Teddy Bear Help!!! [Archive]

BellaItalian

08-07-05, 07:09 PM 08-07-05

OK heres the deal I went to PETCO to purchase a new little Teddy Bear hamster! One problem I went to go look at them and there were not so little... These things were ENORMOUS I mean HUGE. When I was younger my friend had a teddy bear hamster and it was little. My question is... ARE TEDDY BEAR HAMSTERS SUPPOSE TO BE VERY VERY BIG??? Like alot bigger than other hamster? 2nd question: Are teddy bear hamsters really the nicest hamsters? Please reply thank you!

Bella

mfishman

08-07-05, 07:29 PM 08-07-05

1.yes teddy bear hamsters are supposed to be big. like 3 times bigger then dwarf. 2. yes teddy bear hamsters are really nice and easier to tame then moste hamsters.

mfishman

08-07-05, 07:31 PM 08-07-05

by the way another name for teddy bear hamsters are syrian hamsters

LuckyBunny888

08-07-05, 07:56 PM 08-07-05

Ive had better lucky with Black Bear hamsters as far as temperment goes. Ive never met one who wasnt friendly. My teddy is HUGE! Much bigger than my others. Males tend to be larger than the girls, the one you saw could have been a male.

o0sapphirerat0o

08-07-05, 08:14 PM 08-07-05

ALL of the bigger hamsters (panda bear, banded, cream, long haired, etc...etc... are JUST syrian hamsters!). Yes they get BIG, they need LARGE cages, and no, they aren't always the nicest ones, just because they are "black bears" doesn't mean they will be nice. I have one that will turn around and rip your finger off if she could ;)

Stormy4022

08-07-05, 11:15 PM 08-07-05

I am glad you asked this question. I was told that our hamsters are teddy bear hamsters. I seen some teddy bear hamsters at the pet shop also and they were HUGE. I thought the lady at the pet shop didn't know what she was talking about calling those huge things teddy bear hamsters. The ones i saw in the pet store was like 4 times bigger then my 2.

LuckyBunny888

08-08-05, 07:18 PM 08-08-05

Fluff N Roll

08-08-05, 07:34 PM 08-08-05

Yea, I just met a black bear mama today who is NUTS! She grabed my bracelet at work today and chomped a piece out of it! Im just glad it wasnt my arm. Im just saying that black bears tend to be more friendly because they have been bred for their temperment.
These black bears that you are talking about lol are just syrains with a fancy name. I don't know where you have seen they have been bred for their temperment. But black bears, panda bears, creams, and every other one are just syrains. Then there are the dwarfs.
and know they are not always nice it just depends on there personality

LuckyBunny888

08-08-05, 08:11 PM 08-08-05

Yea, I got the info on one of the sheets they give you at almost every petstore. Im just saying, from experiance, they tend to be a little less nippy. When I have to clean cages in the morning, my blackies that we have all come towards my hand to be taken out. The other ones tend to be a little more skitish and some nip. And I know they are just another verson of Syrains, but so are other breeds. I prefer to call them black bears just because it gives them more personality. How would you like it if you were called a Syrian because you were from the same family as everyone else. Im just stating that they are an individual breed and they all have their own personalities.

Dash

08-08-05, 08:17 PM 08-08-05

teddybears,balck bears,honey bears,dalmations,fancy,polar bears(o_0)are all syrian hamster!!!!!!

yes they are bigger and every breed has different temperments although most syrians are more laid back and calm,not all but most.

LuckyBunny888

08-08-05, 08:20 PM 08-08-05

They have dalmation hamsters...? Hmmm I think I need to get me one of those if your serious lol.

niptuckcarver

08-08-05, 08:21 PM 08-08-05

i agree with luckybunny. its just like a poodle is a dog with a fancy name. it has gotten special features that make it a poodle though.

Chaos

08-09-05, 06:43 AM 08-09-05

Yea, I just met a black bear mama today who is NUTS! She grabed my bracelet at work today and chomped a piece out of it! Im just glad it wasnt my arm. Im just saying that black bears tend to be more friendly because they have been bred for their temperment.

Pet stores don't breed for temperament, they breed for money. ;) So you have the exact same chance of getting a mean "black bear" as a "teddy bear"

Now if you went to a breeder that bred black bears for temperament, thats different.

7GameSavvy

08-09-05, 09:12 AM 08-09-05

Ok, people I know this has been stated before but I feel I need to clarify.

Breeds of hamsters in captivity:
Syrian
Chinese Dwarf
Dzungarian Dwarf
Roborowski's Dwarf
Campbell's Russian Dwarf
Campbell's Winter White Russian Dwarf

Syrians are ALL at least twice the size of dwarfs depending on the dwarf breed you're comparing to (some are smaller).

