Syrian hamsters are probably the most popular hamster species kept as pets. They are available in a dazzling array of colours. These charming characters make wonderful pets for children and adults alike.
ORIGIN
Syrian hamsters originate in the Middle East (particularly Syria). Most of the Syrian hamsters available as pets or show animals today can trace their ancestry back to a mother and her 12 pups caught in Aleppo, Syria, by Professor Aharoni in 1930.
The Syrian hamster was thought to be extinct in the wild as no sightings had been made of wild Syrian hamsters since the 1980’s. However expeditions in 1997 and 1999 found some wild Syrian hamsters. 19 were caught and now form the nucleus of a captive breeding programme in Germany. The wild Syrian hamster is currently classified as endangered.
DESCRIPTION
The Syrian Hamster is generally about 5 ½ inches (13 cm) in length, although some can be little larger. Females are often larger than the males. They are stocky animals with large eyes, tulip shaped ears, and a very short tail. The Syrian hamster is sometimes known as “the Golden Hamster”. The original wild colour of the Syrian hamster is golden brown ticked with black on the upper two-thirds of the body. The belly fur is white with a grey undercoat. They also possess black cheek flashes and cheek-pouches that can carry a large amount of food to store back in their burrows. In the wild and in captivity they are fiercely territorial and will attack any other hamster that ventures into their space. In the wild the female will only tolerate the male briefly for mating. She will attack him at all other times. In the wild and in captivity Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and must be housed on their own.
COAT TYPES
Syrian hamsters are bred in four different coat types – Shorthaired, Longhaired, Satin and Rex. The Longhaired Syrian is a lovely animal, but it is only the male who develops a really long coat. The male longhaired Syrian’s coat often grows to 3 or 4 inches long – some have even had longer coats than this. The long coat of the male Syrian creates a “skirt” of hair around their back end. In contrast, female longhaired Syrians just look fluffy.
The Satin Syrian has a very beautiful glossy sheen to the coat. Some of the hair shafts are hollow creating the ultra shiny coat. Two Satin Syrians should not be bred together as they will produce either bald hamsters or hamsters with sparse coats.
The Rex hamster looks as though its whiskers and coat have been crimped.
ORIGIN
Syrian hamsters originate in the Middle East (particularly Syria). Most of the Syrian hamsters available as pets or show animals today can trace their ancestry back to a mother and her 12 pups caught in Aleppo, Syria, by Professor Aharoni in 1930.
The Syrian hamster was thought to be extinct in the wild as no sightings had been made of wild Syrian hamsters since the 1980’s. However expeditions in 1997 and 1999 found some wild Syrian hamsters. 19 were caught and now form the nucleus of a captive breeding programme in Germany. The wild Syrian hamster is currently classified as endangered.
DESCRIPTION
The Syrian Hamster is generally about 5 ½ inches (13 cm) in length, although some can be little larger. Females are often larger than the males. They are stocky animals with large eyes, tulip shaped ears, and a very short tail. The Syrian hamster is sometimes known as “the Golden Hamster”. The original wild colour of the Syrian hamster is golden brown ticked with black on the upper two-thirds of the body. The belly fur is white with a grey undercoat. They also possess black cheek flashes and cheek-pouches that can carry a large amount of food to store back in their burrows. In the wild and in captivity they are fiercely territorial and will attack any other hamster that ventures into their space. In the wild the female will only tolerate the male briefly for mating. She will attack him at all other times. In the wild and in captivity Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and must be housed on their own.
COAT TYPES
Syrian hamsters are bred in four different coat types – Shorthaired, Longhaired, Satin and Rex. The Longhaired Syrian is a lovely animal, but it is only the male who develops a really long coat. The male longhaired Syrian’s coat often grows to 3 or 4 inches long – some have even had longer coats than this. The long coat of the male Syrian creates a “skirt” of hair around their back end. In contrast, female longhaired Syrians just look fluffy.
The Satin Syrian has a very beautiful glossy sheen to the coat. Some of the hair shafts are hollow creating the ultra shiny coat. Two Satin Syrians should not be bred together as they will produce either bald hamsters or hamsters with sparse coats.
The Rex hamster looks as though its whiskers and coat have been crimped.
Cinnamon Syrian
Shorthaired Cinnamon Banded
Longhaired Black Eyed White - A NOTE ABOUT THE CARE OF LONGHAIRED SYRIANS
Longhaired male Syrian hamsters do need a bit of special care. Their long coats should be groomed with a toothbrush to prevent matting (or very gently with a flea-comb as not to scratch their skin). This should be done about twice a week. One of my longhaired males used to sit on my lap with his back feet stretched out while I brushed his coat – some Syrian hamsters love being brushed.
If you have a longhaired hamster that does not like being brushed and the hamster is not being shown it is probably best to trim the coat gently with round -ended scissors back to about an inch (2.5cm) in length. If the hamster does not like being brushed and is being shown take a little time every couple of days just to gently brush a tiny bit of coat and offer a really tasty treat as a bribe! Eventually the hamster will associate brushing with treats and will tolerate the toothbrush.
Longhaired Syrians should not be given a wheel as they get their coats tangled up in the wheel causing considerable distress and possible injury.
COLOURS AND PATTERNS
Many new colours were developed in Syrian hamsters during the latter part of last century. Commonly available colours include Golden, White, Cream, Cinnamon, Sable, Black and Silver Grey.
The Syrian hamster is also bred with patterned coats. These patterns are the Banded, Dominant Spot, Tortoiseshell and White, Tortoiseshell, and Roan.
The Banded Syrian has a band of white around its middle. The rest of the hamster can be any of the available colours. The Dominant Spot Syrian hamster is a very attractive creature which has even patches of colour on a white ground. The Tortoiseshell has patches of colour mixed with patches of black, and in the case of the Tortoiseshell and White with patches of white as well. The Roan Syrian has a coat where the colour is mingled with white hairs to give “flecked” look.
A detailed description of all of the colours of Syrian hamsters that are currently available can be found on the National Hamster Council website.
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