Which Hamster Breed Should I Buy? Most Popular Hamster Species

Dwarf Roborovski Hamster

Let’s start with the smallest hamster, the Dwarf Roborovski hamster. The Dwarf Roborovski is also known as desert hamster, Robo dwarf hamster, or (based on its size) dwarf hamster. Just five to seven centimeters long becomes an adult Roborowski. In addition to its small size, it is characterized by its uniformly beige fur. Since he wears this even on the paws, the Roborowski belongs to the less good climbers among hamsters.

Characteristics of the Roborowski Dwarf Hamster

Unlike other hamster breeds, it is not uncommon for the Dwarf Roborovski Hamster to be active during the day. However, this does not make it a daily playmate - it is still one of the nocturnal hamsters, too, and should not be unnecessarily bothered during the day.

Roborowski are considered almost hyperactive, have an extremely high urge to move and are at the same time quite shy. While are known to almost never bite, they prefer seclusion and do not like to be touched.

You should also consider their small size when choosing the right cage. Roborowski dwarf hamsters can also be real escape artists, normal mesh cages often have too large distances to stop a Roborowski on its way to freedom. That’s why nagariums are particularly suitable cages here.

Campbell’s dwarf hamster

The Campbell dwarf hamster is the second smallest breed on the list. At seven to nine inches long, it surpasses the Roborowski, but still counts as a dwarf hamster.

The Campbell dwarf hamster is usually obtained with a grayish-brown coat, which is marked with a narrow stripe, the eel line. It also has hairy paws.

Characteristics of the Campbell Dwarf Hamster

The Campbell Dwarf Hamster gets by on extremely little water due to its origin in desert areas. What this means for you is: Be sparing with food containing water - this can lead to kidney damage in a Campbell hamster! Fresh water should always be available, for example in a water bowl or bottle.

Winter white dwarf hamster

With its eight to eleven centimeters length the Winter white dwarf hamster just belongs to the dwarf hamsters. Its gray-brown fur is characterized by a black eel line and a white belly. In addition, the so-called three-arch line, a dark fur contour, divides the differently colored fur areas. Incidentally, in the wild the coat turns snow-white in winter, but this does not happen in pet keeping.

Special features of the Winter white dwarf hamster

Compared to the smaller hamster breeds, Winter whites have a reputation for being particularly quick to become hand-tame. If you have to start training very early with other hamster breeds, you can still get Winter white dwarf hamster used to human hands at an older age.

Especially important for Winter white dwarf hamster are many shelter possibilities. The small rodents like to change their sleeping place frequently, so you should provide different options.

Golden Hamster

Probably the best known hamster is the Golden Hamster. In our list it is the biggest hamster, grown up it becomes 15 to 18 centimeters long. In terms of color, the golden hamster has been bred in a variety of colors, but as the name suggests, most golden hamsters are found with a reddish-brown coat, similar to a golden hue. Characteristic is also a white or gray belly, as well as dark stripes on the cheeks and light stripes on the neck.

A subtype of the golden hamsters are the teddy hamsters. The name comes from the very long fur that grows throughout the life of the Teddy Hamsters. Both species, golden hamsters and teddy hamsters, can be found in almost every pet store.

Special features of the golden hamster

Gold hamsters are among the most trusting hamster species of all. They often accept food from the hand after a few days, and seeking contact with humans is also not atypical.

Even more extreme than their conspecifics, golden hamsters are solitary animals. They only meet during mating season - outside of this time, any intruder will be put to flight. Therefore, you should never keep two golden hamsters together, the result would be territorial fights among themselves.

Because of their size, gold hamsters should have enough space. Also equipment such as tunnels and shelters must be adapted to the size, so that the animals do not get stuck.

Teddy Hamster

The Teddy Hamster belongs to the Goldhamster breed, but differs in having a very long coat. Just like the regular golden hamsters, Teddy hamsters can be found in almost any pet store. They also grow to be 15 to 18 inches in size.

In male teddy hamsters, the fur is long all over the body, while in females it is longer on the back and rear than on the rest of the body. As a rule, Teddy hamsters are gray, beige, or they exhibit hamster-typical wild colors - the fur is gray-brown and the animals have a dark eel line extending from the little head to the little tail.

Special features of the Teddy Hamster

The biggest difference from the Golden Hamster is in the coat and the grooming associated with it. A Teddy Hamster definitely needs a sand bath for cleaning. Also, depending on the specimen, you should brush the fur regularly to prevent knots or matted fur from forming. Trimming the fur is only necessary if it gets very hot in the summer and the cage cannot be placed in a cooler place. Be sure to use a soft baby brush and rounded scissors (child scissors) for grooming so as not to injure the Teddy Hamster.