Hamster Breeding

Remember my warning earlier about breeding hamsters? Are you going to be able to find homes for all of the babies (assuming that there are up to 20 in a litter always plan for contingencies)? If you are thinking that your local pet store will take them off your hands think again! A lot of pet stores already ha"e ready suppliers of hamsters from hamster breeders and will not take any more from other sources! #alk to them first before you embark on a breeding program for your hamsters! If you$re still keen on learning how to breed hamsters then read on!!! #he se% of adult hamsters is easy to determine! &ale ha"e "ery large prominent testicles! In fact owners unaccustomed to seeing them are often astonished at the anatomic peculiarites! &ale golden hamsters should be first bred when they are '( weeks old! )emales should be first bred when they are '0 weeks old! As the time of copulation approaches thin stringy cobweb-like mucus e%its the female$s "ul"a! #he female is then placed into the male$s cage about one hour before dark! #he pair must then be carefully obser"ed for mating acti"ity and*or fighting! )emales can be "ery aggressi"e to males in this situation and can harm them! #he male should be remo"ed at once if there is fighting! +ecause fighting is so likely aggressi"e males are best hand-mated! In these situations they are better able to defend themsel"es and ,hold their ground,! #he male should be remo"ed after mating! -regnancy lasts only '. '*2-'/ days! +efore deli"ery the female becomes restless and usually discharges a small amount of blood from her "ul"a! 0itters usually range from . to '0 pups! #he pups are born hairless with ears and eyes

closed! #hey do howe"er ha"e their front teeth (the incisors) at birth! )emale hamsters with young must be pro"ided with abundant nesting and bedding materials and plenty of food and water! #hey must not be disturbed in any way! #he young should not be touched or handled until they are at least 1 days old the nest should not be disturbed and the cage should not be cleaned during this period! )ailure to heed these cautions (especially with females nursing their first litters) most often results in cannibalism of the young! 2bser"ant owners may note an interesting maternal rearing acti"ity especially if the female with young is e%cited or disturbed! 3he will stuff pups into her cheek pouches and deposit them into the nest a short time later when she belie"es the danger has passed! 2ccasionally pups suffocate as a result of this acti"ity especially during lengthy period of disturbance! 4oung hamsters usually begin eating solid food at '0 days of age but are usually weaned at about 5 weeks of age! 3olid pelleted food must be soaked to soften it and be placed on or near floor le"el of the enclosure for easy access by the weanlings! As mentioned abo"e sipper tubes must be positioned low enough so that the smallest pups can reach them! 3ome pups will not be strong enough to e%tract water from sipper tubes so owners must be "igilant for this potential problem and pro"ide an alternati"e water source for them! Ooo - the babies are here - what now? 0et her nurse the babies till they are about 5 weeks old! 62 72# disturb the nest during this time as she may decide to turn on them and eat them! #he cage will smell during this time - that$s una"oidable any attempts to change the

bedding material would increase the likelihood of cannibalism so it$s best to 8ust lea"e it for the moment and put up with the smell! 3ometimes despite all this the female hamster will still cannibali9e her young this is common in female hamsters bred under ( months and in older females who will cull some babies to reduce the numbers in the litter! :ontinue with the high protein foods (other ideas are bread soaked in milk) during this time! At about 5 '*2 weeks of age the hamsters are ready to be se%ed and weaned - they are no longer reliant on their mum for nourishment! 4ou can keep them in 2 different bo%es*cages (all the male hamsters in ' cage and the females in another)! #hey can be kept in these groups for a further 2-5 weeks! In the meantime you can find new homes for them and they can go to their new owners at .-/ weeks of age! Breeding Pairs To Avoid
By Tammo & jennawing Any male will usually mate with any female, but that does not mean that its safe to mate the two. There are a few breeding pairings to avoid, and Ive highlighted some of them here.

Satin Coated:
You shouldnt mate 2 satin Syrian hamsters together. The result is supersatinisation, which means the babies will have very sparse fur, and if you breed supersatins, the result is almost hairless hamsters. There is evidence it can cause s in problems but Im not sure its been verified. If you have a satin hamster and wish to get satin babies, find a non!satin hamster, and you should get a mi"ture of non satin and satin babies, although sometimes you can get all satin babies or all non satin. #$% Satin &ampbells do not have this problem and 2 satin &ampbells can safely be mated.

