All in all, they do look more ratlike. They are brown, with a dorsal stripe. The Chinese hamsters all have a dorsal stripe. The Campbells is brownish-grey in color, with a white belly. The Roborovsky is similar to the Campbells, but slightly darker, and has white patches above the eyes, resembling eyebrows.
Dwarf hamsters are much more sociable than the more common Syrian hamster.
They will live in pairs or small colonies and will friendly towards humans. The female is dominant and females will sometimes fight. Russian dwarfs are relatively easy to breed, Chinese somewhat less so. Generally their litters are small, 2-6 babies. The female goes into heat and can become pregnant immediately after giving birth.