E
elusive
Some info on Chinese hamsters for anyone who would like to know a little more about them, a bit of a mix of general facts & my own personal experience really.
Appearance
Chinese hamsters are more mouse like than other species being longer & slimmer in shape, I’ve never managed to measure one but around 10cm length is about average.
The tail is the unique feature, usually a couple of cm long although it does vary, the tail is prehensile & they will use it to cling when climbing or cling to your fingers & clothes.
.Ears are generally quite large for their size, eyes also appear quite large & are black.
Unlike most Russians & Robos they don’t have furry feet so their feet are pink (& very cute!).
Females tend to be smaller than males & weight varies quite a bit as with most species but usually around 35-50g.
Colours
There are three main colours, normal or agouti, dominant spot & black eyed white (BEW), there is also a new colour, Sapphire which I’m not familiar with but Maz has a photo to share I think.
Normal Chinese are brown, they can appear grey but should be quite a rich brown with a darker dorsal stripe & white underside.
Zylvan showing off his nice brown colour, the scent gland is quite obvious to see with the normal colouring.
Dom spots are overall white with patches of normal colour although I’ve found this colour does tend to be greyer rather than the normal brown. They also have the darker dorsal stripe although it may be broken in places. There doesn’t seem to be a typical pattern to their colour but usually there is more colour on the face & ears are often darker.
Zeki showing a nice example of dom spot colouring with the usual face colouring & dark dorsal stripe.
Black eyed whites are exactly that! Entirely white with black eyes.
Health
Chinese are one of the species more prone to diabetes so care has to be taken with diet to help with any possible predisposition.
Skin splits.
This is something which as far as I know is specific to Chinese hamsters.
It is more common in females than males.
A split in the skin of the neck area can suddenly appear looking as though they’ve cut themselves on something. Often it’s only a minor problem that resolves on it’s own but can be more serious & get infected needing vet treatment to resolve so something to always be aware of .
I’ve only experienced this once & it was quite a minor issue but I do know of other owners who have found it to be a much more widespread problem so I can’t say just how common it is.
No other specific health issues that I’m aware of.
Lifespan
Generally said to be from 2 to 3 years, they do often live longer than other species, With mine the males live longer ranging from around two & a half to three years with Zak still going at 3 yrs 9 months but my females have been more prone to health issues & haven’t lived as long, I do know of females that have lived well past 3 though.
Temperament (From my own experience)
Chineseys are often said to be timid, they can be to begin with, I would describe their behaviour when moving to a new home more as a bit shy & cautious rather than scared or nervous.
They can take a little time & patience to come out of their shell as many hams do but once they get to know you they form a really strong bond. They’re very gentle little hams, I’ve never had a Chinese bite (unless you include Zeki who liked to gently nibble the tip of my nose when I went to say goodnight!).
They don’t seem to be particularly cage territorial but I’ve never known other hams to go to such lengths to hide the entrance to their nest, doors are just for blocking up & the entrance hole will probably be somewhere on the opposite side of the cage, they look really anxious if they think I’m watching them go down their little hole!
I usually put houses at the back of the cage but a bit belatedly thought I might be better putting the house at the front with my Chineseys so they could more easily make a secret entrance at the back of the cage rather than close to the door where it tends to be with the house at the back & they would probably be less anxious about it.
Females are markedly more active than males, they love to dig & really do need plenty of deep substrate then you can expect to see a new volcano has erupted every time you look at the cage!
With the exception of Míri who would be out the door & ready to explore in a flash I’ve found mine not to be too keen on playpens, other people’s experience may be different though. They really do like to climb all over you, often running up sleeves & finding a favourite place to perch on you. Zephyr loved to sit on the back of my neck & pull my hair
while Zen would settle inside my shirt under my arm to eat her seeds 
The boys tend to be a bit more laid back & placid still enjoying interaction but usually in a slightly less frenetic way!
They are extremely fast & that can take a bit of getting used to.
Most get used to hands & handling fairly easily but it can take a little getting used to with them being so fast & they can really jump too so best to keep them close to the floor until they’re really confident with you!
Cages
It’s often said that Chinese don’t do well in larger cages but I haven’t found that to be the case, they really seem to enjoy the space if the cage is set up well for them. Lots of hides, tunnels & hammocks with no large open spaces & they’re generally happy.
Mine have all been in either 80x50 or 100x50 cages.
They are exceptionally good climbers but care still has to be taken to avoid the possibility of falls just in case, they climb up the bars & turn around to come back down so fast you don’t even see it & are so agile especially with their little tails to help but best to be safe.
I also found with the bigger cages that even with hammocks at the top they seemed very nervous when higher up in the cage so I would definitely go for panels to create deeper substrate & less height if I were to set up a larger taller cage again.
Hammocks & snoozecubes are a great favourite & I’ve never had any problems with them chewing fabric although I always keep an eye on them just in case.
Lots of hides, tubes & tunnels are always appreciated.
Mine have always been the same with sand baths, they have to be round! They just aren’t interested in sand if it’s not in a round, preferably partially enclosed container (I use bird baths & salt pigs mostly) they like to sort of lie on their side & go round & round in circles as well as digging & throwing it everywhere.
They will dig under everything so I always put stilts on houses.
Diet
Nothing specific, the diet is the same as for any diabetes prone species & I’ve found mine tend to have individual favourites so they’ll let you know what they want!
