To identify your hamster breed, you need to know specific information. The key is knowing which attributes refer to coat type, which refer to patterns, and which attributes refer to colors.
Once you have this information about your hamster, you can easily identify the breed.
In the Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), there are three types of fur. The first is normal, which is also called short-haired. The second type of coat is called satin; Dwarf hamsters with this type of fur have longer hairs, and instead of looking like furballs, they look like four-legged mops in my opinion. The third type of fur is called rex. This usually means that the hairs are curly. In the case of the Campbell’s dwarf, the whiskers are curly and the fur is frizzy. The hair is very sparse, so the hamster appears bald.
As far as information about the coat patterns of Campbell’s hamsters, there are three types. The first is normal. With this pattern, the back is one color and its belly is white. At the sides, the colors transition from dark to light in a series of arcs. The animal has a dark stripe on its back.
The pattern of the second layer is called platinum. The fur is greyish-brown, but the tips of the dwarf hamster’s shoulder hairs are white. The dorsal stripe is black and the lateral arches appear amber. The ears are dark grey.
The pattern of the third layer is called mottling. This is a dwarf hamster with irregular white spots. Also, the eyes of animals are red.
As for information on dwarf hamster coat colors, they are numerous: in addition to the normal agouti-colored coat, Campbell’s dwarf hamster coats come in the colors beige, black, lilac, blue, opal, silver, blue fawn, lilac fawn, dove, white, albino, champagne, harlequin, and white belly.
The best place to see all the combinations of coat types, patterns, and colors is at a hamster show.