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Syrians |
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Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamster
Phodopus Sungoris Campbelli
Often referred to simply as "Campbells", these are probably
the most widely kept and sold variety of dwarf hamster. They are very sociable and may
be kept in pairs or larger groups. In-fighting is uncommon, but may necessitate the removal
of one or more trouble-makers. Diabetes Mellitus has been reported in this species, and
affected individuals must not be used for breeding, as there is an inherited element.
Selective breeding may help to eliminate the problem. Campbells have (perhaps undeservedly)
acquired a reputation for biting. Again, breeders should make efforts to selectively breed
from placid individuals, and to avoid intensive inbreeding, which may worsen the problem.
There are several colour and coat varieties available in addition to the normal grey-brown
agouti.
Albino
The first Albino Campbells were imported to the UK from Holland in 1990.
They are true albinos with pure white fur, pink eyes and flesh-coloured ears. Albino
is inherited as a simple recessive trait.
Mottled
Despite several years of breeding experience, it is still not clear whether this white-spotted
phenotype is the result of the action of a single dominant gene, or whether there are other
genes involved. There appear to be two grades of white spotting. The first is a small amount
of white confined to the neck, often referred to as "collared" whilst the remainder
have a variable amount of spotting over the entire coat, which may include the belly fur.
It is possible that a second white spotting gene is involved, and there are some similarities
to the banded (Ba) and dominant spot (Ds) genes in Syrians.
There are definite similarities
with the anophthalmic white gene (Wh) in Syrians, in that a proportion of the offspring
from a Mottled to Mottled cross are very small, pure white animals which usually die within
a week of birth. If the eyelids are gently opened, small red eyes are found. Mottled should
not, therefore, be mated to Mottled if one wants to avoid the production of such offspring.
Argente
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Now with its own "official" standard, Argente is produced
by a single recessive gene, and has an orange tint to the coat, with similar markings to the
normal grey Campbell.
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Wavy/Satin
Both coat types have recently been described, and may be combined with any of the above
colour/spotting genes.
In the last few years, several new colour varieties have been described.
Platinum, Black and Opal are all available in the UK.
Linda Price from the
California Hamster Association
has details and pictures of all these varieties on her web site
www.geocities.com/AAAHamsters.
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