Any ideas why one of my russian dwarven Hamsters is going a lighter shade of grey during the summer? and the others arn't.
I think they're winter whites, but that wouldn't explain the white during summer... unless hes a summer white ;).
So 3 Hamsters, two are dark grey and sleep all day, and one is very white grey and also very active (probably runs in his wheel more than sleeps)
Answers:
Dwarf hamsters bought in the US are occassionally mixed winter white, so they will not go totally white during the winter. Also, by keeping them inside and controlling their environment (artificial light, artificial heat, air conditioning) you can mess with their natural habits. Is your room where you keep the hamsters air conditioned? You may have 'tricked' their bodies into thinking this might be winter - the air is constantly cooler than it was in the winter months, since then you had the heat on and the air was quite warm and dry (like summer to them). Remember how sensitive dwarf hamsters can be to small temperature changes.
Another thing to think about is the age of the hamster. I had a totally black dwarf hamster from the time he was twelve weeks old, and as he got much older (over 18 months) his hair started going white! By the time he died (over two and a half years after I got him!) he was almost half silvery white.
As for the activity level, that could just be different hamsters. I have had dwarf hamsters that slept all night and were up all day, which is strange in a normally nocturnal animal. Remember that these animals were nocturnal in the wild; by attempting to tame them and keep them as housepets, we have messed with their instincts. Dwarves have been known to run over three miles a night in their natural habitat to find food. Also, even if they're from the same litter, it is possible for only one of them to have the winter white gene dominant; the other two might have it recessively.
Vun day Ve vill rule zer vold, un der Hamster grey vill be zer kink. Luk avter im gut, he iz preshus too zer racink und vill revard you later hon bye allowink yu to marry vith iz zizter, zat really kuddly ginger hamster in Henglantz green unt plesant lant.... Ve hav start, zo zer iz none stoppink uz.
Lonk Living Zer Kink
Perhaps he's a slightly different breed than the others? Or are they from the same litter?
Maybe his body clock is a little confused about the seasons. Is your house quite cool? Sometimes we tend to have the house really toasty warm in the winter and cooler in the summer, so if they are indoors all the time, then this could confuse them about what season it is. I did read somewhere that the winter white's colour change is affected by factors such as whether they have access to natural light, or whether they mainly get artificial light. This can affect whether they change colour, and how much by. It may be that as the other two hamsters are a lot less active and therefore sleeping more, they are getting less light and notice temperature changes less due to being snuggled up in their nests.
Some guesswork going on in my answer, but hope it helps!
Firstly, this isn't anything to worry about. There are many reasons for hamsters' coat colours to change, and it's usually a normal, natural thing.
There are actually two breeds of Russian Dwarf hamsters, Winter Whites and Campbells. These are genetically very similar and so they can interbreed, producing hybrids. Unfortunately this is a big problem in the hamster fancy, as it means it is now very difficult to be sure a hamster is a pure example of either species so the species may be lost. Also, several negative genetic traits are being passed between the two species, like the tendency for Campbells to get diabetes.
Winter White hamsters have coats that will change colour when certain factors in their environment change, such as light levels, temperature etc. This won't necessarily be in winter.
Also, not all Winter Whites will turn actually white, they may turn different shades of brown/grey or become mottled.
Overall it is possible that you have one Winter White and two Campbells, or that one or more of them are hybrids, or that you have three Winter Whites and only one is responding to the environmental fluctuation. Did you get these hamsters from a breeder? Are all three from the same place?
As for the level of activity during the day, again that's not too much to worry about as hamsters are individuals and their activity levels vary. They may be different ages, which would explain why one has a lot more energy than the others.
As I've mentioned, diabetes can be a problem with dwarf hamsters. If they are urinating and/or drinking a lot more than usual I'd ask your vet to test them. There's a lot you can do with their diet to improve their quality of life.
i agree you prob have different types of these hammys - as long as they look healthy and are eating i wouldnt worry ;)
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