| Hamster Agouti Colors |
| There are many hamster colors derived from single mutations and from combinations of mutations. This page shows all varieties I breed for that are AGOUTI. This means that they have different color bands on each hair and they usually have ivory bellies, light crescents and dark cheekflashes (these last three characteristics are often hidden by patterning genes and are therefore unreliable marks). |
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| Golden A golden hamster is wildtype for all color modifiers. A golden's color may be very light or very dark but usually looks more brown or even red than it does gold. A golden hamster may come in any pattern or hair type as described on the previous pages. The golden color is generally uneffected by patterning genes, but will look very glossy and more vibrant with satin and will be faded and more gray with long hair. |
| Umbrous Golden U_ (Uu or UU) without any other color mutations causes an umbrous golden. There is no difference between the Uu and the UU version. Umbrous causes a sooty shadow to be cast over the entire hamster. White patterned regions are not affected. Umbrous usually does not effect the area encircling the eyes. I have encountered two types of umbrous. One is a very dark umbrous which looks like a funny golden-sable, and the other version is a very subtle umbrous which looks like a smoked golden. The best I can figure is that there are dominant modifiers to the umbrous. For more information about this, please email me. I prefer the very dark umbrous and I do not have any pictures of the subtle umbrous because it is so light it does not look any different from a normal golden in photos. Umbrous golden may be combined with any coat pattern or type. Resulting hamsters have no special surprises to look out for. |
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| Name: Fivel Birthday: 3/6/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Solid Coloring: Golden Notes: This picture is added to show the diluted gray appearance of a long hair golden. (Also Aa) |
| Name: Corona Birthday: 10/31/02 Type:Short Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Golden Notes: This is a picture of a rather darkish golden. She could be darker than normal because she is carrying black... |
| Name: Unnamed Birthday: 6/24/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Umbrous Golden Notes: This picture is added to show that umbrous does not affect the white band and also shows the very dark umbrous I described. (also Aa) |
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| Name: Unnamed Birthday: 7/30/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Imperial/Solid Coloring: Umbrous Golden Notes: This picture shows the difference in the underside of an imperial and a solid umbrous golden. They are litter mates at 3 weeks. |
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| Cinnamon/Umbrous Cinnamon p, the recessive pink eye mutation causes dilution of black and slight diliution of orange in the coat. The name given to the resulting color is cinnamon (pp). The undercoat remains a slate gray. The eyes are glass-red to ruby. ppU_ is the combination of cinnamon and umbrous. This causes a slightly darkish cinnamon and is not very striking. Sometimes umbrous cinnamons will have dark eyes that look almost black as adults. Cinnamon is not a particularly attractive or popular color in and of itself, but it is very useful in creating lots of other coat colors when it is combinded with other mutations. Cinnamon may be combined with any coat type or pattern with predictable results. Satin makes the cinnamon color much more orange almost rust-red. Special note about cinnamon: There are only two genes in hamsters that cause red eyes, cinnamon pp is the more comon of the two. Acromelanic white cdcd is the other. Anopthalmic white (Wh) causes slight depigmentation of the eyes, but this cannot be accurately called red-eye. |
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| Name: Sprite Birthday: 11/22/02 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Cinnamon Notes: This is a picture of a normal cinnamon. Note the brightness of his eye. This is not far off from reallife. |
| Name: Unnamed Birthday: 7/30/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Imperial/Solid Coloring: Umbrous Cinnamon Notes: This picture shows the difference in the underside of an imperial and a solid umbrous cinnamon. They are litter mates at 3 weeks. |
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| Yellow/Umbrous Yellow To, the dominant sex linked yellow mutation, causes yellow in males (ToY) and homozygous females (ToTo). This is often indistinguisable from cream, especially in adolecent hamsters. Technically, a yellow is supposed to be ticked with black hairs and is considered agouti. (Cream is neither.) ToYU_/ToToU_ is the combination of yellow and umbrous. This causes a sooty cast over the yellow color. My umbrous yellows probably resemble what a regular yellow should look like. Yellow and umbrous yellow may be combined with any coat pattern or type. Spotting and anopthalmic white generally cause pure white hamsters when combined with yellow. Yellow is known to be effected by heterozygous cream. A yellow hamster carrying cream is much more creamy than a yellow hamster not carrying cream. Yellow is most useful and most known for creating tortoiseshell and calico females. Only females can be tortoiseshell or calico because they must have two X chromosomes, one To and one to to have patches of the different colors. More on calicos and tortoiseshells at the end of the tour. |
