Hamster Identification + Questions

[GleamEyes]

Hello!

I live in Maryland, USA where, unfortunately, there are no longer any hamster breeders in my state or neighboring states (their sites haven't been updated in years, I've tried contacting them but no response). I've enjoyed having dwarf hamsters over the past couple years and am ready for another. However, my only two options are rescuing a hamster (if there are any available in my area) or getting one at a pet store, such as Petco or Petsmart.

The only dwarf hamster available in my area for rescue is this cutie: https://petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=MONT.A422684

Can anyone please tell me what kind of hamster this is? She looks like a Campbell's or winter white, but I've never seen one without a dorsal stripe before. That's the only picture they have of her. Strong possibility she's a dwarf because they also have a Syrian there and they say she's much smaller than the Syrian.

The Petcos in my area currently have the following available: short-haired Syrians, long-haired Syrians, robos, Chinese, Campbell's, winter whites, and "sunfire." Some people online are saying sunfires are hybrids of Campbell's and winter whites and tend to have health/mental issues, is this true? Does anyone here have experience with them?

I know we're not supposed to have faves among pets, but of my dwarves, my male winter white has been my fave because he is very social and funny. Do winter whites and/or male hamsters tend to be more social?

I'm leaning towards getting a Campbell's or another winter white, but am curious about the sunfire and long-haired Syrian. Any advice or tips?

Thanks!

[cypher]

I can't get the link to load at the moment but will have another go later.
I just wanted to say that as far as Russian hams are concerned Petco only sell hybrids no matter what they may call them.
Sunfires do tend to have more health problems & are even more prone to diabetes than other dwarf hams unfortunately.

[Hamsterita]

Hi!

As cypher said, it's hard (or impossible) to find a real winter white/campbell on regular pet shops, because you never know his pedigree, and they usually are hybrids (a mix between these species). I didn't know about Sunfires, I suppose that it's a fancy name for the coat of a hybrid. In general hybrids have more health problems than other hams and are prone to diabetes.

Chinese and robos are known for being more shy, and russians and syrians for being more social, males are know for being more laid back, but in the end that depends on their personality. I have a syrian and I wouldn't say he is particularly social at all and I've read about robos that even like to be cuddled, so you can play with the odds but in the end you have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.

[chesca_27]

The link won work for me either, but without a pedigree (and photo) she is probably a hybrid. If she doesn't have a very long tail, then you can rule out a Chinese. All pet store Russians are hybrids and are at higher risk of diabetes and so need to be kept on a low sugar diet. Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest is the ideal food for dwarf hamsters, but it will need to be ordered in from the UK, which can be pricey. It is superior to the other options in the US though and is totally sugar free, perfect for hamsters at risk of diabetes (hybrids, Campbells and Chinese).

You can't really make many assumptions of personality based on species and gender, but males tend to be lazier than females, although there are a lot of exceptions. The only other thing would be that robos are much harder to handle and less likely to be tame, otherwise it's a mixed bag. Syrians are easier to handle and tame than the other species, because they are larger. I have found my Winter White to be very friendly and tame, if that helps.

[GleamEyes]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Here is another link to try: https://petharbor.com/get_image.asp?...&LOCATION=MONT



Physical description: She has the body shape of a Campbell's/winter white/hybrid. She has black eyes and white fur, but no dorsal stripe, which I find very unusual. Can't see the tail, so it's probably a very small tail. She looks just like my male winter white/hybrid, but without a dorsal stripe.

Also, I think the "sunfire" dwarves are basically orange-looking hybrids.

Does anyone here use Oxbow hamster food?

[cypher]

The link still isn't working, do you know how old she is? One of my hybrids became completely white as she aged & her dorsal stripe which she had when younger was barely visible at all.

Sunfire aka mandarins are just hybrids of a particular colour.

Oxbow is a bit low in protein to use on it's own & far from ideal tbh.

[Drago]

like everyone has said, and from the pictures, I would say she is a hybrid Oxbow isn't a very good food for hamsters in all honesty. It's made up mostly of grasses which can be alright in moderation, but overall shouldn't be fed regularly (and some owners feel they shouldn't be fed at all!). It's also severely lacking in variety unfortunately, and you'll definitely want to shoot for a food with more variety! For a diabetes prone species, Burgess dwarf is definitely the best you can offer. It's obviously a bit more difficult to get hold of in the US, but it can be ordered off of viovet, eBay, and Amazon

[GleamEyes]

The shelter staff believe she's about a year old.

Thanks again, everyone!