Roborovski Dwarf Hamster

Intro
The Roborovski dwarf hamster is a unique little animal.  The scientific name for this species is “Phodopus Roborovskii.”  Unlike other dwarf hamsters, this guy only grows no longer than two inches in length, which makes him the smallest of the bunch.  This also makes him a favorite among hamster owners.  This species comes from a slightly different environment than their dwarf hamster cousins which gives them a few unique traits.  Also, because of their extra small size and their agility, there are a few things to note when caring for them.

History
The Roborovski dwarf hamster is one of the three kinds of Russian dwarf hamsters.  Although he is classified as a Russian dwarf hamster, he is originally from areas in Mongolia and Northern China.  What makes the Roborvski different is that this guy is found in the more desert-like areas than the other hamsters.  Because of this, they’re very good at surviving on less water than other dwarf hamsters.  The reason he’s called the Roborovski is because he was first discovered by Lieutenant Roborovski in Nan Shan (an area in China). 

The Roborovski dwarf hamster is a fairly new animal to the western world.  These animals were only really successfully bred in the United Kingdom in 1990 were only introduced into the United States in 1998.

Appearance
The Roborovski dwarf hamster comes in colors ranging from sandy brown to grey to white.  This hamster, unlike other dwarf hamsters, doesn’t have a stripe down his back.  What they do have are white ‘eyebrows’ above their eyes.

Adoption
Unfortunately, Roborovski dwarf hamsters are not quite as easy to find as the Campbell’s dwarf hamster.  They are considered by some to be an exotic animal so you probably won’t find one at your average pet store.  They are more widely available in Europe than the United States.  Fortunately for hamster lovers, these guys are becoming more and more widely available over time due to their overwhelming popularity. 

One of the considerations you should make before adopting is whether or not you’ll be able to handle them.  You need to realize how small and fast these guys are.  This may make them awesome to watch as they’ll zip all over the place in their cages but it also make sit difficult to handle them.  They are especially agile, even compared to other dwarf hamsters and will run and jump all over the place.  This makes it difficult for children to play with them because most likely they will escape from a child’s hands.  Even when holding these guys, they’ll crawl out if you don’t have a firm grip on them (but please, not too firm!).

Roborovski specific Care Tips
Even though the Roborovski dwarf hamster is the smallest of the bunch he still needs his space.  So when buying his home, don’t get a smaller cage just because of his size.  These guys are good natured animals and it is a good idea to house two of them together (of the same sex of course).  As mentioned already they are extremely fast and agile so be careful when handling them.  They can very easily jump from your hands so you don’t want to handle them too high off the floor, otherwise they might jump out from your hands and get injured from the fall.  Other care rules for this guy fall along the same lines as with all dwarf hamsters.  Their diet is the same, as well as the guidelines for cleaning their cage and the toys you need to provide (remember, one wheel per hammy).  Learn more about caring for your dwarf hamster by signing up for my free mini course below!