AY Honors/Small Mammal Pets/Answer Key
Template:Taxobox The Chinese Hamster is a species of hamster, scientific name Cricetulus griseus, which originate in the deserts of Southern China and Mongolia. These animals grow to between 7.5 and 9 cm in length and as adults can weight 50-75 grams. They live two to three years on average.
A Chinese hamster's body proportions, compared with those of other hamsters, appear "long and thin" and they have (for a hamster) a relatively long tail. Chinese hamsters are not, technically, "dwarf" hamsters since this term refers to animals in the genus Phodopus, (the two types of Russian Dwarf Hamsters and Roborovskii Dwarf Hamsters).
The wild colour is greyish brown above with a black stripe down the spine and a whitish belly. This colouration, combined with their lithe build and longer tail, makes them look "mousy" to some eyes and, in fact, they are members of the group called ratlike hamsters. Besides the wild colour, a well-known variation is the white-spotted Chinese hamster, which often is greyish white all over, with only a dark stripe on its back.
They have quiet temperaments and are easily handled; one of their endearing traits is that of clinging to a finger with all four paws, rather like a harvest mouse on a corn stalk. Chinese hamsters can be quite nervous as youngsters but, once they are tame, display an endearing calmness and gentleness of character.
In the past, Chinese hamsters were commonly used laboratory animals, until they were replaced by the common mouse and rat, which are easier to keep and breed. However, quite a few biotech drugs are still being produced by putting the gene for the protein into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which then produce the protein.
