# long haired syrians?



## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

Anyone have any experience of these? Been looking into them as I would quite like a Syrian hammy after my gerbils are gone and i'm quite smitten with the fluffy long coated ones!

Do they require a lot of grooming? (I'd imagine their back ends could get a bit messy)

Are they more susceptible to bad skin?

How easy are they to come across? I only ever see them on occasion in our local pet shop (not [email protected], never seen any in there actually) and tbh they would probably be able to find a breeder who has them, they are quite good in that respect


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Verbatim said:


> Anyone have any experience of these? Been looking into them as I would quite like a Syrian hammy after my gerbils are gone and i'm quite smitten with the fluffy long coated ones!
> 
> Do they require a lot of grooming? (I'd imagine their back ends could get a bit messy)
> 
> ...


I reckon easy to come across he gets loads at our pet shop.. he had a lovely grey one in the other week and he was really really hairy.. And our fred we used to trim the hair off at his back end.. lol so he didn't look like the end of a rug running about..lol I guess it helped him keep himself clean too.. 
Never had any skin probs with ours..


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

momentofmadness said:


> I reckon easy to come across he gets loads at our pet shop.. he had a lovely grey one in the other week and he was really really hairy.. And our fred we used to trim the hair off at his back end.. lol so he didn't look like the end of a rug running about..lol I guess it helped him keep himself clean too..
> Never had any skin probs with ours..


thanks 

that's a good idea to trim them, would probably do that!

Now that I think about it I have actually seen them fairly regularly in our local pet shop, I just don't look quite as much any more because it's too much of a temptation 

I love my gerbils to bits & I will probably have gerbils as well as the syrian but I would like something that's a little easier to handle, gerbils can be a bit jumpy and quick  I also miss buying all the funky hamster toys


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Verbatim said:


> thanks
> 
> that's a good idea to trim them, would probably do that!
> 
> ...


LOL There are a lot of kinda half coats about.. But I have seen a few.. (teddy bear) hamsters ...


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2010)

I had one called Winston..he lived until he was 3. 
The only issue we had was in his older age he used to get mats in his "bum hair" as we called it so we had to cut them out as he wouldnt sit still for a grooming.

He was amazing though, so friendly.


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

momentofmadness said:


> LOL There are a lot of kinda half coats about.. But I have seen a few.. (teddy bear) hamsters ...


yeah just been reading up on that, it's hard to come across a fully long coated one apparently  their coats are usually patchy or are more of a 'skirt' around the sides and back of the hammy..... I will find my full long coat though :thumbup: i really like the silver greys and the doves :thumbup:


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Verbatim said:


> yeah just been reading up on that, it's hard to come across a fully long coated one apparently  their coats are usually patchy or are more of a 'skirt' around the sides and back of the hammy..... I will find my full long coat though :thumbup: i really like the silver greys and the doves :thumbup:


Are you local to me? if so I will keep me out out in our pet shop.. he did have a really nice grey long coat and he was a propper hairy.. not a skirt hairy..lol and if he uses the same breeder then he will prob get another in..


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## MissusMayhem (Aug 14, 2010)

i had a long coated hammy and he was the cleanest one yet i didnt have to groom him he did all tht himself 
he was an escape artist though 
lucky for him back then i didnt have any dogs


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

lol

Fred with his skirt before the scissors came out.. LOL

RIP Fred.. xxx


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## Cat_Crazy (Jul 15, 2009)

My last hamster Bailey was longhaired, you do have to groom them a lot and they get sawdust tangled in there fur.

I ended up regularly trimming his hair meaning that there was no point having a long haired one.


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## feathers (Jul 21, 2010)

I remember when I umming and arring about whether to get a hamster I came across a black long haired beautiful little thing. It persuaded me, so I went off and got my Cambridge cage, headed back to the pet shop a week later and he was gone! So disappointed... I would have called him Ozzy. 

Anyway I ended up with Travis instead and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

I would say longhairs are a bit harder to find, but they are out there, and so cute and cuddly.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

ive got 4 long hairs 2 females and 2 males... even the males dont need much extra care to keep their fur nice i also just give the skirt a trim now and again, my males are both rescues one was a free to good home gumtree hammy and the other was in [email protected] adoption section and they are both gorgeous with the loveliest natures infact my lil Sonny is probably the sweetest friendliest hammy ive ever known!:001_wub: i cant believe someone discarded him but im so glad they did...

heres my boys ....Sonny top pic and Fable bottom...