Black Bears, Polar Bears, Teddy Bears, etc. are all fancy (and quite stupid in my opinion) names for different varieties of Syrian hamsters. They are NOT different breeds, simply different gentic mutations. For example,

Black Bear = Black Syrian hamster
Teddy Bear = Long Haired Syrian hamster
Dalmation = Dominant Spot Syrian hamster

Syrians are a breed of hamster just like Poodles are a breed of dog. But you wouldn't say a black poodle is an entirely different breed then a white poodle.

Whoever breeds the hamsters descides what they are breeding for. So LuckyBunny888 if you noticed that the Black Syrians at the pet store are overly friendly it might be that they are breeding for tempermant or it might be that they just lucked out breeding nice black syrians to nice black syrians. It also might be how much you handle them.

Syrians are also all relatively around the same size (males being a little larger then females) if a long haired (not teddy bear) seems rather large they might be breeding for the larger size or it might just be all the hair. I have a long haired syrian who seems really big but when you pick him up he is rather small.

Hope that cleared some things up, sorry the post was so long!!!lol:) Oh, and could we please call syrians by their appropriate name according to color, coat pattern, and coat type??? Thanks!!!:D

Savvy

LuckyBunny888

08-09-05, 06:48 PM 08-09-05

Very well stated. The breeding for temperment thing makes sense now too. Thats what I did with mine which makes sense as to why the babies were all sweet hearts in each litter. Also the ones at the petstore, I handle all the time (every one else is afraid of them...how ironic that they are working in a pet store.) So there really are dalmation hammies? Could u post a pict of one?!?!

BellaItalian

08-10-05, 10:45 AM 08-10-05

Thanks for all the help. Today I am going to look at the new shipments PetCo got in, and hopefully purchase a Long Haired Syrian Hamster. Again thanks for all the help, I will post pics if I get it today ;) .

Bella

Chaos

08-10-05, 03:24 PM 08-10-05

I saw a pic of a dalmatian hamster on AAA Hamstery, but the site is down for now. I'll see if they still have the pic as soon as its up.

LuckyBunny888

08-10-05, 07:28 PM 08-10-05

Thanks much, I cant wait to see what one looks like!

Chaos

08-10-05, 07:30 PM 08-10-05

"Dalmatian" Dominant Spot hamsters.

http://www.geocities.com/aaahamsters/FreckSpeck1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/aaahamsters/BlackdsS.jpg

BellaItalian

08-10-05, 09:13 PM 08-10-05

I just purchased my hamster today and yes I got it from PetCo and it looks like the Dalmation, white with grey splotches.. On the cage it was in, it specified as only a female teddy bear hamster... How will i be able to tell?

Bella

Dreamincolr

08-10-05, 09:28 PM 08-10-05

tell what?

Tytykid33

08-11-05, 05:45 AM 08-11-05

I heard teddy bear hamsters are supposed to be huge.

7GameSavvy

08-11-05, 08:15 AM 08-11-05

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TEDDY BEAR HAMSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

Bella, if the cage said "Teddy Bear Hamster" they are just trying to get you to buy it by making the ham sound all cute like a teddy bear. If it looks like the ones that Chaos posted then you have a Dominant Spot Syrian hamster.:)

Savvy

BellaItalian

08-11-05, 10:14 AM 08-11-05

Ok thank you 7gamesavvy, but the cage at PetCo only said Teddy Bear (female). I agree with you though, I am 100% sure your right because the people at PetCo know nothing! Oh, Dreamincolr I was asking how you would know if it was a Dominant
Spot Teddy bear.. I mean Syrian Hamster :p Well thanks a bunch!

Bella ( o my name is Claire lol at first I didnt know who you were talking about when you said bella, it is just a nickname )

7GameSavvy

08-11-05, 04:31 PM 08-11-05

Ok Claire:)lol

Names like Teddy Bear and Dalmation were just made up to make hamsters more appealing to some people. I think it's really stupid, especially with all the stereotypes (sp?) that go with them, like size and temperment.

It's like when people advertise that they have "tea cup" or "royal" Poodles. When really they just have Poodles that are too small ("tea cup") or too large ("royal") to be registered because they're not to breed standard. I'm against the whole Poodle thing because I have one.:)lol I think their hair cuts are absolutely rediculous too, their over dramatized for show and it's dumb.

Sorry for the rant, stupid people frustrate me. But glad I could help!!!!lol:D

Savvy