Hamster Species & Popularity

Published July 22, 2023 | By luxorganic

Note that many of the hamster species listed are not typically kept as pets and information about them in a pet context may be scarce or unavailable.

In such cases, these hamsters are ranked lower due to a lack of information.

Species Name	Unique Feature	Popularity as Pets
1. Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)	Largest of all hamster species; often kept as pets due to their gentle nature.	1
2. Roborovski Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)	The smallest hamster species; known for their incredibly fast speed.	2
3. Campbell’s Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus campbelli)	Can change their coat color in winter to better blend in with the snow.	3
4. Winter White Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus sungorus)	Named for their ability to turn completely white in the winter.	4
5. Chinese Hamster (Cricetulus griseus)	Unlike other hamsters, they have a visible tail.	5
6. Armenian Hamster (Cricetulus migratorius)	Also known as the migratory hamster, they have long, soft fur.	14
7. European Hamster (Cricetus cricetus)	Can store up to 60g of food in their cheek pouches, almost their own body weight.	13
8. Golden (Syrian) Hamster	Known for their golden-brown coat, they are solitary and need to live alone.	1
9. Long-Tailed Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus longicaudatus)	Known for having a longer tail compared to other hamster species.	11
10. Greater Long-Tailed Hamster (Tscherskia triton)	Their diet is more omnivorous than other hamster species.	15
11. Turkish Hamster (Mesocricetus brandti)	These hamsters can swim and climb trees.	16
12. Romanian Hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni)	A relatively unknown species, they are believed to live in small, burrowed colonies.	17
13. Ciscaucasian Hamster (Mesocricetus raddei)	Mostly found in Georgia and Russia, very little is known about this species.	18
14. Chinese Striped Hamster (Cricetulus barabensis)	These hamsters have a characteristic dark stripe down their back.	10
15. Gansu Hamster (Cricetulus kamensis)	Found in China, this species is rarely studied.	12
16. Sokolov’s Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus sokolovi)	Named after the Russian zoologist who discovered them, very little is known about this species.	9
17. Ladak Hamster (Cricetulus alticola)	They live at high altitudes, making them unique among hamster species.	8
18. Desert Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)	Despite their small size, they can run over five miles in a single night.	6