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Winter Whites are often found on the pet market, in Japan and Europe more so than in North America and indeed are rarely found in pet stores in Canada. Care is similar to that of the Campbell's Dwarf Hamster. Winter White hamsters make good pets for teens or adults, not for younger children. They are usually more friendly to humans than other hamsters, and are less likely to bite. Due to a hamsters poor eyesight the risk of falling or jumping off your hand is high. Compared to other dwarf hamsters, they are also more aggressive and territorial to their cage mates. Winter White hamsters which could have some Campbells ancestry should not be fed food containing sources of monosaccharides because of the risk of developing diabetes mellitus. Pearl Winter White - Front Pearl Winter White - Side Pearl Winter White - Rear Pearl Winter White - Face Russian Winter White in a jar "Bull Winter White Shwi-shwi" Feeding your Winter White properly is very important. They need to have constant access to a properly formulated hamster food. Most major brands provide all the nutrition a little hammy needs, and they should live a very long life on those alone. That said, you can of course supplement with small amounts of healthy treats such as carrots, broccoli, washed dandelion leaves, and most other vegetables that are not over-ripe (but very very small amounts of iceberg lettuce). Occasional ham and chicken (very small amounts) is appreciated as well. Avoid sticky foods, apart from a very small amount of cooled thick porridge (which they love, and is very good for them as an occasional treat) especially in their old age. Uneaten fresh food should be removed daily. Beware that some flowers found in domestic houses and gardens are poisonous to hamsters. Water is the most important of all, as fresh water is needed regularly. You must make sure to change the water in the bottle at least once a week. If travelling with a hamster, remove the bottle so it doesn't drip, but add a piece of fruit or veg with a high water-content (such as cucumber) to their cage for the journey, and replace their bottle as soon as you arrive. Boys may fight a bit so it is best to put them together as soon as the cage is ready but not a couple of days after the other. Be careful to give them plenty to do, wooden playgrounds and a working wheel or they could result in playfighting through boredom. In general, dwarf hamsters typically have more of a family structure than the Syrian Hamster. However, this may be a result of a frequent confusion of the Winter Whites and the Campbell's hamsters. Current research suggests biparental care in Campbell's hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) but not in Winter Whites (Phodopus sungorus). Some report that same-sex pairs and larger groups do not always get along well and frequent fighting may occur and be a great distress for them, or even lead to death. Most winter white dwarf hamsters grow to 3 to 4" long. In the winter their fur turns almost completely white. They usually breed between April and September. There are several phases (colorations) of Winter White hamsters: their normal (dark brownish-grey colouring) or sapphire (blue-grey colouring). A white pattern called pearl (white with coloured hairs) sometimes exists in either phase, producing the normal pearl or sapphire pearl forms. However, these colours may be difficult to find, and the range of colours is much narrower than in the case of the Campbell's. Winter White hamsters, also called Siberian hamsters, come from the steppes of Siberia and Kazakhstan and possess an adaptation not seen in Campbells: they can moult into a white winter coat. This camouflages them against the snow and also gives them their name. This moulting is brought on by the amount of day light; if the hamster is kept in an environment with is mediated through the nocturnal secretion of melatonin, the hormone Of the five species kept commonly as pets, only the Campbells and Winter Whites are able to interbreed and produce live offspring (hybrids). Hybrids are most often unknowingly produced through incorrect identification of the two similar species of hamsters, and unfortunately the number of hybrids is increasing particularly within pet shops in many countries today where they are often mislabeled as being one or other of the pure species. Although hybrids make suitable pets, the breeding of hybrids should be avoided as it can cause health and birthing problems, and also the widespread breeding and distribution of hybrids could threaten the existence of both pure species in captivity. Therefore, if intending to breed Russian hamsters, it is important to ensure that both hamsters being bred are a pure form of and of the same species to avoid producing hybrids. Tsytsulina, K. (2008). Phodopus sungorus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 14 Jule 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern. Food for your hamster Hamsterlopaedia by Chris and Peter Logsdail Research by Dr. Katherine Wynne-Edwards at Queen's University, Ontario, Canada Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phodopus sungorus Pet Web Site (formerly The Complete Hamster Site) section on Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters Pet Web Site (formerly The Complete Hamster Site) section on Hybrid Hamsters Species of hamsters (subfamily Cricetinae) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Cricetidae Mongolian Hamster (Allocricetulus curtatus) Eversmann's Hamster (Allocricetulus eversmanni) Gansu Hamster (Cansumys canus) Tibetan Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus alticola) Striped Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) Tibetan Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus kamensis) Long-tailed Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus longicaudatus) Gray Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus migratorius) Sokolov's Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus sokolovi) Common Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) Brandt's Hamster (Mesocricetus brandti) Romanian Hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni) Ciscaucasian Hamster (Mesocricetus raddei) Campbell's Desert Hamster (Phodopus campbelli) Roborovski's Desert Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) Striped Desert Hamster (Phodopus sungorus) Greater Long-tailed Hamster (Tscherskia triton) The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Electric Window Opener , China Actuator Power Supply, and more. 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