Color Varieties & Genetics
Among the five species of hamster kept as pets (Syrian, Campbell's, Winter White, Chinese, Roborovski), the Roborovski has been bred in captivity for the shortest duration of time.
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The Robo has been documented in a variety of coat colors and markings, but no coat type other than the standard has been recorded in this species thus far.
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Most descriptions are from the Swedish Hamster Association.
Normal Agouti (AA)
(c) Casanova Hamstery
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Color
The fur color must be red-orange. The bottom color must be grey. The overall impression of the upper side must be heavily colored red-orange. The belly should be white with no bottom color. The eyes must be black.
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Common faults
* Uneven color
* Pale color
* Grey-yellow ground color
Markings (agouti markings)
The border between the top and belly color starts above the tip of the nose, goes over the whiskers back over the cheeks and the sides of the neck and then on each side of the body should go back in three soft arcs which points down approximately at the front leg, in the middle of the belly and at the back leg. At the back, the border goes above the tail. The border must be even and clear. Above each eye there should be a white spot, slightly larger than the eye.
Common faults
* Unclear or uneven lateral line
* Irregular eye spots
* Too large or too small eye spots *
Different sized eye spots
* Forehead spot
Whiteface (Wfwf)
(c) No photo yet
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Color
The fur color must be red-orange. The bottom color must be grey. The overall impression of the upper side must be heavily colored red-orange. The belly should be white with no bottom color. The eyes must be black.
Markings
The face, sides of the neck and front half of the arches are white. The line between the color of the upper side and the white of the underside goes in a V down the forehead, continues backwards at the bottom of the ears and then describes a high arch on the bow down towards the front leg. The sideline then continues backwards in the normal way.
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Recessive Husky (hh)
(c) Milkbun Hamstery
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Color
The fur color is a paler, sandy color in comparison to the normal Agouti, but the fur does in fact have dark fur in the interior like Agouti.
Markings
The face, sides of the neck and front half of the arches are white. The line between the color of the upper side and the white of the underside goes in a V down the forehead, continues backwards at the bottom of the ears and then describes a high arch on the bow down towards the front leg. The sideline then continues backwards in the normal way.
Recessive Piebald (ss)
(c) Milkbun Hamstery
Markings
The pattern gives the impression of a mostly white animal with clean pattern on top of the animal.
The markings should follow the standard of the base color. The patches are mainly found on the back, hips and head.
Dominant Piebald (Dsds / DsDs)
(c) Milkbun Hamstery
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Markings
The markings give the impression of a partially white animal with patches on top of the animal, the spots should be continuous from rump to head. The stains spread down the sides.
The patches should follow the base color.
Headspot (Dsds ss)
(c) Swedish Hamster Club
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Markings
The pattern gives the impression of a pure white animal with a single spot on the head between the ears. The color of the spot is of the base color.
Black Eyed White (Dsds ss / DsDs ss)
(c) Milkbun Hamstery
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Color
Pure white with black eyes.
Cinnamon (pp)
(c) Casanova Hamstery
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Color
Agouti creme-like beige. Paler than a regular agouti. The eyes are red at birth, but turn black with age. In combination with dominant spot / recessive spot, the hamster gets red eyes.
Markings (agouti markings)
The border between the top and belly color starts above the tip of the nose, goes over the whiskers back over the cheeks and the sides of the neck and then on each side of the body should go back in three soft arcs which points down approximately at the front leg, in the middle of the belly and at the back leg. At the back, the border goes above the tail. The border must be even and clear. Above each eye there should be a white spot, slightly larger than the eye.
Cinnamon Piebald (pp Dsds / pp ss)
(c) Casanova Hamstery
Cinnamon Headspot (pp Dsds ss)
(c) Casanova Hamstery
Blue (dd)
(c) Milkbun Hamstery
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Color
The fur color is gray-blue color in natural lighting.
**This color is reasonably newly discovered and it is not currently determined exactly what this gene means yet. There has been talk of a type of umborous drawing (gives a veil of a different color above the base color Agouti), a bleaching gene on base color or a game color of its own. The gene is recessive.
Markings (agouti markings)
The border between the top and belly color starts above the tip of the nose, goes over the whiskers back over the cheeks and the sides of the neck and then on each side of the body should go back in three soft arcs which points down approximately at the front leg, in the middle of the belly and at the back leg. At the back, the border goes above the tail. The border must be even and clear. Blue does not give the hamster the characteristic "eyebrows" of the Robo.
Cinnamon Blue / Lilac (dd pp)
(c) Casanova Hamstery
Color
The fur color is a lighter gray-blue color, with a light brownish tint.
Markings (agouti markings)
The border between the top and belly color starts above the tip of the nose, goes over the whiskers back over the cheeks and the sides of the neck and then on each side of the body should go back in three soft arcs which points down approximately at the front leg, in the middle of the belly and at the back leg. At the back, the border goes above the tail. The border must be even and clear. Blue does not give the hamster the characteristic "eyebrows" of the Robo.
Red Eyed White
(pp Dsds ss / pp DsDs ss)
(c) No photo yet
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Color
Pure white with red eyes.