Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Campbell's Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus campbelli) Genetics

 Agouti colors (off-white/cream belly, 3 side arches, dorsal stripe, banded hair shafts)

ColorGenotypeKey traits
Normal (wild type)++Brown back, black tipping, orange arch line, gray undercoat, black stripe, black eyes, gray ears
Black Eyed Argente (BEA)bbCream with ginger-brown tipping, ivory belly, dark brown undercoat, black eyes, pink ears
OpalddSmoky gray with blue tipping, soft gray undercoat, darker gray stripe, black eyes, dark gray ears
Dark GraydgdgLine from a SoCal commercial breeder supplying pet stores; very diabetes-prone
ArgenteppBright orange, no tipping, ivory belly, brown stripe, red eyes, pink ears
Lilac Fawnbb ddLight dull ginger, blue-gray undercoat and stripe, black eyes, gray ears
Beigebb ppDull ginger-beige, brown stripe, red eyes, gray ears
Blue Fawndd ppSoft ginger with blue tint, blue-gray undercoat, red eyes, pink ears
Blue Beigebb dd ppBeige with blue tint, gray undercoat, red eyes, gray ears

Self colors (one color base to tip; common white faults on moustache, chin, paws, sometimes a zipper)


ColorGenotypeKey traits
BlackaaSolid black, some with white wings or collars; black eyes, dark gray ears. Silvering may be a separate gene linked to black
Chocolateaa bbDark chocolate brown, black eyes, gray ears
Blueaa ddSteel blue-gray, black eyes, gray ears
Doveaa ppDark dove gray-brown, red eyes, pink ears
Black Eyed Lilac (BEL)aa bb ddSoft lilac-gray, black eyes, gray ears
Dark Beigeaa bb ppDark beige to the roots, red eyes, pink ears
Red Eyed Lilac (REL)aa dd ppSoft lilac-gray, red eyes, pink ears. Mnemonic: Dove is Darker, Lilac is Lighter
Champagneaa bb dd ppLight beige, red eyes, pink ears
Black Eyed White (BEW)didi P- Si-Platinum plus dilute; dilute washes out all color and makes SiSi survivable
Red Eyed White (REW)didi pp Si-Same as BEW but pp; indistinguishable from albino without breeding or known parentage

Modifiers that affect any color

  • Albino (cc): all white, red eyes, pink ears, masks all other genes
  • Umbrous (uu): gray wash over any color, turns an off-white belly gray. Can hide mottling, which is why unknown genotypes are risky

White patterns

  • Platinum (Sisi): dominant; SiSi is lethal unless paired with didi (BEW/REW)
  • Micro BEW / microphthalmus (SiSi Didi?): suspected SiSi surviving with only one dilute copy; small eye(s), usually a smaller animal
  • Red Eyed Mottled (Mimi): reddish eye tinge under light in black-eyed animals, invisible in red-eyed colors. MiMi = anophthalmic whites: eyeless, toothless, dead by about 14 days. Never breed two red eyed mottleds, and if you can't confirm black eyed mottled, don't pair two mottleds at all
  • Black Eyed Mottled (Mo-): looks the same but no eye tinge and not homozygous lethal; uncommon, so assume red eyed mottled

Other patterns: Brindle appeared in California but couldn't be reproduced. Mosaic is a single patch missing one of the body's genes (example given: a mottled Dark Beige with a patch between ear and eye that could be loss of Black, BEA, or Argente).

Coat types (compatible with any color or pattern)

Satin (sasa): longer, clumpy, "greasy" looking coat that also darkens the base color



Winter White Dwarf Hamster hybrid "Sunfire" or "Flame Djungarian" or "Pudding" Genetics:



No comments:

Post a Comment