Winter White Dwarf Hamster (Milky Tea morph)

1 Species Overview

The milky tea hamster (a coat-color morph of the Winter White dwarf hamster, Phodopus sungorus) is named for its evenly milk-tea-colored back, much like the pearl milk tea people drink.

Some milky tea hamsters show the so-called ‘winter white’ phenomenon: when the temperature drops in winter, the whole coat turns silvery white like a silver fox in a short time, then returns to the original color once it warms up, so owners need not worry.

Taxonomy: Chinese name Nai Cha Cang Shu; English common name Winter White Russian dwarf hamster; alias within the ‘three-line’ dwarf group; binomial Phodopus sungorus (Winter White dwarf hamster), family Cricetidae.

2 Physical Characteristics

The milky tea hamster is rather lazy and not very reactive to the outside world; plainly put, it is a docile, even a bit dull, hamster. Because its background is obscure and mysterious, and milky teas were scarce on the market, their price once rivaled that of the ‘roborovski’ type.

Earlier, many owners dared not buy them because of the price and lack of knowledge, but milky teas breed much like other three-line dwarf hamsters, their numbers grew daily and they gradually won acceptance, so many took pride in owning one.

The milky tea’s coat closely resembles pearl milk tea; its eyes are black, and its dorsal stripe is grey and fairly clear on close look, though some have no dorsal stripe at all (owners call these ‘premium’ milky teas). It is the prettiest of the three-line dwarf hamsters.

3 Habitat and Environment

The milky tea is not a very active variety, yet it is the prettiest of the dwarf hamsters and inexpensive, affordable for tens of yuan, making it well suited to beginners. How should you set up its living space before keeping it?

In the wild the milky tea hamster lives in grassland, semi-desert, farmland, hillsides and alpine meadows, solitary. In captivity provide clean bedding, with wood shavings as the first choice; occasional bathing is necessary, but not with water, better use bath sand for a dust bath. Because it stores food in its cheek pouches, do not feed large amounts of fruit and sugar, which can cause inflammation. Keep it in a transparent plastic hamster cage or storage box; maintain a quiet environment, as noise can cause sudden death; provide a small wood block for gnawing. Keep the temperature around 18 to 26 degrees C and humidity at 30 to 40 percent.

4 Feeding Highlights

The milky tea hamster’s average lifespan is around three years, so when you decide to keep one, treasure the brief, happy time together. Most captive milky teas are fairly gentle.

Milky teas are now fairly common, but many breeders use inbreeding, so some are born weak and may show head-tilting or spinning; check carefully when buying.

Its diet is omnivorous, leaning herbivorous. Most rodents are active at night or at dawn and dusk, though some are diurnal; winter activity generally drops, and they store fat or food before winter. Some have temporary cheek pouches for carrying food.

They mainly eat various weed seeds and grains, occasionally hunting insects, and hoard food rather than hibernating, living on stores through winter. In captivity feed a hamster-specific mix or mixed grains; human food is unsuitable. Sunflower seeds, peanuts and other heaty foods should only be occasional training treats, never staple food. Fresh drinking water must never be withheld.