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| Name: Lemonade Birthday: 1/28/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Yellow Notes: This is a picture of creamy yellow. He is carrying cream which may contribute to his lack of ticking. I have noticed that he is more orangy than a cream and is getting darker with age. |
| Name: Eeyore Birthday: 6/22/03 Type: Short Hair Pattern: Solid Coloring: Umbrous Yellow Notes: This is a picture of what I expect is an umbrous yellow. He could possibly be just yellow, and will be bred to find out soon. |
| Honey ToYpp for a male or ToTopp for a female. Honey is the combination of yellow and cinnamon. Honey is a very bright but light inbetween of cinnamon and yellow. Honeys have very obvious agouti cheek crescents despite laking ticking. Honeys carrying cream are much more light and creamy. Honeys have dark red eyes that darken with age. The coat also tends to darken with age. Honey may be combined with any coat type or pattern. I have very little experience with these combinations, but expect satin, anopthalmic white and spotting to bring surprises. |
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| Name: Pooh Bear Birthday: 6/22/03 Type: Short Hair Pattern: Solid Coloring: Honey Notes: This is my beloved Pooh Bear, the only honey I have had the pleasure of meeting. Thus I do not know how exactly his color compares to other honeys. |
| Name: Pooh Bear Birthday: 6/22/03 Type: Short Hair Pattern: Solid Coloring: Honey Notes: This close up of Pooh's face shows the obvious cheek crescents and also you can see that his nose is white at the tip. |
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| Name: Goldie Birthday: 3/6/03 Type: Short Hair Pattern: Spotted Coloring: Yellow-Black Notes: For the purposes of this tour Goldie may as well be a spotted yellow. This is about the most spotting you should expect to see from a spotted yellow. Thus, spotted calicos are not very striking. |
| Name: Snowman Birthday: 3/6/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Spotted-Banded Coloring: Yellow-Black Notes: For the purposes of this tour, Snowman may as well be a spotted banded yellow. This is solid white appearance is what you should also expect from Whwh ToY/ Whwh ToTo. Thus Roan Calicos are also not striking. |
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| Light Gray Lglg is a dominant lethal mutation that causes most of the yellow pigment to be diluted out of the coat. It also causes diltution of black. Eye color is black A light gray hamster is a "light gray" base coat with light ticking of black, and black cheekflashes. Light Gray may be combined with any coat type or pattern. I have very little experience with these combinations, but I expect them to have predictable results. Light gray produces interesting combinations with cream, cinnamon, and sable (ivory, blonde and silver sable). |
| Name: Oliver Birthday: 7/28/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Light Gray Notes: Oliver is going to be test bred to a solid sable, a solid red eyed cream, and a sable tortoiseshell in the near future. I'm not sure that he is a light grey or if he is a pearl or some other combination of genes, we'll find out soon enough. |
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| Name: Oliver Birthday: 7/28/03 Type: Long Hair Pattern: Banded Coloring: Light Gray Notes: Oliver is going to be test bred to a solid sable, a solid red eyed cream, and a sable tortoiseshell in the near future. I'm not sure that he is a light grey or if he is a pearl or some other combination of genes, we'll find out soon enough. |
| Blonde Lglg and pp combined creates a new color: Blonde. The blonde hamster is a very light butterscotch color and has red eyes. The base coat is soft gray. Since light gray and cinnamon are both agouti colors, the combination is also an agouti color, although it may be difficult to see. Blonde may be combined with any coat type or pattern with fairly predictable results. |
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| I will have pictures of blondes soon, possibly by Christmas time. For now you can see a picture and learn more from The National Hamster Club. |
| Light Gray Pearl Lglg and To(To) combined creates a light gray pearl. The light gray pearl hamster is very light soft gray-cream color. It has black eyes. Since light gray and yellow are both agouti colors, the combination is also an agouti color, although it may be difficult to see. Light gray pearl may be combined with any coat type or pattern with fairly predictable results. Lglg Toto on a female creates a light gray tortoiseshell, see the tortie/calico page for more details. |
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| I will have pictures of Light gray Pearls soon, possibly by Christmas time. For now you can see a picture and learn more from Linda Price's Hamstery. |