12-01-2009, 03:48 AM
Yep, it is all marketing.
"Teddy bear" hamster = longhaired Syrian hamster.
"Black bear" hamster = black Syrian hamster.
"Honey bear" hamster = usually cream or yellow Syrian hamster.
Black Syrian hamsters can be longhaired ... in fact I have a female of this type, her name is Onyx, and she's one of the geriatric crew... she was a pet store rescue but has been just great.
I've never cared much for gerbils; it's a combination of the odd texture of the fur, the ratlike tail, and the strangeness (to me) of their behavior that hasn't appealed. It's really a myth that hamsters are unfriendly and not particularly bright; mine are very friendly and do appear to recognize me on contact (probably both by sound and scent; their sense of vision is very poor).
Right now I have two females who are just really friendly and beautiful (one satin ivory, one satin sable), and need to breed them ASAP, but no good males to use with them other than one of their brothers, and I'd rather not inbreed at this point. I'm going to contact a fellow breeder in Alabama to whom I gave some of my stock, to see if he has anyone suitable for these young ladies...
P.S. ... it's getting harder and harder to find Syrian hamsters in the U.S. for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the major pet store chains are starting to not carry them any more because of problems with wet tail, overbreeding, and distributors (some of whom have been under investigation by PETA and the feds). They're just not worth the hassle to the major chains any more...
"Teddy bear" hamster = longhaired Syrian hamster.
"Black bear" hamster = black Syrian hamster.
"Honey bear" hamster = usually cream or yellow Syrian hamster.
Black Syrian hamsters can be longhaired ... in fact I have a female of this type, her name is Onyx, and she's one of the geriatric crew... she was a pet store rescue but has been just great.
I've never cared much for gerbils; it's a combination of the odd texture of the fur, the ratlike tail, and the strangeness (to me) of their behavior that hasn't appealed. It's really a myth that hamsters are unfriendly and not particularly bright; mine are very friendly and do appear to recognize me on contact (probably both by sound and scent; their sense of vision is very poor).
Right now I have two females who are just really friendly and beautiful (one satin ivory, one satin sable), and need to breed them ASAP, but no good males to use with them other than one of their brothers, and I'd rather not inbreed at this point. I'm going to contact a fellow breeder in Alabama to whom I gave some of my stock, to see if he has anyone suitable for these young ladies...
P.S. ... it's getting harder and harder to find Syrian hamsters in the U.S. for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the major pet store chains are starting to not carry them any more because of problems with wet tail, overbreeding, and distributors (some of whom have been under investigation by PETA and the feds). They're just not worth the hassle to the major chains any more...