Roborovski dwarf hamster

The Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii), also known as the desert hamster, Robo dwarf hamster or simply dwarf hamster is the smallest of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus, and is native to the deserts of Central Asia. These tiny hamsters are very special because they are among the smallest hamster species in the world. At birth, they are only about 1.6 cm (0.6 in) long, but they grow to be about 6.3 cm (2.5 in) long and weigh about 16 g (0.56 oz) when fully grown.

One easy way to tell Roborovski hamsters apart from other similar hamsters is that they have small white spots above their eyes and they do not have a dark stripe along their back, unlike the other hamsters in the Phodopus genus. These hamsters can live for about 2 to 4 years, depending on where they live. Those kept as pets in safe, comfortable homes may live longer, while those living in the wild may have shorter lives.

Roborovski hamsters are very fast and love to run. They can run up to 6 miles in a single night! Their name comes from a Russian explorer named Vsevolod Ivanovich Roborovsky, who helped scientists learn about this amazing little animal. Because of their small size and active nature, Roborovski hamsters make fascinating pets for people who can give them proper care.

Distribution and habitat

Roborovski hamsters live in desert areas, such as near lake Zaysan in Kazakhstan and in regions of Tuva, Mongolia, and Xinjiang in China. They prefer loose sand and sparse vegetation, avoiding dense plants and hard clay. These hamsters live in burrows with deep tunnels, often staying active at dawn and dusk.

These hamsters are most common in southern areas, like Yulin, Shaanxi, China, where locals often see them in the sand dunes of the Ordos Desert.

Diet

Roborovski hamsters eat a mix of grains, vegetables, fruit, plants, and sometimes meat and insects. They store food in their burrows to survive winter. In China, they often eat millet seeds, while in Mongolia, they eat insects such as beetles, earwigs, and crickets. In Tuva, they mainly eat seeds from plants like sand alyssum and nitre bush. Young hamsters eat more food relative to their weight than adults.

History of human contact

A Russian explorer named Lt. Vsevolod Roborovski first discovered these tiny hamsters during an expedition in July 1894. Scientists began studying them around 1903, thanks to observations by Konstantin A. Satunin. The London Zoo brought them to the UK in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that they arrived from the Moscow Zoo. While early attempts to breed them in Britain didn’t succeed, countries in Europe did better. Today’s Roborovski hamsters in the UK come from a group imported from the Netherlands in 1990. They reached the US in 1998 and are now easy to find in pet shops around the world. In South Korea, they are almost as popular as the Winter White Russian dwarf hamster.

Variation

The Roborovski hamster is smaller and has sandy-colored fur compared to the Djungarian hamster and Campbell's dwarf hamster. It also lacks a dorsal stripe. There are currently 10 known variations of Roborovski hamsters. Only one type is officially recognized in the UK, but scientists are still studying the others.

Some of these variations include Agouti (natural grayish-brown with white "eyebrows"), White face, Husky, "mottled" or "pied", Head spot, White-from-white-faced or dark-eared white, White-from-pied or pure white, Black-eyed white, Red-eyed, and Black/blue. These variations differ in color patterns and eye colors.

Breeding

Roborovski hamsters can be identified by their sex based on the position of their openings; males have openings further apart and often show a yellow scent gland near the navel. Their breeding season runs from April to September, and after a gestation period of about 20 to 22 days, females give birth to litters of three to nine babies, usually around six.

At birth, the babies weigh just 1 gram and are born without fur, with their eyes, ears, and digits sealed shut. Over the next two weeks, their whiskers appear, fur starts to grow, their digits separate, and by day 14, their eyes open. In captivity, these hamsters may breed throughout the year.

Main article: Roborovski dwarf hamster

As pets

Roborovski hamsters have become popular pets because they are small and active. They can be tamed with time, though they may be a bit harder to handle than other hamsters. On average, they live about 26 months when kept as pets.

While some say they are hypoallergenic, Roborovski hamsters can sometimes cause asthma in people who didn’t have it before. It’s important to keep them clean by offering a sand bath instead of water, as bathing them can be stressful and harmful.

In film

The short film Roborovski, about a hamster, was co-written and directed by Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Dev Patel. It premiered at Flickerfest in Sydney in January 2020 and later won several awards at the Antipodean Film Festival in Saint Tropez, France, in 2021.