Boxed In
Posted by Lea on March 23, 2004
Q: My son just got a white hamster. Its skin is pink and its eyes are pink. Is this an albino hamster? If so is this rare? The people at the pet shop didn't say anything about it and I didn't notice the pink eyes until we had gotten home. If it is an albino, is there anything special we need to do for it? Thank you.
A: Yes, it sounds like an albino. Breeders know that people like all-white animals and often put real effort into producing albino pets. If there is no pigment at all on your hamster, it's a pure albino - the pink you see on its iris is actually blood that is not masked by pigment. There are albino animals in the wild from time to time but these are usually weeded out rather quickly as they are not as well adapted; certainly predators find them more easily (they don't blend in well). However, there are many cases where an albino deer, squirrel, American Robin etc. lives well into adulthood. I live in upstate New York and there is a White-tailed Deer population within a huge fenced-in army area that is mostly albino or partially albino (granted, this is a rather isolated area). Keep in mind that albinos are more sensitive to light so keep your hamster in an area with subdued light, certainly no direct sunlight. Enjoy!
John Wiessinger ( March 23, 2004)