Campbells Dwarf Colors

These two pictures are of wild caught Campbells Dwarf Hamsters.

Agouti Colors

Agouti colors have off-white to cream colored bellies, 3 side arches, darker dorsal stripe, and the hair shafts have 2-3 colors on them.

Normal
++

This is the wild color of the Campbells Dwarf without any mutations. It's back is a brown color with black tipping. The arches have an orange line along them. The belly is off-white. There is a gray undercoat. The dorsal stripe is black. The eyes are black and the ear leather is gray.

Black Eyed Argente (BEA)
bb

The back is a cream color with ginger brown tipping. The arches have an orange line along them. The belly is ivory. There is a dark brown undercoat. The dorsal stripe is a darker ginger brown. The eyes are black and the ear leather is pink.

Opal
dd

The back is a smoky gray color with blue tipping. The belly is off-white. There is a soft gray undercoat. The dorsal stripe is a darker gray. The eyes are black and the ear leather is dark gray.

Dark Gray
dgdg

These are located in the southern California area from a commercial breeder selling to chain pet stores. They are extremely prone to diabetes.

Argente
pp

The back is a bright orange color with no tipping. The belly is ivory. There is a gray undercoat. The dorsal stripe is brown. The eyes are red and the ear leather is pink. This is a picture of two Argentes (middle ) and two Satin Argentes.

Lilac Fawn (with Black)
bb dd

Color is a light dull ginger and the undercoat is blue-gray. The dorsal stripe is a soft blue-gray. The eyes are black and the ear leather is gray.

Beige
bb pp

Color is dull ginger-beige. The dorsal stripe is brown. The eyes are red and the ear leather is gray.

Blue Fawn
dd pp

Color is a soft ginger with a blue tint and blue-gray undercoat. Eyes are red and ear leather is pink.

Blue Beige
bb dd pp

Color is beige with a blue tint and gray undercoat. The eyes are red and the ear leather is gray.

Self Colors

Self colors are the same color over the entire body except for common white faults of moustache, chin, paws and sometimes a white zipper. The hair shaft is the same color the entire length. From the top counterclockwise is Silvering Black, Blue, Dove & Red Eyed Lilac.

Black (with Lilac Fawn)
aa

Color is solid black except for common white faults listed above. Some may also have white wings or collars. Eyes are black and ear leather is dark gray.

Silvering

Silvering happens in some Blacks and Black combinations. Silvering may be a separate gene closely linked to Black. These are pictures of the same Black male. When I first got him he was jet Black with a pair of white wings. He silvered early and almost completely.

Albino
cc

The body is all white. The eyes are red and the ear leather is pink. Albino can mask all other genes. To the right is a picture of a Satin albino pup. Only breeding or knowing the parents genes can determine if you have an albino or Red Eyed White (REW). To the left is a non-satin albino adult.

Umbrous
uu

This gene affects all colors. It's a gray wash over the regular color of the dwarf. If the belly would normally be off-white it becomes gray. Pictured left are 2 Umbrous and 1 Black. Below are 2 pictures of a Red Eyed Mottled Argente Umbrous. It wasn't found out she was mottled until she was bred with a non-umbrous male. This is where it is important to know what your animal has for genes. If you don't then you must pick the partner carefully to avoid creating anophthalmic whites. This shows that Umbrous covers the white of the Red Eyed Mottled gene.

Chocolate
aa bb

Color is dark chocolate brown with black eyes and gray ears.

Blue
aa dd

Color is steel blue-gray with black eyes and gray ears. To the right is a picture of a Blue and a Silvering Black.

Dove
aa pp

Color is dark dove gray-brown coat with red eyes and pink ears. To the left is a Red Eyed Lilac and Dove. In Campbells Dwarfs I remember the difference between Dove and Red Eyed Lilac like this: Dove is Darker and Lilac is Lighter.

Black Eyed Lilac (BEL)
aa bb dd

Color is soft lilac-gray coat with black eyes and gray ears.

