Breeding
Breeding...
If you are thinking about breeding your hamsters, ask yourself these questions..
Do i have the spare cages?
Are my breeding pair in full health?
what will i do with the babies?
These are three main 3 questions what you should think about before even starting a hamster family.Hamsters can have over ten babies at once,and they're not as easy to sell as you think.
If you are sure you can handle the responsibility then read on.
Mating
Mating takes time and patience. Female hamsters are in heat every 4 days, and it is this one in four days that you will need to put her with the male to make her pregnant.It is very hard to tell if a hamster is in heat or not, sometimes they have a musty smell about them, but your best bet is to put them together to see what happens.
Many books suggest put the male and female into the males cage, or another cage-neutral territory. You cannot put the male into the females cage due to territorial tendencies the female hamster will have.She will attack him if he comes near her property.
When mating my hamsters i found putting the hamsters in an enclosed area ment that the female could not get away from the male if she needed, and often attacked him.So i put my hamsters in a space where she can run if she needs to,the sofa. For five evenings in a row the hamsters were put on the sofa and watched until they had had enough. if the female wasn't interested, then i put them back and tried the next day.
On the night the female is in heat, the female will assume the mating position, her head in a fixed stare, her bottom in the air.
The male will fuss around her for a bit before mating takes place.he may groom himself and her before mounting her.
During mating theres nothing you can do except not disturb them, the male will mount and do his business, and then get off, grrom himself and continue the process again
Mating can last minutes to hours, if they take too long, put them in a neutral cage to finish it. as long as they are not fighting they can stay together.
Mark on the calendar what day it is, and four days later try again, if she is not interested, then she may be pregnant, but i recommend to try this every four days anyway.
IMPORTANT! the male hamsters testicals must be visable for conception to be successful.This depends on the temperature of the room the hamsters are in. In the wild hamsters would breed march til october, but domestic can breed any time of the year as long as the room is warm enough!
How can i tell if shes pregnant?
A very common question when it comes to breeding hamsters.i've explained how they are in heat every 4 days, so...the 4th day after mating, she would be in heat again if she wasn't pregnant, so follow the mating steps again, if she mates, shes not pregnant, if she doesn't, she may be. do this another two times on the fourth day, if shes not interested all three times, chances are she is.
By the 13th day, she'll have a bump,depending on how many shes having. her tummy will feel tight underneath. this is a sure sign!
Pregnancy
Hamsters are pregnant for 16 days, this is the shortest gestation for any known mammal.After two weeks it should be obvious your hamster is pregnant.
During the run up to the birth, watch the hamsters diet she should have plenty of fruit and veg. it is also important for your hamster to have enough protein, or she may eat the babies, some people suggest cat biscuits, but these are too high in protein, you best bet is to give her dog biscuits,i use the little bone shaped ones that you give for treats for your dog.Nuts are also full of protein and hamsters love them, nuts are alot more natural to hamsters than dog biscuits, and shell nuts like hazelnuts help grind down her teeth.
3 days before the birth clean out your hamsters cage, this is becuase once the babies arrive they shouldn't be touched til about 3 weeks of age. give her plenty of bedding, not the fluff kind though, becuase it can get tangled about the babies feet as they are so little. Try not to disturb the hamster after this time,do any moving of the cage to a quieter place at this time as well.
this is Dustie at 13 days pregnant, you can see her baby bump quite clearly!
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Preparing for your new hamster
Buying your hamster and what to look for
handling your new hamster successfully
why he acts like that
health
breeding your hamster
caring for pups
Finding lost hamsters
sexing your hamster
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