Which Hamster Is the Gentlest?

1 Campbell’s Dwarf Varieties

Campbell’s dwarf hamsters are known as the gentlest type, especially the wild-colored and ‘purple’ forms, though their coats are plainer and some find them less pretty. For a gentle yet good-looking pet, the ‘pudding’ or ‘milk tea’ is a good pick. The common varieties:

1) Silver fox: comes in a wild-gene and a purple-gene line; the wild-gene silver fox shows a clear dorsal stripe, while the purple-gene one’s stripe is so faint you barely see it.

2) Pudding: a distinctive Campbell’s variety, split by coat into yellow pudding and white pudding.

3) Purple: a cultivated new color with pale lilac fur, hence the name.

4) Milk tea: coat the color of milk tea; quite beautiful and one of the better-looking Campbell’s, but its constitution is a bit weaker.

5) Roborovski (‘old man’ / ‘old lady’): the smallest of all, yellow or brown fur with white whiskers and brows and round ears that make it look like a tiny old person. Roborovskis are very timid and sound-sensitive — the slightest noise alarms them — and they are wary of people, so they are hard to bond with.

6) Wild color: the most common kind, gentle and cheap, ideal for first-time owners. In short, wild-color and purple are the gentlest, Roborovski is smallest, and milk tea is prettiest.

2 Care Notes

1) No co-housing: hamsters are solitary and do not get lonely; they also breed fast, so keep one per cage to avoid fights or a sudden crowd. 2) Set up the cage: pick a roomy one with a wheel, food dish, and water bottle, and clean it and change the bedding regularly. 3) Feed sensibly: hamster mix as the staple, with some hay, fruit, and vegetables; never human food — too much salt and seasoning burdens them — and go easy on treats to avoid poor nutrition or pickiness. 4) They hate heat: avoid high temperatures and direct sun, and cool them when it is warm to prevent heatstroke and dehydration. 5) Give boiled, cooled water, never raw. 6) Provide plenty of chew toys so they can wear down their teeth.