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金丝熊 is easily available from local animal markets in my wife's home town. We asked the owners of different stores and they say it is not a mouse.

So what exactly is it, is it just a fancy name for a mouse or something else?

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Officially, it is "Mesocricetus auratus" (Golden hamster) (source1 source2). It belong to "仓鼠科", and it should a kind of "鼠类" in Chinese.

However, as not everybody is a biologist, and as the name for it is "金丝*熊*", it may not be treated as mouse in everyday life.

Another reason is that "鼠" does not carry a good meaning in Chinese. It is often related to "stealing" or something alike. So it may be avoided to name a kind pet animal. (However, we do have "仓鼠" for pets.)

btw: To be honest, I've never seen a real "金丝熊".

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  • These were spotted in 苏州的一个花鸟市场 so maybe a southern thing
    – going
    Commented Dec 22, 2011 at 9:58
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According to Baidu Baike, it's a Syrian Hamster or a Golden Hamster. I'd say it's safe to say it's a hamster.

Hope that helps!

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England had wartime food rationing until 1953, I think it was. We had a garden large enough to keep chickens, and we traded eggs with neighbours. A family who bred rabbits were part of my parents' circle of "We who get by, but only through hustling like crazy."

I remember when the Tories came back in and lifted the rationing "provisionally," and I resolved to go and buy as much chocolate as I could possibly scratch up the money for. I think it finally went away "in celebration of the Coronation" of Elizabeth II.

Anyway, mention of a not quite identifiable warm-blooded animal reminds me that one thing a war will do for you is get rid of all the rodents.

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  • Thanks for the nostalgic reminiscing. You say that "... one thing a war will do for you is get rid of all the rodents" Yes, and during peacetime, they, (the rodents), all become politicians and run the government.
    – Wayne Cheah
    Commented Nov 15 at 1:37
  • Wayne,I'm glad you liked it, but I can't say the same for yours: politics is an honourable calling, on which society depends for its functioning. A few politicians are very poor at what they do. Cynicism is a popular and powerful political position, but its results are always and everywhere harmful to our shared polity.
    – David Lloyd-Jones
    Commented Nov 16 at 2:25

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