About the Hamsters

Roborovski Hamsters

Roborovski Hamsters Roborovskis are the smallest species of hamster at approximately 4.5 cm long. They have sandy brown bodies with white tummy's and legs. Their most striking features are their big white eyebrows which give them a wonderful quizzical expression and they also have hugely long whiskers. I also breed the more unusual white faced Roborovskis whose heart shaped white faces are very attractive.

Robs have a very good temperament, I have never been bitten by one, however they are very fast and quick witted so they are more suited to people who like to watch their animals rather than cuddle them.

Rob's are handleable but they will always remain fast so it is essential to be alert to this when holding them. For this reason they are not ideal for young children, however a good cage with wheel and toys and they are delightfully active and fascinating to watch they often get up during the day as they're not purely nocturnal.

Roborovskis are excellent pets in respect of needing little cleaning out, they will make a toilet area which means it is not necessary to clean the whole cage every week only their toilet. They need a sand bath (chinchilla sand) as their fur will become greasy and they will not look or feel as well as if they don't have a sand bath however some may use this as their toilet or even their bed. They live between 1.5 and 3.5 years.

Winter White Dwarf hamsters.

Winter white Russian hamsters, sometimes referred to as Siberian hamsters' or Djungarian hamsters grow between 9 and 12 centimetres and are also a breed of dwarf hamster. Winter White hamsters are very similar in appearance to Campbells Russian hamsters, however, Winter White's have furry feet and are sometimes referred to as furry-footed or hairy-footed hamsters.

Winter whites have gained their name from their coat changing colour in winter but in modern homes with central heating and artificial lighting its very unlikely an animal will change colour in a pet environment.

They are, in my experience, the most tame, handleable, tolerant and friendly of the hamster breeds, it is possible to wake up a Winter and take it from it's bed without incurring more than a cross expression. They very rarely bite however some individuals will touch the skin of your hand to see if you are food ,this normally only seems to occur in hamsters who may be short sighted, and by no means do all Winters do this.

Winter whites are the most vocal of the hamsters. It is not unusual to have an individual who will scream or "swear" at you. This can be disconcerting and they do look aggressive when they scream but their bark is much worse than their bite, in fact even though they may be screaming away they will still be held, I have never been bitten by a winter even one of the “swearers"!

As with the Robo's the Winter White hamster requires a sand bath to keep its fur in good condition, unlike the Robs they will probably use this as a toilet which makes cleaning the cage very much simpler as one just removes and replaces their sand.

Winters come in many colours. I currently breed “Grey” (sometimes called Normal or Agouti which are similar in colour and pattern to a chipmunk), “Sapphire” (which look bluey grey), “Pearl” (which are white with a pale grey or occasionally nearly black stripe on their back and face), “Mushroom” ( which are pale beige), “Brown” (which are a paler version of the “grey”), “Mandarin” (which are pale apricot with an orange stripe down their spine. Some Mandarins have grey and some have white ears,Very rarely some have red eyes but this is most unusual, some appear in the photos of my hamsters) and “Orange” ( which are apricot with silvery blue stripes and bright red eyes.) Occasionally I have mushroom and brown Winters with ruby eyes but they are not very common.

Winter whites live 1.5 to 2 years.