Meet Grandpa!

[ScarboroughHamstery]

Hello! This is my beautiful female hamster named Gramdpa!! Yup that's right... My son who is 6 decided she looked like a grandpa and my husband agreed... Two against one! What a silly name, but she is a sweet sweet girl. I'm not sure what color/pattern she is... Could someone help me out? Here is her pictures! Please let me know if they aren't posting...

[DrKMcK]

Grandpa is adorable. I love the story of her name. Funny, but the name suits her. Welcome to Hamster Central.

[ScarboroughHamstery]

Thank you! We are smitten

[Hekomi]

Looks like heterozygous silver grey. Looks LH'd too. Gorgoeus!

[ScarboroughHamstery]

Thanks! I think she is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!

[kyrilliondaemon]

She looks adorable and I love the name

[alyzimm]

Haha, that's fantastic

I second Hekomi--seems like you have a longhaired banded heterozygous silver grey

The silver grey gene takes out the yellow in a hamster's fur. The gene is incomplete dominant, meaning that the homozygous and heterozygous forms (two copies of the gene or just one copy) look different. Your hamster has one copy (heterozygous), so "half" of the yellow is taken out of her fur. Does that make sense?

If a hamster has two copies of the silver grey gene, their fur will look silver because most of the yellow is removed. Thus, why people distinguish between the two by saying "heterozygous silver grey" or "homozygous silver grey".

And welcome to the forum

[Sandti]

Hah! Thats an awesome name!
'Honey, do you want to get Grandpa out of their cage?'
'Why don't you go and give Grandpa some sunflower seeds?'
'Oh gosh Grandpa pooped on me!!'

[Hekomi]

Originally Posted by alyzimm

Haha, that's fantastic

I second Hekomi--seems like you have a longhaired banded heterozygous silver grey

The silver grey gene takes out the yellow in a hamster's fur. The gene is incomplete dominant, meaning that the homozygous and heterozygous forms (two copies of the gene or just one copy) look different. Your hamster has one copy (heterozygous), so "half" of the yellow is taken out of her fur. Does that make sense?

If a hamster has two copies of the silver grey gene, their fur will look silver because most of the yellow is removed. Thus, why people distinguish between the two by saying "heterozygous silver grey" or "homozygous silver grey".

And welcome to the forum

The only reason I know what I do about silver greys is because of you, hehe! Thanks for the neato explanation of the gene though. I knew how to tell hetero vs. homo but I had no idea that's how it worked!

Either way, she's gorgeous.

[Rainbow]

She's gorgeous!

Originally Posted by Sandti

Hah! Thats an awesome name!
'Honey, do you want to get Grandpa out of their cage?'
'Why don't you go and give Grandpa some sunflower seeds?'
'Oh gosh Grandpa pooped on me!!'

Hehe, it is going to be a fun name! And I thought me and my OH had a laugh when we go to buy baby food for Norby and talk about the least we can do is get him his favourite flavour since he has to live in a cage.