Dark Beige
aa bb pp

Color is dark beige coat to the roots with red eyes and pink ears.

Red Eyed Lilac (REL)
aa dd pp

Color is soft lilac-gray coat with red eyes and pink ears. In Campbells Dwarfs I remember the difference between Dove and Red Eyed Lilac like this: Dove is Darker and Lilac is Lighter.

Champagne
aa bb dd pp

Color is light beige coat with red eyes and pink ears.

Black Eyed White (BEW)
didi P- Si-

This color comes from the platinum gene being combined with a modifying dilute gene which washes out all fur color. In the presence of the dilute gene didi homozygous platinum SiSi is not lethal. The dilute gene appears to have no affect on other colors. Here is a picture of a satin BEW.

Red Eyed White (REW)
didi pp Si-

Color is white with red eyes and pink ears. See the explanation above. The only difference between a BEW and REW is this animal is didi pp Si- not didi P- Si-. It's impossible to tell this color from albino unless you breed it or know the parents genes.

White Patterns

The colors of these animals should be the same as a non-patterned animal. Although the patterning may wash out the color.

Platinum
Sisi

Platinum is a dominant gene. It is homozygous lethal SiSi except when combined with the dilute gene in Black Eyed Whites (BEW) and Red Eyed Whites (REW). Pictured to the left is a normal platinum (left ) and an Opal platinum (right ). The picture to the right is another Platinum.

Micro BEW? Microphthalmus
SiSi Didi?

It is believed that sometimes Homozygous Platinum SiSi survives with only one dilute gene Didi. In this case one or both eyes are smaller and usually the hamster is smaller too. You can see clearly in the picture to the left the difference in size and color in the eyes.

Red Eyed Mottled
Mimi

There are two Mottled genes. As you can see in the picture of an Opal Mottled above and the normal Mottled below (2 views), when a light shines into the eye of a Black Eyed animal there is a reddish tinge.

Pictured below are a Black Mottled , Blue Mottled and a Dark Beige Mottled

Of course with a red eyed animal, like the Dark Beige Mottled to the right , the red eye tinge is impossible to see.

Below are 2 pictures of a Red Eyed Mottled Argente Umbrous. It wasn't found out she was mottled until she was bred with a non-umbrous male. This is where it is important to know what your animal has for genes. If you don't then you must pick the partner carefully to avoid creating anophthalmic whites.

Red Eyed Mottled Anophthalmic
MiMi

Homozygous Red Eyed Mottleds MiMi are eyeless, toothless micro-whites that die by about 14 days. It's important to not ever breed 2 Red Eyed Mottled animals together. If you don't know for certain the animals being bred are Black Eyed Mottled, it is better to be safe and not breed two mottled animals together.

Black Eyed Mottled
Mo-

Black Eyed Mottleds are identical to the Red Eyed Mottleds except they don't have the reddish tinge to their eyes and they aren't homozygous lethal. However they are not common so it's safer to assume you have the Red Eyed Mottled. Obviously with red eyed colors you can't tell the difference between the two mottled genes. The black shown here has minimal mottling which can occur with both genes.

Other Patterns

There are other patterns that show up now and then. Brindle has shown up in CA but could not be reproduced. Mosaic also shows up. Mosaic is a single patch of color that is missing one of the genes from the main body. So a mosaic Dove would have a Black or Argente patch. This is a picture of a Mottled Dark Beige with a mosaic patch between her left ear and eye. Since she is aa bb Dd Mimi pp the patch could be the loss of any one of the genes ~ Black, Black Eyed Argente or Argente..

Coat Types

Coat types are compatible with any color or pattern.

Rex
rxrx

To the left is a Rex pup. The hair is sparse until the pup matures. The hair and whiskers are curly. To the right is a Chocolate Rex.

Wavy
wawa

The fur is wavy and the whiskers are curly.

Hairless

This is not an official gene. These two girls were rescues and never bred.