The Campbell dwarf hamster in portrait

Campbell dwarf hamsters make wonderful pets when kept in a species-appropriate manner.

But beware: although they are particularly cute, they are not the tamest hamster breed and are therefore definitely not recommended for inexperienced keepers.

On the other hand, they are very active and therefore need a lot of exercise and variety.

What important characteristics you must also consider, you will now learn.

Steckbrief

Size	8 – 10 cm
Color	dark brown
Age	1.5 – 2.5 years
Character	very active
Enclosure type	Solitary

Character

First the good news: Campbell hamsters can become quite tame.

However, getting used to people is more difficult with this hamster breed.

The small animals are agile, nimble and active. But they are also very independent and stubborn.

If they do not get enough exercise, they also tend to aggression. This means that you have to expect bites if your hamster is not kept busy enough or if you try to hold him down.

Not much usually happens with these bites, but you still need to be prepared.

The small rodents are defensible and are also called “grumpy” by some owners”.

Attitude

The keeping is similar to other hamsters.

You should offer your animal as much space, variety and activity as possible. Because of the high activity they need a lot of movement. Therefore, a running wheel as well as a large floor space of the cage or hamster home must be part of the equipment.

Also make sure that you offer a balanced diet and always fresh water.

Check your animal daily.

For this it is useful to get it used to your hand. Because of its somewhat shy and independent nature, checking its eyes, mouth, belly and anal area is more difficult.

A thick layer of bedding, various surfaces and climbing opportunities and a sand bath are also advisable for the Campbell hamster. They are part of a species-appropriate husbandry and contribute to the quality of life. This is because the hamsters can create tunnels, dig, burrow and hide in the deep soil or search for food and store supplies.

To provide variety, you can also bring in fresh twigs, put cardboard rolls in the hamster home or offer tubes made of cork. However, don’t change everything at once. This causes stress to the hamster.

Life expectancy

The Campbell hamster lives about two years.

In case of diseases, the life span can be shortened, of course. With good care and a species-appropriate attitude, however, you can extend it. Of course there is no guarantee.

However, the risk of a premature death due to illness can be reduced.

Therefore, offer your Campbell hamster a quiet place to avoid stress. Make sure that the hamster gets the right nutrition and enough exercise. If you notice a problem during daily checks or if there is a sudden change in behavior, consult a veterinarian immediately.

The small animals are vulnerable and diseases can quickly take severe courses or even become life-threatening. The same applies to injuries and the consequences thereof.

Colors

The wild color of the Campbell hamster is the so-called agouti. The fur hairs are in each case two-colored.

The back is gray to brown and has an eel line. This runs directly over the spine and is darker than the surrounding fur.

In addition, however, various other color strokes are possible.

These include:

Beige Blue Fawn
Black
Black Eyed Argente
Black Eyed Lilac
Blue
Blue Beige
Champagne
Chocolate
Cinnamon Sugar
Dark Beige
Dove
Lilac Fawn
Opal
Red Eyed Argente
Silver Agouti

The colors vary from a very light beige to deep black fur hairs.

Due to the inbreeding of Dsungarian Dwarf Hamsters, there are further colorings in the hybrids.

Frequently asked questions

1. at what age are Campbell hamsters fully grown?

At about 15 weeks of age, Campbell hamsters appear fully grown.

But as dwarf hamsters they continue to grow until old age. However, so slowly and so little that it is not visually noticeable.

The difference is only a few millimeters from the fourth month, making the growth barely visible.

2. what can Campbell hamsters eat?

The diet of Campbell hamsters should consist of various components. Among them:

Seeds
Grasses
Grains
Seeds
Herbs and flowers
Hay
Vegetables
Fruit
Insects and other sources of protein

A simple variant of the nutrition is ready-made hamster food* from the trade.

When choosing, however, make sure that it is special dry food for dwarf hamsters: A mixture of seeds, small grains and dried herbs as well as flowers is ideal. Because here the components are so small that they can be easily ingested by the Campbell hamsters.

For this reason, it also makes sense not to use golden hamster food. Because this contains too large seeds and grains. In addition, the composition is also not suitable because of the nutrients.

The Campbell hamster needs a lot of fiber, which he gets for example through hay but also through green food, such as herbs, flowers and vegetables.

