| Variety | Appearance | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Hamster | Size: about 6 inches Golden color with white underparts | Lively; males in particular are aggressive toward others of their kind. |
| Piedbald Hamster | Usually asymmetrical pattern of wild-type coloring; beige, brown, gray, or black spotting | Nervous, jumpy, harder to tame; vulnerable to infectious diseases; almost impossible to keep in pairs. |
| Russian Hamster | White fur with dark markings on nose, ears, tail, and feet; dark red eyes; more delicate than golden hamsters | Becomes tame quickly; gets along with others of its kind; limited vision. |
| Cream-Colored Hamster | Even beige color; underparts somewhat paler | Lively, becomes friendly quickly; gets along with others of its own kind. |
| Teddy Bear Hamster | Shorthaired or Longhaired; plush-like, silky, shiny fur; smaller than golden hamsters. | Becomes friendly quickly; my personal favorite :) |
| Longhaired Golden Hamster (Angora Hamster) | Long, silky fur (wild-type, piebald, cream, or gray color) | Especially good-natured, needs to be groomed with a coarse comb. |
| Dwarf Hamsters: Chinese Hamster | Size:about 4 and 1/4 inches Young have gray; older animals have brownish, thick, and soft fur; dark stripe down the back from forehead to tail | Young animals become tame easily, older ones only rarely; males aggressive towards females. |
| Dzjungarian Dwarf Hamster | Size: about 3 and 1/3 inches Grayish-brown face, ears and rest of head are dark brown to black; stripe down the back; underparts and feet are white | Good-natured, even towards others of its kind. |
| What Your Hamster Does | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Creeping along close to the ground | Insecurity in unfamiliar surroundings |
| Puffing up cheeks | Intimidation |
| Thorough, relaxed grooming | Sense of comfort and being at peace |
| Yawning | Contentment, feeling relaxed |
| Raising both front paws | Readiness for defense in a female when attacked by a male |
| Leaping into the air | Good mood, high spirits |
| Sitting up on haunches | Attention or aggression |
| Ears pointing backwards | Feeling tired or insecure; fear, bad mood, aggressiveness, attention |
| Lying on the back motionless | Posture of defense; fear |
| Walking on stiff legs, tail pointing straight up | Fear, posture of inferiority, appeases older or stronger members of the species |
| Stretching | Comfortable, feeling relaxed |
| Sudden, prolonged grooming | Being startled |
| Folded ears | Attention |
| Sudden flinching | Being startled or frightened |