White bellied:
#ever mate 2 white!bellied hamsters together as there is a large chance they carry the 'white!bellied gene, also nown as the eyeless white gene. This combination produces eyeless whites, which will either have very poorly formed eyes or no eyes at all. All hamsters carrying this gene have white belly fur, but not A(( hamsters with white belly fur actually carry the gene. This means it is hard to separate carriers of the gene from non!carriers. All banded and spotted hamsters have white belly fur, so unless you are )**+ certain they do not carry the eyeless gene, you should mate them to a plain coloured hamster with normal coloured belly fur. A(( roan hamsters are carriers of the

gene, so never mate a roan to a roan under any circumstances. &arriers of the gene can be identified by their eyes, which shine with a bright!red glint when a strong light is shone into them. If you have any doubt as to whether your pair carry the gene or not, play it safe and dont mate them. The same applies to mottled campbells.

Kinked tails:
,o not mate any hamster with a deformity it was born with. -.g.% in ed tail. .You can feel a in ed tail by running your thumb and finger down the tail. /in ed tails are often found in ,ar grey, lilac, and smo e pearl hamsters. /in ed tails wont actually affect your hamster during its life, but if you breed the hamster, over time, its offspring could develop congenital spinal problems.

Bad parents:
If a hamster has proven to be a recurring bad mother if is not the best idea to breed her again. She may pass on this trait to her babies and it is obviously not something to be desired. It is common for the mother to ill some young if she is stressed, disturbed or feels unwell enough to care for the litter. Also she may ill a sic ly or deformed baby. $ut if she does it for no reason at all it is best to not breed from her again.

jennawing's advice on breeding hairless hamsters

In order to get a new litter of hairless hamsters, a breeder must first breed a hairless male with a haired female. The females of those litters will carry the hairless gene and when bred with another hairless male, some of the litter will be hairless. The same genetic mutation that causes the lac of hair also effects other aspects of the epidermis! namely the mammary glands! where the mil is produced. 0emale hairless should #-1-2 be bred, as they cannot produce mil to feed their young. Ta e care never to put a hairless female in contact with any male hamster. If you see hairless hamsters in mi"ed!gender cages at a pet store, e"plain to the store!wor ers the importance of eeping them separated. Any hamster bred with a hairless father will carry the hairless gene so care should be ta en that these hamsters are not bred un nowingly or if further hairless generations are not the intended desire. The new owners of any haired offspring of a hairless hamster should be told and made to understand that their hamster carries the hairless gene.

Did you know that eye colors vary depeding on the color???
3ere are the eye colors of each hamster color% Albino% 4in !eyed $londe%$lac !eyed 2ed!eyed &armel,&hocolate,&innamon,&ream%$lac !eyed 2uby!eyed 2ed!eyed

0awn%2uby!eyed 3oney%Amber Ivory%$lac !eyed 5hite%$alc !eyed

amster Breeds

amster can be !o"nd in an# pet shops nowada#s$ !ive species are sold as pets altho"gh there are more species in the wild% The most common hamster is the S#rian amster$ e&perts sa# the S#rian is the hamster to get !or a #o"nger child% Beca"se o! its larger si'e$ it is less likel# to be inj"red b# accidentall# s("ee'ing%

)war! Campbell *"ssian hamsters is smaller then S#rian$ and more social%

)war! Winter White hamsters change color in cold weather to a shade o! white$ the# are slightl# smaller then )war! Campbell *"ssian%

The smallest hamster is the *oborovski% These tin# creat"res are ver# !ast on their !eet

and ver# entertaining% The# live longer too%

+ast b"t not the least$ is the Chinese hamster$ which has a ver# sweet temperament and will rarel# bite%

