| Breeding |
| I'm not a breeder myself, but I do know a little about baby hamsters since one of my hamsters gave birth a couple of years ago. Out of all mammals, hamsters have the shortest gestation period (and average of 16 days / 2 weeks). Female hamsters are ready to mate every four days when they are in their "heat." Mating two dwarf hamsters is easier than mating two syrian hamsters since syrian hamsters are solitary creatures. When I got my two Russian Dwarves, the female gave birth about two weeks later. I'm not sure if she was pregnant when i got her or if the other hamster impregnated her. I dont know much about telling the sex of hamsters and apparently the pet store didn't either :-P Hamster litters can be anywhere from 2 to 30 babies, seven babies being the average litter. If you are interested in breeding, the first thing you should do is to purchase at least another cage, one to put the male in (if they are syrian hamsters- in the case of dwarf hamsters, the male cas stay as he might help raise the pups.) You should also have at least two cages to put the babies in (one cage for males and one for females) after about 25 days after they have fully matured. When mating the hamsters it is VERY important to always mate the hamsters in the male's cage. Female hamsters aren't very welcoming when it comes to visitors in their territory. The hamsters might not hit it off at first, and if they start to fight, then separate them imediately. If mating is successful, the female should give birth about two weeks later. Before she give birth, it is very important that you put extra food, water, and nesting materials in the cage. You should also make sure that the water bottle is low enough for the babies to drink from. When the female does give birth, it is EXTREMELY important not to touch the babies and/or clean out the cage for at least 10 days after delivery. If the babies are touched, to female might not recognize their scent and she may very well resopond by eating her babies. |
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