AY Honors/Small Mammal Pets/Answer Key

These animals grow to between 7.5 and 9cm in length. Their 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's 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 "mouse like" hamsters. However, 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. They originate in the deserts of Southern China and Mongolia.