I think that’s about it with the basics, hope it’s helpful
Appearance
Chinese hamsters are more mouse like than other species being longer & slimmer in shape, I’ve never managed to measure one but around 10cm length is about average.
The tail is the unique feature, usually a couple of cm long although it does vary, the tail is prehensile & they will use it to cling when climbing or cling to your fingers & clothes.
.Ears are generally quite large for their size, eyes also appear quite large & are black.
Unlike most Russians & Robos they don’t have furry feet so their feet are pink (& very cute!).
Females tend to be smaller than males & weight varies quite a bit as with most species but usually around 35-50g.
Colours
There are three main colours, normal or agouti, dominant spot & black eyed white (BEW), there is also a new colour, Sapphire which I’m not familiar with but Maz has a photo to share I think.
Normal Chinese are brown, they can appear grey but should be quite a rich brown with a darker dorsal stripe & white underside.
Zylvan showing off his nice brown colour, the scent gland is quite obvious to see with the normal colouring.
Dom spots are overall white with patches of normal colour although I’ve found this colour does tend to be greyer rather than the normal brown. They also have the darker dorsal stripe although it may be broken in places. There doesn’t seem to be a typical pattern to their colour but usually there is more colour on the face & ears are often darker.
Zeki showing a nice example of dom spot colouring with the usual face colouring & dark dorsal stripe.
Black eyed whites are exactly that! Entirely white with black eyes.
Health
Chinese are one of the species more prone to diabetes so care has to be taken with diet to help with any possible predisposition.
Skin splits.
This is something which as far as I know is specific to Chinese hamsters.
It is more common in females than males.
A split in the skin of the neck area can suddenly appear looking as though they’ve cut themselves on something. Often it’s only a minor problem that resolves on it’s own but can be more serious & get infected needing vet treatment to resolve so something to always be aware of .
I’ve only experienced this once & it was quite a minor issue but I do know of other owners who have found it to be a much more widespread problem so I can’t say just how common it is.
No other specific health issues that I’m aware of.
Lifespan
Generally said to be from 2 to 3 years, they do often live longer than other species, With mine the males live longer ranging from around two & a half to three years with Zak still going at 3 yrs 9 months but my females have been more prone to health issues & haven’t lived as long, I do know of females that have lived well past 3 though.
Temperament (From my own experience)
Chineseys are often said to be timid, they can be to begin with, I would describe their behaviour when moving to a new home more as a bit shy & cautious rather than scared or nervous.
They can take a little time & patience to come out of their shell as many hams do but once they get to know you they form a really strong bond. They’re very gentle little hams, I’ve never had a Chinese bite (unless you include Zeki who liked to gently nibble the tip of my nose when I went to say goodnight!).
They don’t seem to be particularly cage territorial but I’ve never known other hams to go to such lengths to hide the entrance to their nest, doors are just for blocking up & the entrance hole will probably be somewhere on the opposite side of the cage, they look really anxious if they think I’m watching them go down their little hole!
I usually put houses at the back of the cage but a bit belatedly thought I might be better putting the house at the front with my Chineseys so they could more easily make a secret entrance at the back of the cage rather than close to the door where it tends to be with the house at the back & they would probably be less anxious about it.
Females are markedly more active than males, they love to dig & really do need plenty of deep substrate then you can expect to see a new volcano has erupted every time you look at the cage!
With the exception of Míri who would be out the door & ready to explore in a flash I’ve found mine not to be too keen on playpens, other people’s experience may be different though. They really do like to climb all over you, often running up sleeves & finding a favourite place to perch on you. Zephyr loved to sit on the back of my neck & pull my hair
while Zen would settle inside my shirt under my arm to eat her seeds The boys tend to be a bit more laid back & placid still enjoying interaction but usually in a slightly less frenetic way!
They are extremely fast & that can take a bit of getting used to.
Most get used to hands & handling fairly easily but it can take a little getting used to with them being so fast & they can really jump too so best to keep them close to the floor until they’re really confident with you!
Cages
It’s often said that Chinese don’t do well in larger cages but I haven’t found that to be the case, they really seem to enjoy the space if the cage is set up well for them. Lots of hides, tunnels & hammocks with no large open spaces & they’re generally happy.
Mine have all been in either 80x50 or 100x50 cages.
They are exceptionally good climbers but care still has to be taken to avoid the possibility of falls just in case, they climb up the bars & turn around to come back down so fast you don’t even see it & are so agile especially with their little tails to help but best to be safe.
I also found with the bigger cages that even with hammocks at the top they seemed very nervous when higher up in the cage so I would definitely go for panels to create deeper substrate & less height if I were to set up a larger taller cage again.
Hammocks & snoozecubes are a great favourite & I’ve never had any problems with them chewing fabric although I always keep an eye on them just in case.
Lots of hides, tubes & tunnels are always appreciated.
Mine have always been the same with sand baths, they have to be round! They just aren’t interested in sand if it’s not in a round, preferably partially enclosed container (I use bird baths & salt pigs mostly) they like to sort of lie on their side & go round & round in circles as well as digging & throwing it everywhere.
They will dig under everything so I always put stilts on houses.
Diet
Nothing specific, the diet is the same as for any diabetes prone species & I’ve found mine tend to have individual favourites so they’ll let you know what they want!
I think that’s about it with the basics, hope it’s helpful
It comes up in Google but good point - you probably can’t see the page if you don’t have a Facebook account. It’s on Lilliput Hams website here though.
