Colour and Coat Varieties
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Winter White Russian HamsterPhodopus Sungoris SungorisOriginating from East Kazakhstan and South West Siberia, the Winter White at first sight looks very similar to its close relative, the Campbell, but the two are distinct species and should not be mated together. The offspring of such a mating are thought to be sterile, [Ray Hughes, personal communication]. The main distinguishing features are the seasonal whitening of the coat, a difference in the shape of the head and softer, less "woolly" fur. In the UK the fur will not always whiten in the winter, depending on the length of daylight to which the hamster is exposed. They seem to prefer living in pairs rather than groups, and are difficult to breed in the autumn and winter months. Their normal colour is a grey-brown with even, dark ticking. One colour and one coat variety have been described:
Sapphire
The Sapphire Winter White has a bluish, smoky grey tinge to the fur. I believe that it is inherited as recessive to normal, but I have no proper evidence for this.
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