Boy and Girl Dwarf Hamsters?

Question

Ok, right now I have a dwarf hamster girl and i'm thinking about getting a boy.. would they fight? and i've heard you have to seperate the cages from the father.. what about the mother? Should I keep her in a safe quiet spot?

Answer 1

There are several things to consider. First, be sure you get the same species. Dwarf hamsters will cross breed, and the cross bred animals have problems with diabetis.  Next, just because dwarfs are considered social animals and will sometimes live together peacefully does not mean they always will. Sometimes they fight just as aggressively as Syrians, especially if they have been in a cage alone and a new animal is introduced into their territory.  You also have to consider the age of your female. If she is older than 8 months and has never had babies, it will kill her to have a first litter at anything older than 9 months.  If she is older than about 14 months, she is sterile.  All female hamsters go sterile around that age.  Another consideration is are these breeding quality animals. There is a standard of perfection that breeders should meet in order to be bred, and most pet shop animals do not meet it and therefore should not be bred.  You also have to think about the background and health of a pet store animal. You never know if there are genetic issues that will be a problem. Finally, you have to have plans for what to do with the babies. A female will have babies every 3 weeks and will have from 2-18 in each litter.  Breeding also shortens the female's lifespan, so your pet will die younger if you breed her. If you want to raise hamsters, it is a wonderful hobby.  It's best to contact a reputable breeder and get a breeding quality pair of hamsters, and you must have an outlet for the babies before breeding.  The hamsters in focus yahoo group and hamsters galore are both really good sites for information, as well as the website for AAAHamstery in California.  She is the #1 hamster breeder in the country.