Mike’s Fish Tank – Djungarian Hamster

I thought this week you might be interested in an unusual and less common hamster, the djungarian. This hamster is ball shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster. It is referred to as a dwarf. Features of the Djungarian hamster include a thick, dark grey dorsal stripe and furry feet.

As winter approaches, the djungarian hamster’s dark fur is just about entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity this does not always happen. These hamsters originate from Dzungaria, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia and Manchuria. In 1968, the first four examples of the Djungarian hamsters were caught in Western Siberia and brought to Germany’s Planck Institute.

Djungarian hamsters are more common as pets in Europe, but have become more popular in North America recently. Since becoming popular as pets, they exhibit a greater variance in coat color than those found in the wild. They reproduce often and have no fixed breeding season. Young pups will act aggressively towards one another and breeding females may show similiar aggression to males.

These hamsters come in many colors such as: pearl, sapphire, marbled, blue, camel, cream and just recently black. During Winter, the coat is more dense.

The average lifespan of the Djungarian is one to three years, although they can live longer. In the wild, they are known to live as little as one year.

The male is usually slightly heavier, but only by a few grams. Djungarian hamsters reproduce at a faster rate than other dwarf hamsters. They are able to get pregnant on the same day they give birth. This can all happen within a 36 day period. Frequent fighting can occur between pups as soon as they are weaned from the mother. Most Djungarian dwarf hamsters grow to 3 to 4 inches long. These hamsters do best when kept singly and can become very friendly and tame towards their keepers. We stock these hamsters, and most are born right here at our store.

Pets A Plenty is located on Rte 281 Cortland, across from Tops Market in the TJ Nails Plaza. 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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