The albino hamster is a very peculiar animal. Unlike other breeds of hamster such as the golden or the Chinese , the albino is a rare hamster. It is a characteristic that can affect several breeds of hamsters, but we do not call just any white hamster albino. We tell you all about them!
What is Albino Hamster
Albinism is a lack of pigment in the skin and hair that affects many different animal species. There are different types of hamsters that can have albinism, such as the Russian or the golden. Therefore, the albino hamster is not a breed as such, but a series of hamsters with this characteristic lack of pigment in their genetics.
Not all white hamsters are albinos! How to differentiate them? Albino hamsters have white hair, pink skin, and deep red eyes ; White hamsters sometimes are not quite white, but have yellowish or pale colored areas in their fur, in addition to having dark eyes.
Not too long ago we have known about the existence of albinism in hamsters. Albino golds were discovered in the 1950s, while no Russian albino was found until the 1980s . Not a century ago!
The eyes of the albino hamster
Also, don’t think that albinos are the only hamsters with red eyes, some that don’t have albinism also have red eyes. In general, the eyesight of hamsters is not very good, but it is not known if there is any difference between the vision ability of red-eyed and dark-eyed hamsters.
Did you know that some albino hamsters are born without eyes? Those with this congenital problem are known as anophthalmic white hamsters and unfortunately they have a fairly low life expectancy. They do not usually exceed a year of life, compared to the two or three years that hamsters live on average in general, according to the Hamster Society of the United Kingdom.
