Syrian hamster variations
Colours of the Syrian hamster can be described in three ways: as "self", "agouti" or "combinations". Self colours are a consistent coat colour with the same colour topcoat and undercoat. Agouti hamsters have a ticked coat, where each individual fur is banded in different colours. Agouti hamsters also have "agouti markings" which consist of dark cheek markings, a dark marking on the head, and a light underbelly. Combinations are produced when two self or agouti colours are present.
Natural hamster mutations
Natural hamster mutations are those that crop up naturally; unlike combination mutations, these are mutations unto themselves and not expressed by mixing two genes.Golden
Golden is the original colouration of Syrian hamsters found in the wild. Originally classified as "Dark Golden" and "Light Golden", this description and standard has now fallen out of favour as a "Light Golden" is simply a Golden that lacks defined black ticking. Despite being the original mutation, the number of Creams and Cinnamons tends to outweigh the number of Goldens, and finding a pure line of Goldens not carrying any other known mutation has become difficult.A Golden hamster is one with a reddish-brown coat and black agouti markings. Golden hamsters will have black eyes, grey ears, and an ivory belly.
Black
The Black colour was imported to the UK in 1991. Before then, Sables were referred to as black, but are lighter than the actual Black hamsters. Black hamsters have a consistent jet black coat, with some white on the paws and belly. The Black gene is recessive, which is why the variation was not discovered until recently. The discovery of the Black hamster has allowed scientists and breeders to produce many new variations, including Dove, when bred with Cinnamon hamsters, and Chocolate, when combined with Rust. This colouration is often falsely known as "Black Bear" and, if with a Band or other White Pattern, "Panda Bear". Both of these terms are, however, incorrect.Cream
The Cream variety ranges from sandy to orange-cream. This variation was first discovered in the United Kingdom in 1951 and is a "self" colour. There are further sub-types of this variation, determined by the colour of the eyes, which can be black, red or ruby. Black-Eyed Creams typically have dark grey ears, although this is not necessarily the case, whereas Red-Eyed Creams have flesh-coloured ears. Red-Eyed Cream occurs when both the Cream gene "ee" and the Cinnamon gene "pp" are shown together on the hamster.| Variation | Genotype |
| Black-Eyed Cream | ee |
| Red-Eyed Cream | eepp |
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a recessive gene and is a very common one. It first appeared in 1958. Many owners confuse this colour with Golden, Honey and Yellow. Cinnamon hamsters will have a red body, blue agouti markings, red eyes, and pink ears. On poorer quality Cinnamon coats, the agouti markings may just appear darker red than the body. Cinnamon hamsters will also have an ivory/white belly.White
There are three different types of White hamster: Dark, Flesh-Eared and Black-Eyed. All three are completely white. The Dark-Eared variety first appeared in 1952 and has red eyes which darken as the animal ages. Black-Eyed Whites have flesh-coloured ears. Flesh-Eared Whites, often described as albinos, were first mentioned in the National Hamster Council Journal in 1956. As the name suggests, Flesh-Eared Whites have flesh ears and pink eyes.| Variation | Genotype |
| Black-Eyed White | eeDsds or eeWhwh |
| Dark-Eared White | cdcd |
| Flesh-Eared White | cdcdpp |
Rust
Rust, formerly called Guinea Gold, is a naturally occurring mutation that is currently very rare. They are easily mistaken for Goldens. The difference between a Rust and a Golden is mostly in the cheek flashes; in Rust they are brown rather than black, and the base colour for Rust is a brownish colour rather than a slate grey.Dark Grey
Dark Grey is a recessive mutation. Due to the Dark Grey's genes, there is often a mutation known as "kinked tail". The genes for kinked tail are heavily linked to the Dark Grey gene.| Variation | Genotype | - | - |
| Dark Grey | dgdg | Kinked Tail | dgdgK |
Light Grey
This gene is currently extremely rare. Light Greys fell out of favour to the Silver Grey and Dark Grey genes due to the fact that Light Grey was difficult to breed and a lot of Light Greys had aggression issues and smaller size. If two Light Greys were mated, any pups which were "LgLg" would die in utero.Silver Grey
Silver Grey is a highly dominant gene. It was discovered in Sweden and brought to the UK in 1991. Because it is highly dominant, not many hamsteries want to work with it. Silver Grey should never be bred to Dark Greyas it can make it difficult to tell which is which; likewise it should also never be bred to Polywhite or any mutations with the Black gene.
