| | The Normal to the right shows some ochre/orange color on the arches at the edge where the body fur meets the belly fur. It is not nearly as vibrant as the standard requires. | | | The Opal to the left lacks the ochre/orange color at the edge of the arches where the body fur meets the belly fur. At best, there is only a hint of color. Note also the lack of definition to his dorsal stripe. On his head, you can only see a hint of the stripe instead of the "soft dark grey stripe" required by the standard. His markings are too pale. | | Winter Whites The agouti markings on Winter Whites are similar to those on the Campbell's. One difference is the dorsal stripe. The dorsal stripe on a Winter White should be wider than that on a Campbells. Another difference is in the arches. The agouti Winter Whites have ticking in the area under the arches while the Campbell's do not. And the Winter White Normals and Sapphires do not have the ochre/orange color at the edge where the body fur meets the belly fur. Lastly, the arches are more clearly or easily defined on the Winter Whites. | | This Winter White is far better than the one below. You can see the distinct arches on his side. The ticking in the white area under the arches is even. You can also see his dorsal stripe. Note that the dorsal stripe is wider than that on the Campbell's dwarves. This is one of their distinguishing features. | | | This picture shows a Normal Winter White with poor markings. Note how dark he is. The ticking in the area under the arches is too heavy making the arches hard to distinguish. Even his dorsal stripe is hard to see with all of the other black. His markings are far too dark overall. | | Another hallmark of the Agouti hamster is hair banding. Classically, each hair has three distinct zones - the tip, the middle area and the section nearest the skin. This particular photo is of a Normal Campbell's dwarf. The Winter White agoutis have the same hair banding. Of course the color depends on the color of the animal. | | | | Dorsal Stripe | Color at Arch | Ticking under Arch | | Normal Campbell's | Dark brownish-black | Ochre/orange | No ticking | | Opal Campbell's | Soft dark grey | Ochre/orange | No ticking | | Argente Campbell's | Mid brown with greyish tone | No third color | No ticking | | Normal Winter White | Black | No third color | Lightly ticked with black | | Sapphire Winter White | Dark, smoky grey | No third color | Lightly ticked with blue-grey | That's it! Now go take some pictures of your favorite hamsters with the "best agouti markings", and upload them to the BHA Standards Photo Gallery. For Syrians, focus on the cheekflashes, crescents and ticking. For Dwarves, go for the scallops, dorsal line and ticking. No camera? Surf the web for photos of hamsters with great markings, and submit a link on the BHA Standards Links List. In your post be sure to indicate which hamster you're entering on the linked page in case there is more than one. If multiple people submit the same link, credit will go to the first. (No links to hamsters at AAA Hamsters, The River Road Hamstery or the California Hamster Association.) Only two entries per member per month please. Questions? Post to the BHA Standards Message Board. Remember - enjoy your hamsters, and... |
| Have your Standards! | |