Eva's Chinese Hamster Page

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Chinese Hamster - Cricetus griseus

I have once owned a pair of chinese hamsters, but I never liked them much, so I sold them. They were from a laboratory and not tame at all.

But on the 23rd of May 2000 I bought a single Chinese Hamster, Benji, that was a really nice pet (he is in the photo!). Sadly enough he was not healthy when I bought him and when the weather got colder he got really sick, and now he is not with us anymore.
Benji was a normal coloured Chinese Hamster male, and he was born in the beginning of January 2000. Actually he was born somtimes between the 10th and 16th of January 2000.

Benji lived alone in a big cage, where he seemed happy and contented. I've learned that all hamsters are solitary animals so they do not enjoy cagemates - they will probably kill any cagemate sooner or later.

The Chinese Hamsters are not real Dwarf Hamsters, even though they are small enough. They belong to another Genus, and their latin name is Cricetulus griseus. The Chinese Hamsters belong to the "Rat-like" Hamsters. It is the smallest species of the Rat-like Hamsters, males growing to the length of 9 - 10 cm. The females look shorter, since the scrotum of the male extends the body a considerable way backwards. The species is a lot more slender than the Campbell and Winter White. They also have longer tails than the dwarf hamsters. Young specimens are more grey in colour than adults.

The Chinese Hamster is less than half the size of the Golden Hamster, and its tail is about 1 cm long. It may also be rather quarrelsome amongst their own. Even a pair consisting of male and female may quarrel. Breeding may be difficult. It is not unknown that many female Chinese Hmasters kill their males. This species has been kept in captivity longer than the Golden Hamster. In the UK they have been around since 1919.

Even so the Chinese Hamster - just like all the dwarf hamsters - makes an excellent pet!