| Variation | Genotype |
| Silver Grey | SgSg |
Yellow
Yellow is a sex-linked mutation; this means that, depending on the sex, the gene code and the colours produced when mating will depend on which gender was the Yellow. The Yellow gene locus is on the X chromosome, one of the sex chromosomes. Female hamsters, like all female mammals, have two X chromosomes, while males have an X and a Y chromosome. Yellow is an incomplete dominant gene; a hamster needs to have at least one Yellow gene in order to be Yellow, but if another gene is expressed at the same time this causes both Yellow and the other colour to be expressed. This produces patches of Yellow and non Yellow fur, which is known as Tortoiseshell. Since only female hamsters have two X chromosomes,, only females can be Tortoiseshell. Male hamsters are either Yellow or non Yellow.Female Yellow hamsters must inherit Yellow from both parents and hence can only occur in litters where the male has the Yellow gene and the female is either Yellow or Tortoiseshell.
| Variation | Genotype | - | - |
| Female Yellow | ToTo | Male Yellow | To_ |
Combination mutations
These are mutations that occur when two or more genes are expressed at the same time.Beige
Beige is a rare colour, because it is produced by breeding together a hamster with the Rust and Dark Grey gene, which are themselves rare. The Beige variety is often smaller than the rest of the litter and may have a kinked tail due to the Dark Grey gene.Sable
When it was discovered in 1975, this variation was originally named Black. Since the discovery of the melanistic Black variety, it has been renamed to Sable. The topcoat is black and the undercoat is ivory cream, with a black belly, black eyes and dark-grey ears. The fur around the eyes is also ivory cream. Sable comes from Umbrous bred to Cream.Ivory
Ivory is a combination gene that is not often seen. It can come in both Black-Eyed and Red-Eyed varieties. Ivory can be created by using any of the three Greys.| Variation | Genotype | - | - |
| Red Eyed Ivory | eeppdgdg/eeppLglg/eeppSgSg | Black Eyed Ivory | eedgdg/eeLglg/eeSgSg |
Honey
Honey is a complex gene and as such is uncommon. Honey is made by combining the sex-linked Yellow gene and the recessive Cinnamon gene. Since females have two X chromosomes, they must inherit both Cinnamon and Yellow genes from both parents. Males must inherit Cinnamon from both parents and the Yellow gene from their mother.If a male Yellow carrying Cinnamon is mated to a female Cinnamon, the result will not be Honey, but Golden or Cinnamon males and Cinnamon Tortoiseshell or Golden Tortoiseshell females. However, when done as a female Yellow carrying Cinnamon to a male Cinnamon, the result will still be Cinnamon Tortoiseshell and Golden Tortoiseshell females but the males will be Honey or Yellow. Honey females must inherit both Yellow and Cinnamon from both parents, e.g. when a Honey male,, is mated to a female who is Cinnamon Tortoiseshell, Golden Tortoiseshell carrying Cinnamon or Honey.
| Variation | Genotype | - | - |
| Female Honey | ppToTo | Male Honey | ppTo_ |
Lilac
Lilac is a rare combination mutation that is not usually actively bred for anymore. It was once commonplace on the show table and loved by many for its beautiful pink hue. However, due to overbreeding the Lilac is no longer as popular, as its pink hues quickly turn brown.Blonde
Blonde is a rarely seen mutation. It is a creamy blonde with an orange tint.Copper
Copper is one of the two hardest mutations to achieve and is thought to be impossible to achieve in North America. It is a striking copper colour. Copper bred to Copper will produce all Copper, but the rarity of Copper makes finding a Copper pair nearly impossible. When trying to create Copper from two individuals that carry all the genes needed, there is a 1 in 85 chance of getting a Copper.Blue Mink
Blue Mink is the other rarest and hardest mutation to find. It was found sometime after 1975.| Variation | Genotype |
| Blue Mink | UUeedgdgpp |