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Old 04-26-2022, 09:04 AM   #21
Ria P
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

Raffy looks like a foster i had, Peppe.

Do non pedigree hamsters actually have colours? Their breeding is pretty random i think. I've only ever had one pedigree, Gertie and the rest are rescues.
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Old 04-26-2022, 09:53 AM   #22
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

I am not entirely sure Ria I'm not an expert on colours. I know there are some accepted colours but I don't know if there are more than the accepted ones with all the mixed breeding that must go on with pet shop hamsters.

There's a lot of interesing (complicated for me!) info on dominant and recessive colour genes.
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Old 04-26-2022, 12:06 PM   #23
Ria P
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
There's a lot of interesing (complicated for me!) info on dominant and recessive colour genes.
Oh, i know. I am interested and have been reading up about it in the hamster lopeadia but i don't retain information. Permanent through draft in my head. Not even sure if that is an expression in English but it describes it.
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Old 04-26-2022, 12:40 PM   #24
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

I know that feeling. I have a memory like an elephant for things people say and details of events, but information read doesn't get retained. Which is why I was rubbish at exams that needed retaining facts but very good at the ones that were about having your own ideas! We are all different.
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Old 04-26-2022, 01:55 PM   #25
sushi_78
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

All hamsters are genetically one colour or another. In showing there are standards that are considered the ideal for each colour. So, for example, the preferred shade of orange or the preferred size of band on a banded hamster. A pedigree hamster is likely to conform to those standards whereas a pet shop origin hamster might not, but they will still have a genetic colour.

Genetics makes a bit more sense when you consider that a hamster's genome consists of various "loci" and at every locus they have either dominant or recessive genes. Each locus changes something specific about the hamster's fur colour. I don't have any specific examples for hamsters because I don't understand hamster genetics, but for example with gerbils there is the "underwhite" locus and the recessive underwhite gene strips out the red/brown pigment from the fur leaving a greyscale effect. So an agouti (brown with black ticking) turns into a grey agouti (grey with black ticking) and a nutmeg turns into a silver nutmeg. A hamster's actual colour will depend on all the different genes they have at each locus.

When you see notations in books such as aapp, each letter is a locus. So there's the A (agouti) locus and the P (red-eyed locus). Usually only the recessive genes are noted down since they're the ones that change a hamster's colour away from the wild type.

Raffy is really cute! I love cream hamsters (cream with a lower case c since he might actually be a genetic Cream!)
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Old 04-26-2022, 02:17 PM   #26
Pebbles82
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Thank you for that Sushi!

Raffy has been quite noisy this evening lol. On investigation, to see what the noise was, he was round the left hand side of the cage, partly under the substrate (his head popped out when I went over to call him) and chewing the cardboard I put inside the cage bars. On closer inspection he has successfully demolished 25cm of cardboard and a cable tie! ie half of that side of the cage no longer has any cardboard and there is substrate all over the floor (raised eyebrows from OH but really it's not that much and easily swept up with a dustpan and brush )

He was out and about in the cage a bit when I talked to him and coming to the bars, so put his food out and that seemed to distract him. He did seem like he wanted to come out though, so I went to set the playpen up. But by then he'd disappeared again. Anyway I'll leave it set up for next time (in the other room) in case he does the same tomorrow. Downside to that is the playpen gets tripped over sometimes! It's a downstairs bedroom so not used that much except when stepson is here - his computer is in there. But I can leave it up for a few days now.

Nice to see Raffy out a few times this evening. He seems slightly jittery tonight, which is not surprising for his first few days in a new environment when the initial excitement has worn off. He did seem to want some attention so chatted to him for a bit and he did seem to want to come out. So I offered the snooze cube for him to walk into but he had second thoughts and went off again. I would normally leave it 2 or 3 days before getting them out anyway.

He's quite happy to interact through the bars though Then he did a funny thing and rubbed himself one sided round the side of his terracotta plate lol. Then sat and had a scratch and a wash and seemed a bit happier after some attention and chat. Not sure if he had an itch on one side or was scent marking the terracotta plate.

I am slightly concerned he would leap out the front door if I opened it though! So need to hamsterproof the room again and put some cushions down before thinking about getting him out!

Last edited by souffle; 05-04-2022 at 02:31 AM.
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Old 04-27-2022, 01:52 AM   #27
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

sounds like scent marking to me Serendipity, Moonbeam does it every night in her bee hive hide. Glad he is settling in.
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Old 04-27-2022, 01:52 AM   #28
cloudy
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

It is so sweet how Raffy likes it when you talk to him!
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Old 04-27-2022, 03:21 AM   #29
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

I think so too. It makes me think he was used to someone talking to him.
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Old 04-27-2022, 11:54 AM   #30
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Default Re: Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures

Aw he is clearly having a wonderful time.

My Harvest was a real live wire. Always whizzing round her cage and chewing on anything that she could. She was a cream banded and looked a lot like your Raffi.
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