Winter White/Campbell's Dwarf Hybrids
Of the five species of hamsters usually kept as pets, only the Winter White and Campbell's dwarf hamsters are able to interbreed and produce live offspring (hybrids). Hybrids are most often unknowingly produced through incorrect identification of the two similar species of hamsters, such as mislabeling at a pet store.
Unfortunately, the number of hybrids is increasing, leading to a rise in health problems (such as the emergence of diabetes in the Winter White and glaucoma in Campbell's dwarf hamster) and a decrease of pure species in captivity. Breeding of hybrids is discouraged, and the amount of accidental hybrid breeding and its repercussions underscores the cautions of casual breeding already expressed above.
Read more about this topic: Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
Famous quotes containing the words winter, white, campbell and/or dwarf:
“The climate has been described as “ten months winter and two months mighty late in the fall.””
—Administration in the State of Colo, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Once in a while, God sends a good white person my way, even to this day. I think it’s God’s way of keeping me from becoming too mean. And when he sends a nice one to me, then I have to eat crow. And honey, crow is a tough old bird to eat, let me tell you.”
—Annie Elizabeth Delany (b. 1891)
“And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky;”
—Thomas Campbell (1774–1844)
“A dwarf who brings a standard along with him to measure his own size—take my word, is a dwarf in more articles than one.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)