Hamster Species

There are many species of hamsters but only 5 species (the Syrian, Dwarf Campbells Russian, Dwarf Winter White Russian, Chinese and Roborovski) are widely kept in captivity as pets.

Find out more about each hamster species below.

Other species include: Calomyscus baluchi, Calomyscus mystax and Calomyscus urartensis are sub-species of the Mouse-like Hamster (Calomyscus bailwardi).

There are also other rodents that are sometimes referred to as ' hamsters' although they are not true hamsters, such as the South African Hamster (Mystromys albicaudatus) which is also known as the White Tailed Mouse and the Maned Rat which used to be referred to as the Maned Hamster or the Crested Hamster.