The carbohydrate and fat content should be low, but the amount of protein should be high.

The protein requirement should be met primarily by giving insects. Dried mealworms, for example, are suitable for this purpose. Hard-boiled egg white may also be fed occasionally.

Among the fresh foods that are suitable are:

Dandelion
Parsley
Grasses
Chickweed
Yarrow
Cucumber
Bell bell pepper
Carrots
Parsnips
Fennel
Apple (without peel)
Melon
Berries

It is favorable to grow the grasses and herbs yourself.

This way you know that they are not contaminated or polluted by pesticides.

Vegetables in small pieces can be offered daily.

Fruit should be limited to very small pieces once or twice a week, as it contains more sugar. It is therefore ideal as a treat for taming or as a lure and reward when you want to teach your Campbell hamster a trick.

3. when are Campbell hamsters sexually mature?

Campbell hamsters, like all other hamster breeds, develop very quickly.

The naked, blind and deaf hamster babies turn into young animals within a very short time, which even blind already move independently in the cage, explore their surroundings and start to eat soft food.

Therefore, it is not surprising that sexual maturity also sets in quickly.

At about 45 days or six weeks, the young animals are capable of reproduction. One of the reasons for this is that Campbell hamsters only reach a young age. So you must provide early for offspring.

So that this does not become a problem when keeping them as pets, you should separate young animals by sex from the sixth week onwards.

Otherwise there will be unwanted offspring.

With a litter size of three to twelve babies, a pair can quickly become a group. If the young animals reproduce uncontrollably, a double-digit number in the middle to upper range is possible in a few months.

Since there is not enough space for this, you have to expect cannibalism. This means that the mothers or even the father eat the hamster babies.

In addition, fights occur quickly, because the space for so many animals in small cages or hamster homes is not enough and therefore conflicts arise.

In addition, many pet stores only sell animals from breeders they know.

Placing the animals can therefore be difficult. Last but not least, there is a risk of inbreeding if they are not separated in time. This can result in numerous birth defects or diseases and disabilities.
4) Can Campbell hamsters be kept together?

In nature, Campbell hamsters are not solitary animals – at least not all year round. Instead, they form pairs and are monogamous. However, these pairs often separate again when the weather gets cooler.

They also have much more space than is the case in a cage or hamster home. This reduces the risk of conflict among the animals, sometimes resulting in serious fights.

As pets, however, hamsters usually do not have enough space to get out of each other’s way.

Aggressive behavior among themselves is therefore a correspondingly high risk.

So you can either keep one Campbell hamster alone or take over two animals and offer them sufficient space. You can achieve this, for example, with a hamster cage with a very large floor space or a hamster home with several floors.

In order to prevent possible fights, you should also offer sufficient escape and hiding places. Several sleeping houses, tunnels and hay or straw are suitable for this. A thick layer of bedding on the floor as well as two running wheels, drinking bottles and food bowls should also be available.

Ideally, these should be on different levels or at least not close together.

This way, each hamster can use its own area if needed and there are no fights over these resources.

In addition, space, climbing opportunities and a running wheel will keep your hamsters busy. This has a relaxing effect and helps to reduce stress as well as aggression, among other things.

Another important point is sufficient food.

You can hide it, hang it up or offer seeds and grasses, for example, as a nibble. Distribute them in different places in the cage or hamster home. In this way, the animals do not have to eat directly next to each other.

If there are fights, you should separate the hamsters. Otherwise, you must expect significant injuries, which can even be life-threatening.

Also, don’t be fooled if two very young hamsters at the breeder or pet store get along very well, preening and playing together. As soon as they reach sexual maturity, this can change abruptly.

Therefore, you should always keep a cage as a reserve and for emergencies when keeping more than one animal.

5. how much do Campbell hamsters weigh?

On average, dwarf hamsters weigh about 27 grams.

Petite specimens are naturally a bit lighter, while larger animals can be heavier but still slim and healthy.

Therefore, more important than the weight is the figure, respectively the proportions are decisive. The hamster’s body should have a waist, be well muscled and feel toned.

Our tip: Weigh the hamster at least once a week. This will help you notice any significant changes early on, which may indicate illness or require dietary adjustments, for example.