Trying to figure out if my little one is a hybrid

LoveMyHams · 07-06-2011, 09:47 PM

She is either a russian dwarf or a hybrid of some kind. I'm not sure I trust the petshop to label her correctly. Anyone have any ideas? (she's tannish/orange but it's hard to see because of the flash)

lisab · 07-07-2011, 04:13 AM

if she is from a pet shop, i think its almost 100% going to be a hybrid

**Hamtastic** · 07-12-2011, 03:54 PM

Off-topic, but is this a small comfort wheel she's using? Just curious, as I like the color.

LoveMyHams · 07-12-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamtastic

Off-topic, but is this a small comfort wheel she's using? Just curious, as I like the color.

Yeah it is.

**Hamtastic** · 07-12-2011, 07:22 PM

It's a turquoise color? Looks more teal in your photos, but the commercial photos on-line make it look more like sky-blue turquoise.

DoomSlave · 07-15-2011, 10:37 PM

It looks to me like she is a RC, I see no features of a WW at all really. I don't think buying from a shop guarantees you a hybrid at all. I see pure RC a pure WW a lot. She is a beauty!

genevieve · 07-18-2011, 07:05 AM

I am still learning the ropes when identifying Russians, but I'd say RC purely due to colouring and head shape. If you were in the UK, I'd say definitely a hybrid because pretty much all pet shop hamsters are. But I'm not sure what pet shops are like around America so I can't be certain.

**Hamtastic** · 07-20-2011, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomSlave

It looks to me like she is a RC, I see no features of a WW at all really. I don't think buying from a shop guarantees you a hybrid at all. I see pure RC a pure WW a lot. She is a beauty!

A hybrid might look much like a pure-bred and still be a "slight" hybrid, but a hybrid nonetheless. And once a hybrid-always a hybrid in terms of breeding from hybrids down the line. That's why people say it's safe to assume that most store dwarf hams are hybridized to some degree. My girl is a winter white but she's from a store, and while she looks very close to what a WW should be, I'm pretty sure she's a hybrid to some extent. It doesn't make her a worse pet, but if you want to be technical, that's how it is

DoomSlave · 07-21-2011, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamtastic

A hybrid might look much like a pure-bred and still be a "slight" hybrid, but a hybrid nonetheless. And once a hybrid-always a hybrid in terms of breeding from hybrids down the line. That's why people say it's safe to assume that most store dwarf hams are hybridized to some degree. My girl is a winter white but she's from a store, and while she looks very close to what a WW should be, I'm pretty sure she's a hybrid to some extent. It doesn't make her a worse pet, but if you want to be technical, that's how it is

Oh yeah that's true. You know I've never really thought of it that way. She doesn't look to be a WW but she might still have some hybridized blood since you can't breed it out no matter how many pure RCs you breed into the line right? She's a beauty no matter what for serious! You know, I read and have heard that even the MOST reputable breeders (leaders of hamster associations and the like) here in the US unknowingly sell hybrids as pure because they have been hybridized so much and since we can't trace our breeding stock back to the wilds of Russia they inevitably have hybridized blood in them. Oh well, hamsters are darling whether or not they are pure I totally agree!

**Hamtastic** · 07-21-2011, 12:08 AM

I know some US breeders get their stock from the UK from reputable breeders. As to whether those reputable breeders can also prove their hams' ancesstry down to a pure wild hamster is a difficult question, but I believe most try to keep their lines as pure as possible (for show standards, health, ethics, etc.) So those are the best you can get if you care for pedigree and exact features of a particular breed. Store pets are not bred to such high standards generally, so relatively speaking, it's a lot more likely to expect a hybrid.