Chinese hamster

Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus) are rodents in genius Cricetulus of the subfamily Cricetidae that originated in the deserts of northern China and Mongolia. They are distinguished by an abnormally long tail relative to other hamsters, whose tails are stubby. Chinese hamsters are primarily nocturnal however for small periods they will stay up throughout the day. They tend to become aggressive if kept in enclosures which are inhabited by other hamsters or are too small. These animals grow to between 82 and 127 mm in body length (tail length 20–33 mm) and weigh 1.7 grams at birth, then as they get older can weigh 30–45 grams. They live two to three years on average. A Chinese hamster's body proportions, compared with those of other hamsters, appear 'long and thin' and they have (for a hamster) a relatively long tail. Males have a relatively large scrotum, therefore females were generally kept as pets and males used solely for breeding and research purposes, until scientists started using other rodents, albino mice and rats. Chinese hamsters are not related to the social 'dwarf' hamsters. The term 'dwarf' is often used to refer solely to animals in the genus Phodopus, (Russian dwarf hamsters, Campbell's dwarf hamsters and Roborovski dwarf hamsters). The wild colour is brown with a black stripe down the spine, black and grey ticks and a whitish belly. This coloration, combined with their lithe build and longer tail, makes them look 'mousy' to some eyes and, in fact, they are members of the group called ratlike hamsters. Besides the wild colour, a well-known variation is the white-spotted Chinese hamster, which often is grayish white all over, with only a dark stripe on its back.