Siberian hamster
| Djungarian hamster | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Phodopus |
| Species: | P. sungorus |
| Binomial name | |
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Phodopus sungorus (Pallas, 1773) |
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The Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus), also known as the Dzungarian hamster, striped dwarf hamster, Siberian hamster, Siberian dwarf hamster or Russian winter white dwarf hamster, is one of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster, so is called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. Features of the Djungarian hamster include a typically thick, dark grey dorsal stripe and furry feet. As winter approaches and the days shorten, the Djungarian hamster's dark fur is almost entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity, this does not always happen. In the wild, they originate from Dzungaria, the wheat fields of Kazakhstan, the meadows of Mongolia, Siberia, and the birch stands of Manchuria.
Djungarian hamsters are common as pets in Europe and North America, and exhibit greater variance in their coats than those found in the wild. They reproduce often—more so than Syrian hamsters, and as they have no fixed breeding season, can continue to produce large numbers of offspring all year round. Young pups act aggressively to one another, while breeding females may show similar aggression to males.
The coat of the Djungarian hamster is less woolly than that of Campbell's dwarf hamster, and apart from the normal colouring, they can be coloured sapphire, sapphire pearl, or normal pearl. The head length of the Djungarian hamster is 70-90 mm, the length of the tail is 5-15 mm, and the hind legs are 11-15 mm. The body weight changes dramatically throughout the year. It is at its lowest during the winter. In males, the body weight ranges from 19 to 45 grams (0.67 to 1.59 oz), and in females, 19 to 36 grams (0.67 to 1.27 oz). In human care, they are slightly heavier. The average lifespan of the Djungarian hamster is one to three years in captivity, though they can live longer. In the wild, they are known to live as little as one year.
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Wikipedia