Different Hamster Breeds

Although there are many breeds of hamsters, the 5 most common domesticated species are the Syrian hamster, Dwarf Campbell Russian hamster, Chinese hamster, Roborovskii hamster and the winter white Russian hamster. he following figures are taken from he alt.pets.hamsters !A" and shows the appro#imated lengths

that each breed can grow to. Campbell Russian $%&'%(cm) Chinese $female* %&cm, male* %(cm) Common+,uropean $female* (('(5cm, male* (-'.(cm) ,versmann/s $%0.0cm) 1olden+Syrian,!ancy, eddy 2ear $%5'%3cm) 4ongtailed $%0cm) 5igratory $%..5cm) 5ouse'like $%0.5cm) Rat hamster $(0cm) Roborovskii $6'5cm) Rummanian $varies) Striped $%.cm) ibetan $varies) 7inter 7hite Russian+Siberian+D8ungarian $female* 3cm, male* %&cm)

Breeding Hamster - how to breed hamsters

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Remember my warning earlier about breeding hamsters? Are you going to be able to find homes for all of the babies (assuming that there are up to 20 in a litter always plan for contingencies)? If you are thinking that your local pet store will take them off your hands think again! A lot of pet stores already ha"e ready suppliers of hamsters from hamster breeders and will not take any more from other sources! #alk to them first before you embark on a breeding program for your hamsters! If you$re still keen on learning how to breed hamsters then read on!!! Which hamsters do I breed from? 4ou generally would breed hamsters according to their specific breed ie +reeding only 3yrian hamsters or breeding only :hinese hamsters! It is not ad"isable to breed hamsters of different breed types! If you$"e got a friend who has a hamster of the same breed of the opposite se% you can arrange with him*her to breed your hamsters and then share the load of ha"ing to find homes for the young! #his is the case for breeding 3yrian hamsters as they are more often than not kept in isolation! 6warf hamsters are different in that they are sociable and can li"e in social groups so long as they are introduced to each other after weaning and they $grow up$ together! If you ha"e a cage of dwarf hamsters (who are not of the same se%) they will start to breed when they are ready - and they generally will pretty much $self regulate$ their breeding pattern and fre;uency and you 8ust ha"e to $watch$ it unfold!

What's the best age to start breeding hamsters? <enerally for female hamsters the ideal age to start breeding is at (-/ months - any younger and you would risk her ha"ing a poor litter (she has still to grow herself) and also increase the likelihood of cannibalism! 0ea"e it any longer than / months and you run the risk of birth complications! )or male hamsters they are se%ually acti"e from as young as / weeks of age but it$s probably best to lea"e them alone till they$re about 2-5 months old before contemplating breeding from them! 6warf hamsters kept together will start breeding at 2-5 months of age! How often can I breed my female hamster? =hilst you can 8ust keep her breeding litter after litter this will greatly shorten her lifespan! It$s best to wait about 5-( months before you breed her again! #his will gi"e her body time to $recuperate$ and put her in a better condition come mating time! If you stick to this regime it will mean that you will probably get 2 litters out of any one breeding female hamster as they often become sterile when they turn '( months old! 3ometimes you can get a third litter from a female but this is the e%ception rather than the rule! 3trangely enough this is the self same pattern that dwarf hamsters will adhere to e"en though they ha"e $free rein$ as to how often they mate and produce offspring! 2-5 litters per breeding female is the norm for dwarf hamsters kept as mating pairs! Breeding Syrian hamsters +ecause 3yrian hamsters are kept in isolation you usually ha"e to play $matchmaker$ when it comes to breeding fri"olities! )emale hamsters come into $season$ once e"ery ( days (ie they o"ulate during that time) and it$s only when they are in season that they are $recepti"e$ to the ad"ances of the male hamster! Any other times fighting would ine"itably occur! How do I know when my female hamster is ready to breed ie in season? <i"en that they will go into season once e"ery ( days if you get it wrong the first time there$s always the ne%t time! <enerally the female hamster will emit a musky odor 8ust before she comes into season and ine"itably it$s always around e"ening time that the $oestrus period$ (time when she$s fertile and accepting of the male) starts and it lasts for anywhere between ( and '> hours! It is during this $window of opportunity$ that she will be recepti"e to the male so breeding them has to take place then! After the female hamsters finish their season there is a thick white mucous discharge that is e%creted from their "aginas! 0ess e%perienced hamster breeders will then take that as a starting point count another 5 days after that and then try for a breeding encounter (anticipating the ne%t oestrous cycle ( days later)! If the weather is cool (ie winter) most hamsters will not breed! #he other tell-tale sign that she is in season is that when you stroke her back towards her tail she will free9e on the spot flatten out and lift her tail! The hamster breeding protocol 2kay you$"e established that the female hamster is ready for breeding what now? 4ou ha"e 2 choices - you can put her in the male$s cage or take them both out and

