn wich looks more tan with a blusish dusty undertone and they simply call the blue campbells "blue" Maybe this book did make a typo on that one picture.



Oh who knows lol

[afishcalledwanda]

Candace here is a link to Linda Price's website. Click on the pic of the Campbell's Russian Dwarf hamster and there will be a page with links for every color they come in and some she recently discovered.



http://www.geocities.com/AAAHamsters/





I would trust her on the subject as she has travelled the world in search of hamsters for her breeding stock, she 's a judge, and is associated with the British Hamster association. I also personally had the pleasure of meeting her last month at a show she guest judged here in NJ.

[SnuggleHam]

Thanks,



Yes after looking up about the blue fawn I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. I was just going by a picture in a hamster book that I have, It must have been a typo under the picture caption.



It never really went into the different colors; there are pictures throughout it that have little captions underneath.



Like I said there was another picture in the book of the same colored ham and that caption just said it was a Blue Campbell's.





They are both pretty the fawn and the blue.. But I really like the Blue color more :)

[babyboos]

It is definitely a Blue Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamster - must be a typographic error (I hope)