Breeding Hamsters?????

Question

I have a nice baby (11/2-2 month old) male white winter dwarf hamster. He is healthy and very sweet. I have read A LOT about breeding hamsters and know a lot now. I got him from a REALLY good pets plus in Pennsylvania (forgot what the city was called but my cous lives in it) that ALWAYS has nice healthy animals. I don't wanna breed for money just to have the cute little babies around and give them to my friends or keep some. I was going to ask if the pets plus or pet smart near me will take some too.

I have already read like 4 different websites, but any tips?

Answer 1

it is good that you've done a lot of research, but just remember how many baby hamsters you will have. if you do keep some, separate all the hamsters and let them have their own cage, or else they will fight a lot. remember to remove the father after he has mated with the female. but first, make sure you have a list of friends who want them, or else you will have too many hamsters with like 5 cages. good luck!

Answer 2

Good you've done some reasearch!

I used to breed hamsters when I was like 14 now I breed horses, It's a big step lol!

But I would wait till he is a full 2 months and make sure the female is around that age aswell, I know they are able to give birth from 4 weks old but I always waited just incase. Make sure the the cage is cleaned before her the day the female should be giving birth and don't touch the babies, if one dies gentley lift it out with a spoon that has been smeared in sawdust. If the male starts to show any aggression toward the babies take him out. Also I would seperate about 2 weeks on as hamsters can breed quickly and before you know it you have 100's of them. That was the mistake i made.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

It might be wise to call Pets Plus or Petsmart to see if they will take home bred hamsters.

Answer 4

Pet Store hamsters should never be bred.

They have often been inbred and that will show up in the babies as missing limbs, organs, or eyes.

Even if you say it comes from a REALLY good store, you should contact the store and ask to get the number for the breeder they use.

Contact the breeder and ask about mortality rate, and any possible defects in the line.

IF you insist:

Do you have a small animal vet and funding in case the pregnancy or birth goes wrong? Or if one severely injures the other?

Try and find a reputable breeder near you and get some of his better breeding stock for your litter(s).

Are you planning to keep the babies or adopt them out?

If you are planning on keeping them, you need to get enough living spaces for them- new cages, etc.

If you are going to adopt them out, you should have enough homes BEFORE the babies are conceived.

If she gives birth and decides she isn't ready, she will eat her babies. Same if she is too old. Anything over 4 months is too old to be bred for the first time, but younger than three can present problems.

The male needs to either not be housed with her during the pregnancy, or removed IMMEDIATELY after the babies are born, or he will impregnate her within minutes or hours or birth, that's how hamsters work.

Do you know enough not to try and change the bedding for a week or so after the babies are born, so as not to upset the mom? If they smell like humans, she will eat them.

That is a lot to think about and do research into.

You can contact breeders in your area and get some research done, using pet stores as base references.