put them in a separate breeding bo% (neutral territory)! =ear protecti"e glo"es ha"e an ob8ect ready to separate them if any fighting ensues - they often aren$t "ery selecti"e about who they nip and will nip you in your efforts to separate them if they choose not to breed! If you$"e picked the right time the female will $free9e$ with her tail in the air and allow the male hamster to mate with her a few times! ?eep them together for anywhere between '. minutes to an hour - when they start to lose interest in the mating ritual then it$s time to separate them! @irgin males can be a bit confused initially and may turn the female hamster off by mounting her from all directions but they will soon learn $on the 8ob$! +reeding is generally more successful when both male and female hamsters ha"e had pre"ious mating encounters! How can I tell if the mating has been s ccessf l ie that the female hamster is pregnant? If the female doesn$t come into season again ( days later she$s regarded as being pregnant! <i"en that the babies only stay in her for '/ days '0 days after the mating she will start to become decidedly pregnant - her abdomen will swell (no she$s not getting fat) and her nipples will start to become more pronounced! What do I do after the mating? 4ou return both hamsters to their respecti"e cages! )emale hamsters will need e%tra food during the pregnancy! Aigh protein foods like tofu boiled egg wheat germ (to aid in birthing) can be added to the diet! 3he can still be handled but it$s best to lea"e her alone when it$s closer to the e%pected birth date! :lean out her cage at day '( and take out the e%ercise wheel pro"ide her with e%tra nesting material (eg shredded paper)! #hen put her cage in a warm ;uiet spot with as little disturbance as possible and wait!!! Ooo - the babies are here - what now? 0et her nurse the babies till they are about 5 weeks old! 62 72# disturb the nest during this time as she may decide to turn on them and eat them! #he cage will smell during this time - that$s una"oidable any attempts to change the bedding material would increase the likelihood of cannibalism so it$s best to 8ust lea"e it for the moment and put up with the smell! 3ometimes despite all this the female hamster will still cannibali9e her young this is common in female hamsters bred under ( months and in older females who will cull some babies to reduce the numbers in the litter! :ontinue with the high protein foods (other ideas are bread soaked in milk) during this time! At about 5 '*2 weeks of age the hamsters are ready to be se%ed and weaned - they are no longer reliant on their mum for nourishment! 4ou can keep them in 2 different bo%es*cages (all the male hamsters in ' cage and the females in another)! #hey can be kept in these groups for a further 2-5 weeks! In the meantime you can find new homes for them and they can go to their new owners at .-/ weeks of age!

