I want to breed hamsters please help???

Question

I need to know about breeding hamsters...

Will you please help me???

Answer 1

Before you decide to breed a hamster, you should be prepared with a plan to deal with the litter when the hamster gives birth. Hamsters are known to give birth up to 18 babies per litter, although the average is 4-8 babies. You can give away the babies to good homes, or sell them to a respectable and responsible pet shop. If you decide to keep the babies, you should be prepared to buy cages and supplies before the babies are born. You should separate the hamsters into different cages after they are weaned to avoid fighting and health problems due to overcrowding.

Keep a chart that records and summarizies the breeding and birth. Only healthy hamsters with a good record of successful births should continue to be bred. Syrian hamsters can be bred at 2-3 months old, while dwarf hamsters can be introduced at 4-6 weeks old. A younger female can often be introduced to an older male, but not the other way round.

As hamsters are solitary animals, the female will not readily accept the male. Both must be introduced gradually and close supervision given. If the female is not ready to mate, she can be seen trying to turn the male onto his back by putting her nose under his belly. Then both hamsters must be separated.

Before mating, both hamsters will sniff each other and the female will stand quite still with her hind legs braced and her tail and ears erect when the male places his front paws on her back. Then mating will take place. For Syrian hamsters, the male should be separated from the female after mating. This is to prevent one or both of the parents from destroying the babies. For dwarf hamsters, the male can be retained in the cage as he can help to raise the litter. If you want to continue to breed the pair, do not remove the male when the litter is born, because you probably will not be able to introduce the pair again afterwards.

Here is more info-

Make a note of the date your hamsters mated because the gestation period usually takes only 16-21 days. Keep the female hamster well nourished, and add more proteins (such as carrots, nuts and chopped hard boiled egg) to her normal diet. High moisture food will also keep her milk supply good. The female should not be held much during this time, especially in the late stages of her pregnancy. Her cage should be cleaned 3 or 4 days before the litter is due, and she should have plenty of bedding to make a large nest.

You should separate the Syrian male hamster to prevent either one or both parents from killing the babies. The male Campbell Russian dwarf hamster need not be removed as he can help to raise the litter.

New born babies are born blind and hairless and the mother usually cover her babies. DO NOT TOUCH THE BABIES (known as pups). This changes the scent on the babies, and confuses the mother. She may not think they are her babies, and won't care for them properly — she might even eat the babies.

If your hamster does eat some of its young, don't be alarmed. If your hamster had a large litter, she may get rid of some of the babies because she can take better care of a smaller number. Your hamster might also eat its young because of the different conditions of domestication (as opposed to its life in the wild).

You should minimize photography and leave the cage alone. Make sure that the water bottle or water tray is near the pups and do not create stressful situations (e.g. inviting all your friends to see the baby or jumping about near the cage) that may upset the mother hamster. When the babies are around 10 days old, you can give them some finely chopped greens and other high moisture food.

The weaning age for the babies are about 3-4 weeks. At about the time a hamster is weaned, it is sexually mature, but should not be bred until optimum breeding age and weight are reached. Therefore, hamsters should be sexed and separated early, before their 35th day at the latest. (Hamsters have been known to breed as early as 28 dys.) Separation prevents brother-sister matings, and eliminates the possibility of fighting.

Hope this helps!!!!

Answer 2

Place a female and a male hamster together until the female born a couple of babies then you take the male out be shure to put tape and write male on it for the male or your gonna end of with dead baby hamsters

Answer 3

first off nicole should get a million thumbs down, she shouldn't be in this section if thats what she thinks. all animals are a treasure we are blessed with, we just need to be smart enough to be a blessing to them!!!

and lilly is completely right on everything except... even syrian hamsters... the males do not neccesarily have to be removed. it don't matter the breed as long as its just mom and dad the entire time, dad mostly will try to help raise the pups. however, there is the risk that it will happen if you decide to do this watch them closely. also, dad may hug the babies preventing proper care from mom.

also, if you plan to breed 2 females at once, do NOT leave them in the same cage as one litter will disappear.

but it is safe to keep 1 pregnant 1 not pregnant female in thesame cage, as she will help care for pups but again may hog the litter.

Answer 4

Some things I know about hamster breeding are you better research this topic for like a year and make sure you know your stuff! Especially when it comes to finding hamsters you can breed.

YOU MUST KNOW the EVERY hamsters background!! I cannot stress this enough. IT can cause horrible birth defects and even some hamster color patterns breed ed together can create EYELESS hamsters!

You must also commit to finding all hamster baby's a 'good' home , cause it only takes one person to lie and then feed the poor hammy to a snake or something. Are you willing to cage each hamster if no one takes them in? Esp if its Syrian hammys cause those kinds CANNOT stay together at all.

Think long and hard on this because threes already enough hammys in the world not being cared for ranging from all ages. Are you also willing to take care of all those EXPENSIVE vet bills if they get sick or something?

One last thing, I hope your an appropriate age or mature enough to take on this task and its not just a spontaneous thing you want to do cause baby hamsters are 'cute'

Answer 5

Do not breed hamsters. Are you like some little kid? There will be hundreds of rodents in your home! Gross.

Answer 6

I don't know but I would forget it because the mother eats some of her babies and I sure wouldn't want to watch that.

Answer 7

If you would like to breed hamsters and never have done b4 i would suggest you ask for expert advice next time you go into the pet store. Also if u are gonna breed them you would seriously have to keep a close eye on them and not take your eye of them as you should know hamsters fight wen together u will just need to be there ready to split them up if needed.

Answer 8

I would highly suggest stopping that.

Hamsters mate and them mate again IMMEDIATELY after the babies are born, and then IMMEDIATELY after those babies are born, etc. It will make the female weak and sick and shorten her life.

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?

Do you know both of their medical histories? Pet store hamsters should not be bred, as you don't know their family history with defects or injuries. The hamsters you have now may even be inbred.

If you got them from a breeder, call and ask the breeder's advice.

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.

How old is the female?

If she gives birth and decides she isn't ready, she will eat her babies.

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.

Hope it helps your decision. :]

Answer 9

these websites should help...

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

Answer 10

its best not to. my brother bought 2 girl hamster, and they had babies the babies had babies and all of them ate each other