Animal field guide
Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
Phodopus campbelli
Stretchy pouches inside each cheek reach back towards the shoulders and can hold a large load of seeds. Back at the burrow, this small steppe hamster empties them into an underground larder by pushing forward with its front paws.
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Get AnimalDexCampbell's Dwarf Hamster at a glance
Animal · Central Asia · Dry grass steppe · Relatively common
Known for: Dark stripe running along the middle of the back, Short, Densely furred soles of the feet, Rounded body about 7 to 10 centimetres long
Animal field guide
Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
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Stretchy pouches inside each cheek reach back towards the shoulders and can hold a large load of seeds. Back at the burrow, this small steppe hamster empties them into an underground larder by pushing forward with its front paws.
Native range
Natural range, not this capture location
Dry grass steppe, semi-desert and sandy plains with sparse vegetation in Mongolia, northern China and neighbouring parts of southern Siberia. It digs burrows in firm, well-drained soil, from lowland basins up into dry mountain valleys.
Search near meAnimalDex stats
Dominance
10
Speed
22
Size
5
Intelligence
32
Rarity
12%
Total
81
Size scale
STEP 2 · PROVE IT
STEP 3 · BATTLE & FUSE
Understand the animal
Understand the Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
Factual biology first: what this animal is like, where it lives, how it survives, and why those traits exist.
01
Introduction to Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
Stretchy pouches inside each cheek reach back towards the shoulders and can hold a large load of seeds. Back at the burrow, this small steppe hamster empties them into an underground larder by pushing forward with its front paws.
How to identify a Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
- Dark stripe running along the middle of the back
- Short, almost hidden tail
- Densely furred soles of the feet
- Rounded body about 7 to 10 centimetres long
- Grey-brown back separated from the pale belly by a wavy line
Why Campbell's Dwarf Hamster are interesting
- In captive studies, males have been seen helping at the birth, clearing the membranes from newborn pups.
- Its coat does not usually turn white in winter, staying grey-brown through the cold months.
- It stays active through the steppe winter instead of hibernating.
- Burrows can have several entrances and separate chambers for nesting and for waste.
- Both sexes carry a scent gland on the belly and mark the ground by rubbing it.
02
Adaptations and biological abilities
03
Why does Campbell's Dwarf Hamster behave this way?
- Dark stripe running along the middle of the back
- Short, almost hidden tail
- Densely furred soles of the feet
- Rounded body about 7 to 10 centimetres long
- Grey-brown back separated from the pale belly by a wavy line
Mostly nocturnal and crepuscular, emerging around dusk and foraging through the night. By day it sleeps in a nest chamber lined with grass inside its burrow.
04
Why Dry grass steppe?
Habitat: Dry grass steppe, semi-desert and sandy plains with sparse vegetation in Mongolia, northern China and neighbouring parts of southern Siberia. It digs burrows in firm, well-drained soil, from lowland basins up into dry mountain valleys.
Native range: Central Asia, East Asia
Native range
Natural range, not this specific capture location.
Dry grass steppe, semi-desert and sandy plains with sparse vegetation in Mongolia, northern China and neighbouring parts of southern Siberia. It digs burrows in firm, well-drained soil, from lowland basins up into dry mountain valleys.
05
Why this diet?
Mainly seeds of grasses and other steppe plants, with green shoots and insects in summer. It forages on the ground, sniffing out fallen seeds among the bases of grass clumps.
06
Activity, rest, and lifespan
Mostly nocturnal and crepuscular, emerging around dusk and foraging through the night. By day it sleeps in a nest chamber lined with grass inside its burrow.
About 1.5 to 2 years in captivity, occasionally 3; most wild individuals probably live less than a year.
07
Campbell's Dwarf Hamster reproduction
After a pregnancy of about 18 to 21 days the female gives birth to a litter of usually 4 to 8 blind, hairless young. The pups are weaned at about three weeks, and the female can mate again soon after giving birth.
The sexes look alike in colour and build; males have a longer gap between the anus and genital opening, which is how keepers tell them apart.
08
Predators, threats, and defense
Owls, hawks and falcons, foxes, polecats and weasels hunt it, and probably Pallas's cats too. It relies on its burrow, freezing when alarmed in the open and bolting for the nearest entrance.
09
Conservation and rarity
Rarity: Relatively common · 12/100. AnimalDex canonical rarity score: 12/100, maintained by the live indexed species profile.
- Observe from a respectful distance and avoid changing the animal's behavior.
- Do not block feeding, shelter, nesting, or travel routes.
- Use a live camera capture without handling or staging wildlife.
Speak to the animal
Speak to the Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
It answers as itself: ask about how it lives, or bring it something of yours and hear what it would do, from its own Power.
Anonymous: 3/day. Signed-in: 10/day. Pro: 100/day.
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Compare the Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
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Where to find them
Where to find Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
To find Campbell's Dwarf Hamster in the wild, focus on the exact habitat patches that match its body design and daily behavior, not just the broad country where it exists. You usually do better by working one good piece of habitat inside central Asia, East Asia than by covering too much ground.
- Rocky slopes, ridge lines, cliff ledges, or open mountain meadows with a wide view
- Open grassland edges, lightly wooded plains, or raised ground where you can scan long distances
- Water sources, dune bases, rocky wadis, or shaded scrub at first and last light
Scientific name
Phodopus campbelli
Category
Animal
Habitat
Dry grass steppe, semi-desert and sandy plains with sparse vegetation in Mongolia, northern China and neighbouring parts of southern Siberia. It digs burrows in firm, well-drained soil, from lowland basins up into dry mountain valleys.
Rarity
Relatively common · 12/100
Native range
Central Asia, East Asia
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