One of my Roborovskis - Misty

The Roborovski Hamster

The Roborovski Hamster (Phodopus Roborovski), also known as the Desert hamster is found in Russia, China, Manchuria and Mongolia. Their natural habitats are deserts and semi-deserts with little vegetation.   In the wild they live in a straight burrow within the sand dunes which can extend from between 50cm to 150cm in length and the entrance is usually covered in soft sand.  

The Roborovski hamster is a relatively new species to be kept as a pet as it has only been domesticated since the 1970’s.

The Roborovski Hamster was first discovered in July 1894 by Lt. Roborovski but they were not studied scientifically until 1903.   London Zoo imported them into the U.K. in the 1960s, but the first studied in Britain were imported in the 1970s from Moscow Zoo. (None of these hamsters, however, bore offspring)

Continental European countries had more success in breeding Roborovskis, however, and the Roborovskis currently in the U.K. are descendants of a batch imported from the Netherlands in 1990.

In the wild the Roborovski Hamsters are sociable and live in groups but, as their sight is poor, they rely heavily on their very acute sense of smell and hearing to recognise each other and their environment.   They are nocturnal and awake at dusk, being most active at night.

In captivity the Roborovski Hamster is a sociable pet and is best kept with others of its own kind as to keep them singly is thought to shorten its lifespan and make them agitated.   Due to their small size Roborovski Hamsters are able to squeeze through the bars of many commercial hamster cages.

Roborovski hamsters are gentle and naturally docile but extremely fast!   They rarely, if ever, bite but do wriggle - and if they escape they are difficult to catch, although repeated, gentle handling will calm them down somewhat.   Since they are so wriggly, they are not generally recommended for anyone wanting a pet to "cuddle".   When they are being handled, it is best to do so over a "playbox" or normal cardboard box from the supermarket.

(If a Roborovski's hamster once gets loose on the floor it will be a major challenge to retrieve!)

On the plus side, however, their temperament is reliably good; bites or even nips are so rare as to be effectively unheard of. As a pet to watch, busily going about its day to day existence, they are without equal.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Cricetidae

Subfamily: Cricetinae

Genus: Phodopus

Species: P. roborovskii

Binomial name: Phodopus roborovskii

Size: 4-5 cm

Toes front: 4

Toes rear: 5

Female mammae: 8

Chromosomes: 34

Gestation period: 23-30 days

Lifespan: 2 - 3 years is normal although over 4 years has been known

Colours

The Original Agouti

The original colour of the Roborovski Hamster in the wild is sandy gold in colour (sometimes orange) and the roots of the hairs are grey. The hamster has white eyebrows over the eyes. It does not have a stripe along the spine unlike other dwarf hamsters.  The belly is white, the eyes black and the ears are pale grey.

The White-Faced (Husky) 

The hamster has white face with just a coloured 'V' coming from the ears to just above the eyes and the belly is white. Some have reported that the coloured areas of the hamster fade with age.

White / Platinum?

There may also be a third variation which has developed.   Reports suggest that there is actually a new strain of Roborovski occuring in which the hamster appears to be almost all white.

Although I have heard of problems occuring related to the breeding of the White - Faced Roborovski, to date I have had no problems myself and all of my Hamsters have continued to produce healthy and delightful babies - with no apparent genetic flaws.   I am continually monitoring all litters and individuals very carefully for any sign of problems.

Pet Roborovskis

Roborovskis are the most efficient of all the Phodopus genus to concentrate urine and are least sensitive to cold temperatures (they are however very sensitive to the heat). They appear to need less water than other dwarf hamsters and so have adapted the best to desert life.

Breeding takes place between April and September and the gestation period is between 20-22 days. A single female may have up to 4 litters during this breeding season.   Breeding this species is not difficult but they do not seem as fertile as the other dwarf species for example the Campbell's.   In addition, litter size is usually fairly small, three to five being normal.   These facts may make "Robos" less attractive to commercial breeders and   may explain why few Pet Shops sell them.   For the Exhibitor Breeder, however, this is not necessarily a problem, since they do not have a living to make from their hamsters.   Both sexes make excellent parents and the pair could produce a litter every three weeks or so if left to do so (not recommended), although this is unusual and every four to five weeks is more common.   The babies are fully furred at two weeks of age and resemble miniature adults by about three weeks old.

It was believed that Roborovski's hamsters didn't breed until their second spring, and many breeders report that theirs only breed at certain times of the year - usually Spring and early Summer.   This would suggest that they are responding to increased day length.   They also seem to suffer from "inbreeding depression" when colonies are left to breed for several generations.   "Outcross" pairs seem more fertile and seem to start breeding at an earlier age, (on average), than those from several generations of inbreeding.   For this reason it is important that dedicated breeder exhibitors maintain open bloodlines and exchange animals frequently to minimise inbreeding depression and ensure the future of this delightful animal.

(PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME PARTS OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION HAVE COME FROM VARIOUS OTHER WEBSITES AND FROM VARIOUS HAMSTER BOOKS - THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS PAGE IS TO HAVE EVERYTHING ABOUT ROBOROVSKIS ALL IN ONE PLACE!!)

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