Russian Dwarf Hamsters

There are a few different species of Russian dwarf hamsters.  There are the winter white Russian dwarf hamsters, the Campbell’s Russian dwarf hamsters, and the Roborovski’s Russian dwarf hamsters.

Campbell’s Russian Dwarf Hamsters
The species that scientists call the phodopus campbelli, we know better as the dwarf Campbell’s Russian hamster or even as the Djungarian hamster. He’s called the Campbell’s hamster because of W.C. Campbell, who immortalized this little guy.

Campbell found him in Russia in the early 1900s and brought him back to the United Kingdom, where it became all the rage for a while to own this pocket pet.  But Russia isn’t the only country you’ll find this species of hamster.  You’ll also discover it in China and Mongolia. The lifespan of this little guy is only one and half to two years.  When fully grown, he’ll be no bigger than four inches. 

The hair on the back of a dwarf Russian Campbell’s hamster is usually gray-brown.  They also possess a darker dorsal strip that runs down the center of their backs.  As the fur runs down the sides and eventually to their under side, it slowly turns into a creamy color or even white.

Having said that, though, thanks to extensive breeding, you’ll liable to find these hamsters in a variety of coat colors as well as various patterns.

Russian Campbell’s hamsters are actually quite friendly with each other, unlike the Chinese hamsters.  You’ll have no problems keeping them all in one cage. (Just be sure that you keep the males away from the females unless you intend to breed them).  This is especially true if kept together from an early age.  If you plan on introducing a younger member to an older one, they may encounter a few issues.

Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters
While Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is his official name, you may hear some people refer to this variety as the Siberian hamster or even the Siberian dwarf.  Technically, his species is called the phodopus sungorus.

This species of the animal usually lives between one and a half and two years and grows to be about three and a half inches in length.  It’s unusual to find any of this variety to grow more than four inches.  This makes him a most “compact” pet.

There’s a reason why this hamster is called a Dwarf Winter White Russian hamster.  Normally these animals possess a dark gray coloring on their backs while the dorsal strip that runs down their backs is usually black.  The fur on their stomach is normally white.

But, in the winter months, you may discover that the fur actually turns varying shades of white.  This change in color is actually the result of the change in the length of the number of daylight hours.

But don’t be surprised if you find this species in colors other than this as well.  Selective breeding techniques have resulted in several coat colors as well as various patterns.  And, winter white Russian hamsters have furred feet.

These hamsters are quite sociable in groups.  No need to separate them for this reason.  But, you do need to make sure that they grow up together.  It’s not a good habit to introduce an adult to a new baby hamster.

Roborovski’s Russian Dwarf Hamsters
The Roborovski hamster belongs to a species whose scientific name is Phodopus roborovskii.  This little pet lives to be about three and a half years old, but even among dwarf hamster standards, they’re tiny.  They grow no larger than two inches in length! 

As with all the other hamsters, you’ll discover the Roborovski to be most active at night.  In fact, this particular specie is noted for rising at dusk and keeping himself busy most of the night.

You’ll find that the natural color of the Roborovski hamster is a sandy brown along their backs.  Their stomach is normally white.  In addition, their coloring includes distinctive white markings over both of their eyes. You may also find a white-faced variety of this species of dwarf hamster.

They are a good natured animal; you’ll seldom find one of this kind nipping you.  But with tiny size makes them extremely fast and uniquely agile.  This means that picking them up to love them when they don’t want to can be daunting.  And remember if you’re having trouble handling this tiny guy, your smaller children will have even more difficulties with him.

Don’t worry about keeping this kind of Russian dwarf hamsters in their own individualized housing units.  They are social and can easily be kept in groupings or pairs of the same sex (unless you’re prepared to deal with the offspring!)