The European hamster Cricetus Cricetus is the biggest hamster in the world, standing one foot high on his haunches. His belly is black. He is very easily surprised... especially if he thinks a goblin is chasing him!
Common European hamsters live in Central Europe and West Asia. They love packing their pouches. They build deep, complex burrows with living rooms and special chambers for food storage, bathroom, bedroom and hibernation chamber. "Oh!" he says. "I hear a goblin!"
"Can't see any flying goblins...!"
"Where is the goblin? On the ground, you say..?"
"Hi there!" Casual hamster-style...
"Oh no, the goblin's back!"
Video: Common European Hamster Family
See how even baby hammies have varying personalities.
One is calm, the other won't stop pinging into that bush!
WISHING YOU ALL A WONDROUS WEEKEND!
Hugely cute and I think that dratted Goblin got at the video, it loaded and then wouldn't play so I shall have to try again*!*
ReplyDeleteSo sweet. Have a good weekend yourself, Gleds.
ReplyDeleteAwwwww...What a sweet face!!!
ReplyDeleteBimbimbie: that naughty goblin! The video is well worth watching. They're similar to the golden hamsters people keep as pets. Very similar. Just huge!
ReplyDeleteWelshcakes: cheers, and you :-)
InvisSed: They're v beautiful, aren't they. I think they're the prettiest of all rodents, by far!
A foot tall! God they're huge. Very cute although I'm not sure I'd want one wondering my house. (Oooh meant to say that British Cuisine being an oxymoron, I love kippers! Haven't had them for ages)
ReplyDeleteMy family on my Dad's side refuse to believe British food used to be crap - it's much better now than it was. But every foreign person I've ever met vouches for this!
ReplyDeleteYep the Common EuroHamster is the size of a big rat! They don't make v good pets, apparently, as they are too fierce and won't calm down.
Too interested in sitting on haunches, paws together in that fey pose, looking astonished as if the goblin bogeyman's coming to get them!
Now that's a freaking big hamster. Would it savage your ankle if you made it mad?
ReplyDeleteProbably. I was walking along the street with Valium Marilyn when three pugs rushed up to their garden gate and instead of going for us. "They're savaging each other!" I exclaimed in an unfortunately loud voice. The next door neighbour was pissing around on her doorstep (not literally) and laughed her head off. Then the owner came out and sternly reprimanded the pugs, who slinked inside.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't like to get savaged by one of those hamsters. Their teeth are no doubt enormous. And if they're anything like golden hamsters they can open their mouth to poisonous snake like dimensions of wideness for extra savaging power!
Anyway, I think they're more into savaging naughty goblins than people :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG so cute!! i love the markings on these buggers, and i especially love when they stand up.
ReplyDeleteSo thats what "pinging" is, basically sprinting fast? is this a word made up by you Gleds, or they actually call it A"pinging"
why dont u get one??
or a rat (ive been trying to get u to get a rat for ages) theyre so social and smart.
btw did u see the shout out for u on my blog? you are my oldest reader (besides my RL friends) its been what 4 years now lol
How adorable. His fur looks like mink.
ReplyDeleteJanice~
I didn't even kow that there are so big once. Anywy I love these little critters, they are sooo cute !
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you take one ?
Ooh what a handsome fellow! Pity it isn't a good pet..
ReplyDeleteWe are babysitting a friends at the moment... now ours is some small variety - I know nothing this is all my wife and daughters arena. Anyway I'm on the computer and the new one comes out and I turn around... it's a flipping rat!!! It is huge compared with ours - my daughter says it is normal sized (I doubt that) and ours is a dwarf... well I've never heard it sing one line of Hi Ho so I seriously doubt that
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ReplyDeleteSwedes: if you opened a packet and it popped open and a sweet went flying across the room, you could say it pinged but it's not standard dictionary British English, no, so I suppose it is an expression I've coined.
ReplyDeleteI would like to get a golden hamster. Dwarf hammies or pygmies like roborovskis are too small, considering a bloody great gap lies under my door!
So I think I will get a golden one, with wild markings, which are exactly the same as the Common EuroHammy, except a white not black belly and they're only 7" long, not 12" :-)
Pandable lived in a 30" wide x 18" deep x 12" front to back tank, which would just about fit in a rat. But I thought I'd need more space than I could give one. Currently I have a tank about 24"x12"x12", which would be just big enough for a hammy. And a hammy cage. Bit I will need a rat wheel for the little blighter to ping on, else he'll go crazy at night and irritatedly nibble the bars and keep me awake, the swine!
Janice: not as soft as mink, though. I heard hammy fur used to be used in coat linings, and have seen a British comedian wearing what does look like a genuine hammy fur coat, huhu!
Siberian dwarf hamsters really do have luxury soft fur, amazingly so. Softest fur I've ever felt. But they need cool temperatures in summer, else they can't cope. I let mine ramble about the freezer compartment in my fridge on August afternoons and they really liked it!
They have fur on the soles of their feet, because it's so chilly where they come from!
Gattina: yeah I might get a golden Syrian hamster which looks just the same but is half as long and white bellied and easier (so I hear) to tame...
Jams: most of what I heard said EuroHammies were too fierce to be household pets. I have also heard they can be tamed, but... I wouldn't want to be bitten by one. So I'd just get a normal golden hammy instead. They look almost the same but a pygmy version :-)
Furtheron: you can get dwarf hamsters. Russian or Siberian winter whites or Campbells hamsters are dwarfs and live in groups unlike Syrian golden hamsters who never share burrows in the wild. Roborovski hamsters are the tiniest at 2" long, then Russian hamsters, about 4", then Syrian "normal" hamsters about 7" then wild EuroHamsters, up to 12"
The photos are so cute, Gledds.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Dears! :-)
ReplyDeleteI.m so glad that hammie got away from the goblins! The European hammie is so sweet!
ReplyDeletegosh, they're very unusual. And sweet. And big!
ReplyDeleteJams: I think the poor hammy has goblins on the brain!!
ReplyDeleteLiz: enormous! They must be meerkat-sized at least.
They also, apparently, like swimming... which is most unhamsterlike..!
Really great photos. They are the most adorable critters.
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