Talk:Campbell's dwarf hamster

Diabetes
This is a very common health problem among the Russian Dwarf's, and I'm curious why it isn't mentioned here. Most hamsters purchased at Pet Stores already have diabetes. It's the biggest health concern with them, so it would be nice to see a section about that, or to have it inserted in there somewhere. Along with the recommendation that they never be fed fruit or anything with sugar. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.97.125.46 (talk) 19:01, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

24.97.125.46 (talk) 19:03, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

The Lifespan Thing
To avoid an edit war, I've changed the lifespan information to reflect both views: 18-24 months or 18-36 months. In my own experience of many years and many Campbell's dwarf hamsters, the first figure is the average. Only 18% of my dwarfs who are deceased have lived past two years, and I am including those who lives only a few days or weeks past their second birthday. These are all hamsters who may have received better-than-average care, with veterinary care, diabetic-friendly diet, low stress handling, safe exercise conditions, etc. Remember, we are talking about average lifespan, not possible lifespan. I know of one dwarf hamster on Flickr who lived to be some months past 4, but this would hardly be considered average.

However, I do concede that places like Petsmart, Petco, etc. give the average lifespan as 18-36 months. The hamster-owning community has voiced concerns over misinformation at these companies in forums such as the newsgroup alt.pets.hamsters, so this statistic should not be taken without question, but that doesn't make it invalid, either.

That said, perhaps dwarf hamsters who live in captivity in a lab, as opposed to a home, have a longer lifespan. This may be due to routine culling, for example, making for a heartier specimen than what the casual breeder can offer. Just a bit of speculation, and by no means based on any kind of fact.

Clearly, we need to see more sources for these numbers.

Shari 21:11, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Source
As some of the information has been copied word for word from Pet Web Site (formerly The Complete Hamster Site established in 1997) am surprised to see it not added as a Resource or External link with this page.

http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/dwarf_campbells_russian_hamsters.htm http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/breeding_russian_hamsters.htm

82.10.107.126 (talk) 13:04, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

so cute !!!!
i just got a campbell russian dwarf hamster today and they are sooooooooooooooooo cute !!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. he's called Charlie

Tommy Gallagher (talk) 15:16, 27 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Please see WP:FORUM.  Puffin  Let's talk! 16:08, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

~== Sources and Photo ==

This article has no sources and some of the information seems dubious to me. One editor suggests that some of the article has been copied verbatim from a website.

As for the photo, how do we know it is Campbell's rather than Siberian? It is not a clear photo in terms of identification.Michaplot (talk) 01:11, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

Curent picture is Djungarian hamster — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.26.17.194 (talk) 15:20, 2 October 2012 (UTC)


 * I am certainly not an expert in hamsters, but the text and lead photo clearly conflict. The text indicates the Campbell's dwarf hamster does NOT have a dark patch on the crown of its head, but the animal in the photo clearly does.__DrChrissy (talk) 19:13, 13 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Further to the concerns above, in the section 'Physical appearance' the text states '...and the fur on the stomach of Campbell's dwarf hamster is grey, but it is white on the Djungarian hamster'. In the image on this section, the fur on the stomach appears to be white!__DrChrissy (talk) 20:56, 17 January 2013 (UTC)