| British Hamster Association Standards September 2002 Feature Heads (Dwarves) [Scroll down for judging.] | This month's feature has to do with the shape of the hamster's head and how it is set into the body. Head shape is judged within the Type category which accounts for 25 of the possible 100 show points. Campbell's "The build should be broad and cobby, with the head set well into the body. The head should be broad and short with a blunt nose ." You aim for the same characteristics in the Campbells head that you do in the Syrian head. "Broad and short" points a breeder toward a wide head structure with wide-set ears and a blunt nose.  | This Syrian photo shows the best way to evaluate head proportions for both Dwarves and Syrians. A line drawn from ear to ear (nearest point of each) should ideally be the same length as a line drawn from the center of the first line down to the top of the nose. (Used by permission of Lorraine Hill.) |  | Note the blunt nose and short head on this hamster. Although his head is not perfect and can be improved upon, he does have a better head than average when judged to the standard. | | This is another view of the same hamster. Again you can see the short, wide head with the width between his ears. Note also the wide and blunt nose and the fullness to his face and cheeks. He has a nice overall head. |  |  | This little fellow's head would score poorly. Note how long and narrow the head is. The nose is clearly pointed instead of blunt and full, and the ears are close together instead of wide-set. You certainly would not consider this head "broad and short" as the standard requires. | | This little adult has a head similar to the one above. Her entire body has the long and lean look (indicating poor overall type). The head is just an extension of this. She has a long and narrow head structure with a long, pointy nose. Additionally, her pattern (a poorly marked mottled) only accentuates the longness of her head. |  | | (Click here for the Syrian head page.) That's it! Now go take some pictures of your favorite "best head" hamsters, and upload them to the BHA Standards Photo Gallery. (Photo tip: try for two views - one profile and one straight on.) No camera? Surf the web for photos of hamsters with great heads, 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 hamsters entered per member per month please. Multiple photos for each are fine, if needed. Questions? Post to the BHA Standards Message Board. Remember - enjoy your hamsters, and... | 
| Have your Standards! | Linda and Jan | | Judge's Page by Linda Price | We use the same general criteria in judging syrian and dwarf heads even though the exact size and shape are a bit different. These are the general criteria: 1. The broadness of the head
2. The bluntness of the head
3. The fullness of the face
4. The proportionate size of the head to the body size Any deviations on any of these criteria would result in deductions in the type score. The type score is 25 out of the total 100 points for scoring a hamster. Remember that we are only looking at the head portion of type this month and will look at the body portion of type next month. A judge would view them both together in determining the overall type score. Before discussing the winners, I want to give the overall impression of this group. In general, the heads for both dwarves and syrians were too narrow. It was most evident in the width between the ears on the hamsters. Also, many of the faces were pointed without the fullness in the muzzle giving a rat-like nose. Additionally, the overall fullness in the head was also often lacking and was particularly noticeable in the eye-set on many of the hamsters. These are the same weaknesses I see on the show bench in California and which I strive to improve upon in my own animals. This should be one of the key criteria that we each evaluate when choosing animals for breeding. Through selection, we can improve the heads in our animals. |  | Ivan is the winner for the dwarves. Although this picture is perhaps not the most flattering, you can see good width between his ears, a fullness to his face, and a bluntness to his head and nose. One of his strengths over Eddie (below) is the size of his head in proportion to his body. It is "chunkier" and matches well with his body. |  | Eddie is our first runner-up. Eddie's head is probably a bit shorter and wider than Ivan's, but the head seems a bit "dainty" in proportion to his body. His body is quite large and demands a good, large head to match. He may be young, so his proportions may improve with age. |  | This Pure Normal deserves honorable mention. These three stood above the others in the contest. You can see that he has good width between the ears and fullness to the face. He doesn't have the shortness to his head that Eddie does, but he has a good head. With the right mate, his babies could have strong heads. | Congratulations to our winners! |
