Dzungarian hamster, Striped dwarf hamster, Siberian hamster, Siberian dwarf hamster, Russian winter white dwarf hamster, Winter white dwarf hamster, Russian dwarf hamster
The Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) is one of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster, so is called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. As winter approaches and the days shorten, the Djungarian hamster's dark fur is almost entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity, this does not usually happen as animals maintained as pets are generally housed indoors and exposed to artificial light that prevents the recognition of short winter daylengths. Djungarian hamsters are common as pets in Europe and North America, and exhibit greater variance in their coats than those found in the wild. They are known to be one of the most tameable types of hamsters.
The coat of the Djungarian hamster is less woolly than that of Campbell's dwarf hamster, and apart from the normal coloring, they can be colored sapphire, sapphire pearl, or normal pearl. In summer, the fur on the back changes from ash-grey to dark brown, or sometimes pale brown with a tint. The face changes to grey or brown, while the mouth area, the whisker area, and the ears are slightly brighter. The outer ears and the eyes have black edges. The rest of the head is dark brown or black. From the head to the tail runs a black-brown dorsal stripe. The throat, belly, tail, and limbs are white. The ears are grey with a pinkish tint with scattered black hairs. The hairs on the underside are completely white. The bright coat the bottom extends to the shoulders, flanks, and hips in three arches upward. It is distinguished from the darker fur on the top of the existing black-brown hair, three curved line. In the winter, the fur is more dense. They sometimes have a grey tint on their heads. More than 10% of the hamsters kept in the first winter develop the summer coat. In the second winter, only a few change into the winter coat, and winter color is less pronounced. The molting in the winter fur starts in October or November and is completed in December, while the summer coat begins in January or February and is completed in March or early April. The ears are grey with a pinkish tint. Molting both run jobs on the head and the back of the spine to the sides, the legs, and the underside.
In the wild, these hamsters originate from Dzungaria, Kazakhstan, the meadows of Mongolia, Siberia, and the birch stands of Manchuria. They sometimes live in semi-deserts in Central Asia. Djungarian hamsters also live in dry steppes and wheat or alfalfa fields, as well as on small fields, grassy planes, and mountain steppes.
Djungarian hamsters are solitary creatures. They don't hibernate. These hamsters are known to dig tunnels one meter deep leading to ground burrows where they can sleep, raise their young, and hide from predators. Most of these burrows have six entrances. In the summer, the burrows are lined with moss. To keep the burrow warm in the winter, Djungarian hamsters close all but one entrance and line the burrows with animal fur or wool that they find. The temperature inside the burrow is usually 16.7 °C (62.1 °F). These hamsters are usually active in the evening and early morning and sometimes during the night. When foraging, they fill their cheek pouches with small seeds and carry larger items back to the burrow in their mouth. They either stored collected food in the burrow for the winter or eat it when return to the burrow, or above ground in the shelter. Djungarian hamsters communicate with each other with the help of high-frequency sounds and squeaks.
Djungarian hamsters are herbivorous (granivorous) animals. They eat seeds and available plant material.
Little is known about the mating system in Djungarian hamsters. In the wild, males and females meet only for mating which means that this species may exhibit a polygynous mating system. They don't have a specific breeding season and can breed year-round. During the breeding time, Djungarian hamsters may become aggressive. Females are able to become pregnant again on the same day that they have given birth. This can all happen within a 36-day period. This is done as a survival strategy to produce large numbers of offspring in a short period of time. The gestation period usually lasts around 20-22 days. Females give birth to 5-12 pups. The young are born blind and hairless. The mother cares for them alone. Young are weaned when they are around 1 month old. Djungarian hamsters reach reproductive maturity usually soon after weaning.
Threats to Djungarian hamsters are not known at present.
According to IUCN, the Djungarian hamster is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