Hamster Illnesses and Diseases - common ailments

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#his section will run through the common hamster illnesses and diseases that affect the pet hamster! It$s meant to be an information section only if your pet hamster is "isibly sick or ill please "isit your local "et and ha"e it attended to! Aamsters are little creatures that can get "ery sick rapidly and as with most diseases with any animals the earlier you catch it and start treatment the better the chances are that your hamster will make a full reco"ery! As mentioned before hamsters don$t ha"e a "ery long life span (sad I know) but the 8oys that they will bring in their short little li"es with you is worth the pain at the end when it comes time to say $good bye$! Hamster illnesses and diseases - digesti!e problems Wet tail - this is a bacterial infection of the gut resulting in diarrhoea! #he diarrhoea is se"ere and droppings are pale "ery mushy and may or may not contain mucus! It is called wet tail because the diarrhoea is so se"ere that the tail and anal area of the hamster is often dirty and $wet$! Affected hamsters are lethargic hunched up and are often in pain! #his is an emergency situation as affected hamsters can get dehydrated "ery ;uickly - it is therefore "ital that at the first onset of signs "eterinary treatment is sought immediately! =et tail is often precipitated by stress which is why it is often seen in hamsters who ha"e 8ust been weaned ("ery stressful for them) and many owners who ha"e 8ust ac;uired their new pet hamsters from the pet store would encounter wet tail as a disease! It is highly infectious and any e;uipment that the sick hamster has had contact with should be disinfected thoroughly and left for a period of a few weeks before allowing another hamster to use it! Salmonellosis - this is the same organism that can (and will) affect humans so be warned! Aamsters by and large ac;uire it by eating food contaminated with the 3almonella bacteria! #herefore it is best that you wash your "egetables and fruits well before you feed it to your hamsters and to practice common sense hygiene precautions eg washing your hands after playing with your hamsters cleaning their cage out etc!!!#he problem with 3almonellosis is that your newly ac;uired pet hamster could "ery ha"e the disease but isn$t showing signs of it so hygiene measures are your best protection! Aamsters with this illness can suffer from sudden death (ie you wake up and find them dead) or they can suffer a chronic wasting disease where they 8ust seem to lose weight and fail to thri"e! Tapeworms - this disease is ;uite common in hamsters although they may not ha"e many symptoms! 2wners usually only find out when they see the worm segments in the droppings or on the hamster$s anus! Aea"y infestations can cause weight loss but this is rare! #here ha"e been instances where owners ha"e inad"ertently ac;uired tapeworm infections from their pet hamsters (usually kids as they aren$t "ery particular about hygiene)! A trip to the "et (and the doctor) would sol"e the problem ;uicksmart!

Hamster illnesses and diseases - cancers :ancers are ;uite common as a disease in hamsters - anything that has such a short lifespan is prone to cancers! #here seems to be a higher pre"alence of cancers in female hamsters than male hamsters - but this is only because the female reproducti"e tract is often a site for cancers hence the skewed results! As with most cancers they can be benign or malignant! &alignant cancers are fast growing and ine"itably kill the affected hamsters with great rapidity! +enign cancers as their name implies are often slow growing and is not a death sentence per se! Aamsters

seem to be ;uite prone to getting many different types of benign cancers! #he most common cancers in hamsters are ones in"ol"ing they thyroid and adrenal glands! 3igns include hair loss and alterations in their beha"iour! 3kin tumors are also common in hamsters! =hilst surgery is an option most hamster owners will opt for euthanasia when the word $cancer$ surfaces whether the condition is benign or not! Hamster illnesses and diseases - skin problems umps and bumps - if you disco"er a lump on your hamster don$t 8ust leap to the conclusion that it$s cancer (it could be) more often than not it could be an abscess! Abscesses are usually caused by bite wounds from fighting! #hese often form hard painful lumps under the skin where the puncture wound has closed up! Aamsters can also get abscesses in their cheek pouches - these would$"e resulted from puncture wounds from food or bedding materials! If you suspect an abscess in your hamster you will need to take it into the "et to ha"e it drained and antibiotic therapy started! !ange - If you notice hair loss in your hamsters then it could ha"e mange! 6emodectic mange does affect some hamsters to a degree and is usually not a serious problem e%cept for the fact that it$s often associated with some underlying disease that$s set it off eg kidney problems cancer! "leas and ice - these are common diseases in hamsters where other pets (eg cats) are present in the household! 4ou will need to see your "et for flea control measures which will need to include A00 the animals in the household!

Hamster illnesses and diseases - m sc loskelatal and "oint problems Aamsters can suffer from what is known as cage paralysis - this is generali9ed weakness that results due to lack of e%ercise and a small cage is usually the problem! :hoose the largest hamster cage you can afford because your little friend deser"es to be in spacious surrounds! <enerally pro"iding them with ade;uate e%ercise - see hamster toys and a larger cage would sol"e the problem! 3ometimes a lack of @itamin B and 6 could contribute to weakness and paralysis if this is the case then "itamin supplementation helps! 3ome 3yrian hamsters also ha"e a hereditary defect which often starts as a progressi"e hind limb paralysis from / months of age! #here is no cure for this hereditary disease condition!