Winter White Dwarf Hamster

Coat and looks how to spot one

Short, dense fur; furred feet; seasonal colour change

A round, compact little hamster with a tiny 0.5 to 1.5 cm tail and hair-covered soles that keep its feet off cold ground. In its summer coat it is dark grey or brown on top with a bold dark stripe along the spine, a white belly and greyish ears with a pink tint. As days shorten in autumn, most of the dark fur is replaced by white, then the darker coat returns in spring. Compared with the closely related Campbell's dwarf hamster it has smaller ears and a dark patch on the crown of the head. Eyes are black, or red in albino animals.12

Personality what they are like

Usually calm and inquisitive, and counted among the most tameable of the pet hamsters. With regular gentle handling most individuals become confident and settled around their keepers. They are small and quick, so handling works best low down and with patience.13

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Mostly active in the evening and at night. Needs room to run, climb and dig, plus a solid exercise wheel sized for a dwarf hamster and plenty of tunnels and hides to explore.34

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Grooms itself, so little coat care is needed. Keep a predictable light and dark routine, check the hamster daily, spot-clean soiled bedding and remove stale hoarded food. Handle gently and at ground level because hamsters are easily hurt by falls.34

Home where they are happiest

A secure, roomy enclosure kept away from draughts, damp and bright sunlight, with a thick layer of bedding deep enough to dig burrows, safe nesting material and a nest box big enough to sleep in and store food. Provide one more hiding place than the number of hamsters. In the wild they dig tunnels about a metre deep with several entrances.41

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A pellet or seed mix made for hamsters as the base, with small amounts of greens, cleaned root vegetables and a little fruit such as apple. Wild relatives also eat insects, so small protein treats fit their natural diet. Fresh water should always be available, ideally from a bottle. Scattering food encourages natural foraging. Avoid grapes and rhubarb.5

Company who they like around

Can sometimes live in pairs or small groups if they are young littermates kept together from the start, but they are also content living alone. Newcomers should not be added later, and any fighting means the animals must be separated for good. Males are best not housed together.63

The story where it all began

The German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas described this hamster in 1773, first classing it as a kind of mouse and a few years later renaming it after the Dzungaria region of Central Asia. In 1912 Ned Hollister placed it in the genus Phodopus, and in 1933 A. I. Argiropulo settled the spelling sungorus. For some decades it was treated as a subspecies of Campbell's dwarf hamster, but today the two are recognised as separate species. The modern pet and laboratory population traces back to 1968, when four wild hamsters caught in western Siberia were taken to the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Since then the winter white has become a familiar pet across Europe, Japan and North America.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Wild species assessed as Least Concern1

National Hamster Council (UK)

Umbrella body for UK hamster clubs covering the five pet hamster species, including the winter white; sets exhibition standards7