| Hamster Breeding / Mating |
| Breeding - Generally, with dwarf species, the best thing to do is get them very young, place them as pairs into their permanant home and leave them to grow up together. Nature will take its coarse when they are ready. You must keep them well feed, clean and happy. Record dates and info relavent to the pair and watch for signs of impending birth. These smaller hamster are best left to the pair, to raise their young and to age together gracefully. Quarantine time is up to the breeder, depending on where individual animals came from, but the sooner young dwarf hamsters are together the better. Syrians - This species takes a lot more work on the keepers part. Females should not be breed until about 3.5-4 months of age. I retire my females by about 1 year of age... I find it best to keep every one quarantined for at least the first 2 weeks, and no contact with other hamsters until that time. Keep you hands sanatized as you work from cage to cage. If the female has not at least reached her 15 week birthday, then she will be left to her own until then.. Feeding lots of good food and extra protein in the form of scrambled eggs (my favorite, since I eat them too!), I prep all the animals for breeding, including the boys. Males are able to breed earlier then females, but unless I have a dire need, he will not be used much before his 15 week too. At night, I find after 10 pm is best, I will place the female into the males cage. Watching closely, that there are no signs of aggression, from either part, I let them go about their moves. If she is ready , she will set he rump, in what we call 'flagging", tail high in the air and he will understand what to do next. It may take him awhile, but I will watch and leave them together for an hour or more the first time, if she is flagging. If nothing happens in 10-15 minutes, and they are not fighting, I will remove the female. When fighting and wrestling starts, separate immediately. Try this every night for 4 nights, until they have a successful mating. If you miss on all four nights, then try a little later in the evening. Record what dates you tried, and what night was successful, or any other info that seems important. If you are still not getting her to flag for him, try giving them an extra bit of light from sundown until you are down with your breeding attempts for the ngiht. ... if that fails, try switching them in their cages. It may make him a bit nutty, but she may come around. Once I am familiar with how any 2 hamsters treat another in mating mode, I may leave them together all night, but this has its risks with older females. If you are timing it out well, a female should be bred at 3.5 months, again at 6-7 months, and the last time arond 9-10 months. Then she can retire. I have breed female very close to the 1 year mark, but this was either because she missed a breeding, lost an earlier litter or other reasons. One female had small litters each time and was a very good mom, and just seemed able to do it well. Rarely will I have more then 2-3 litters with most of my females. Count 16 days from the night of the mating and she will have the babies, often on that moring. So it is like they are pregnant 15.5 days, Older female will sometimes take a bit longer. keep her well fed, and offer egg a few times a week. Put some oats or egg right in the next near the babies at about 2 weeks of age...... raising the critters>>>>> |
 |