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

awww Noushka they are beautiful! I love Fable's colouring!



momentofmadness said:


> Are you local to me? if so I will keep me out out in our pet shop.. he did have a really nice grey long coat and he was a propper hairy.. not a skirt hairy..lol and if he uses the same breeder then he will prob get another in..


I am near Blackburn in Lancashire so not that far away! Don't think my OH would approve of driving to Warrington though :lol: :lol: already driven to Cheshire and Leeds for my gerbils, i don't know if he would be happy about another epic journey :lol: :lol: thank you though!



Cat_Crazy said:


> My last hamster Bailey was longhaired, you do have to groom them a lot and they get sawdust tangled in there fur.
> 
> I ended up regularly trimming his hair meaning that there was no point having a long haired one.


yeah I did think that about the sawdust, i've started using shredded paper & hay for my gerbils so I will probably keep using that because it won't stick quite as much. I've read that Carefresh is one of the best things to keep a long haired Syrian on but it's too expensive for my liking!


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## nattymariax (Sep 1, 2010)

When i was in [email protected] in Bristol yesterday (driving past..couldn't help myself!) looking at the hammys there was one long haired white boy and another older almost identical one in the adoption bit! I've never seen one before and they were so lovely! I want:001_wub:


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## Myth (Apr 5, 2009)

Best thing I've found for my LH hams is carboard squares.
Ace manages to get everything else stuck in his fluff...
- even shredded loo roll bedding !! 

Bog handsome fluffy beast he is though.


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

Ash is long haired also - he has no trouble though, never gets much caught in his coat? he's cleaner than Ri also.

I used woodshavings and just have to pick them out the ends before taking him out of his cage


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Years ago I used to have hamsters, and had two long haired, the first was called SPG or Special Patrol Group (those who are fans of The Young Ones will understand that). I got her when she was about two and a half, my Dad worked at a home for naughty boys, and they no longer wanted her, she lived for another two years. The last hamster I had was Parsley, so called because she liked eating it, but really, she liked eating most things. Parsley was the tamest hamster I ever owned, she lived to a good age too, about 3 years, and used to come to her name. She weighed about 1/2 lb, and could fit a whole pecan nut in a pouch! 

So I would definitely recommend long haired syrians as a pet, they are lovely


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## nattymariax (Sep 1, 2010)

The two long haired syrians (white) are still in the Bristol Eastgate [email protected] adoption section! They are in seperate tanks but look identical and still quite young (teeny little white teeth)
if anyone is feeling a trip down to Briz and a new hammy....


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

Thank you for the info everyone 

Myth your hammy is beautiful! 

Think i've made up my mind, will deffo be a hairy syrian for me next time :thumbup:

now just to stop myself from having a peek at them in the pet shop, i've already mentally re-arranged my room to house a Hamster Heaven :lol:


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## CheekoAndCo (Jun 17, 2009)

I've got 3 LH. Phoebe is a short haired so I wasn't sure how likely the babies would be LH but the 2 I kept are long. About half the litter is long and other half is short. Love them LH so much! Don't find they need different bedding etc though.


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

CheekoAndCo said:


> I've got 3 LH. Phoebe is a short haired so I wasn't sure how likely the babies would be LH but the 2 I kept are long. About half the litter is long and other half is short. Love them LH so much! Don't find they need different bedding etc though.


Did the males tend to be more hairy? Thats what all the research i've done seems to suggest!

ooh I really want a hamster now :lol:


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## Myth (Apr 5, 2009)

Yes it's only the Males who get the really long coats.
Females don't get anything like the coat a LH male can.
(usually just some long 'bum fluff' and ear wisps)
Males can get VERY fluffy all over indeed !!


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

Myth said:


> Yes it's only the Males who get the really long coats.
> Females don't get anything like the coat a LH male can.
> (usually just some long 'bum fluff' and ear wisps)
> Males can get VERY fluffy all over indeed !!


good, that's the sort i'd like :lol: mega fluffy!

I like the Rex coated ones as well but they do seem hard to come across!


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## Myth (Apr 5, 2009)

There's actually more Rex about now (in this past year)
Well on the 'show scene' as it were there are anyhow. 

I have one myself who was an unexpected suprise. 
These recessive genes can hide for a good few generations.
:lol:

Must say thinking about it, I've never seen any Rex hams in pet shops.


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## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

My syrian Mr Chip is of the fluffy variety  he has a skirt  I find that he gets bits of bedding stuck to his botty so i pick it off and give him a brush, which he is a very good boy for now and actually sits still enough for me to brush him properly! :thumbup:


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## RAINYBOW (Aug 27, 2009)

Our syrian Lemony was fairly wooly, a toothbush is good for grooming if noone has mentioned it so far :thumbup:


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