Hamster Breeding??

[Barracuda_41]

8) Ok im curious as to the breeding of hamsters.. Anyone wana fill me in on that.. Thanks.....

[ClayEnglish]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

Well I can certainly help you a little there. Not a professional or anything but our breedings have been successful.

Hamsters can litterally have 365 babies a year. They can average 16 babies every 16 days.

Not that this is recommended by any means, but it is possible. We wait until she has raised the babies to a healthy size, before we attempt to breed her back.

Hamsters are completely DIFFERENT than mice, rats and gerbils.

Hamsters do not "play together well" when it is breeding/pregnant time. Hamsters are solitary animals.

You will need to place the female hamster in with the male and basically watch and wait for the actual breeding to take place. Female hamster comes into season approximately every 4 days, so you may have to move her in and out of the males cage until actual breeding takes place. If the female is in season, then she will appear to lay down, raise her rear, and freeze. A constant fighting/bickering usually means she is not in season, and she should be removed and tried again the next day, until breeding takes place.

It is recommended that you NEVER place the male in the females cage, because she will defend her territory and damage or kill the male. Also when pregnant, she will DEFINATELY defend and kill the male if left in the cage.

Female hamsters are also known to frequently eat some of the babies, and as gross as this sounds (All rodents do this) it is a natural part of her rebuilding what she needs to properly take care of the remaining babies.

Also female hamsters can usually breed for only about a year, and then will become sterile. Males can breed longer

So in short hamsters take a lot more "watching" and pairing.

I hope this helps some.

[Barracuda_41]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

8)Hey Thanks Clay, thats great info.. Thing was i have never bred hamsters and my little bro use to always raise them and sell them for 3 bucks to friends as pets and i remember him saying dont keep the male in with the female befour or after breeding and also that they didnt live very long compared to rats and such.. That was the extent of his info.. LOL!! And we have only had them as pets befour.. Sounds to me like they have a much shorter gestation period, wow every 16 days.. To bad they dont put out much larger litters.. LOL!!

[BMoore]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

So quick question. I heard guniea pigs have more fat content then rats. I am trying to put some weight on my snake for her own health. How are hampster's fat and protien wise? ???

**Beth**

[ClayEnglish]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

I do not know the specifics there, but I would personally classify gerbils and hamsters the same.

Mice on the other hand tend to have more hair than meat.

So I would think that gerbils and hamsters have a higher fat content than mice. Adult gerbils/hamsters are 2 to 3 times the size of an adult mouse.

[Bry]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

I don't know the specifics on protein and fat in hamsters and mice. But, it's fairly obvious that hamsters have a little more on their bones than mice do.

Guinea pigs are definitely higher in fat content than either rats or rabbits. They tend to cause gas problems in snakes. Unless you truly enjoy smelling burm fart, pass them up for rabbits or rats.

Bry

[Barracuda_41]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

;D ;D ;D ( Unless you truly enjoy smelling burm fart, pass them up for rabbits or rats.) eeeeeeeeeeewww... thats to funny Bry.. I would deffinately go with a rabbit anyday over a guinea pig.. :P

[BMoore]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

LMAO........
Okay, I was just curious. I just think guinea pigs are too big for my smaller snake. Unless I could find some young ones that are about the same size as the medium rats. They have lots of hair too! It's ahrd to find feeders in my area. Then again I havn't searched, I've been to about 5 pet store's and feed suppliers, and never seen a GP for less then $14.99. I guess I will just stick to rats and feed two to my Boa instead of one. :P

**Beth**

[sclark]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

Clay hit the nail right on the head about hampsters. I will add two things.

One, I have not had a momma eat her babies as long as you leave her completly alone until the pinks have fuzz on them.. I stopped bredding regular hampsters and switched to Black bear hampsters. They get as big as a small guinea pig and these guys don't seem to bite. I have breed Sirian Hampsters for 4 years without a problem. I just switched because these bears are bigger. If you want to breed bigger versions of gerbils, Get yourself a pair of Degus.. They are big, like true Gerbils, not the kind that most own.. Just watch it, they can be nippy..

Steve

[Barracuda_41]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

8) Hey Steve where are you getting Black Bear hamsters?? whats the price tag on them for a pair? Are they anything like the teddy bear hamsters?? How many pups are you getting per litter on them? Sorry for so many Q's.. ;D

[sclark]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

Hey Baracudda,

I got both of my sets from a pet stop about and hour up the road. I went there because the local pet store was out, not to mention they sell them for 19.99 each. I got my breeders for 7.99 each..LOL.. I get an average of 10 with these girls. The nicest thing is the females will run up to your hand and climb on. Very sweet, as far as hampsters go..LOL.. To give you an idea how sweet she is, the main female was turned into a pet for my 3 year old daughter.. And she holds it many times a week..
They take about 8 months to get full size. But compaired to regular serian hampsters, they are giant..LOL

Steve

[Bry]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

You know, it's no wonder some hamsters have a reputation for being biters. I'd be pretty pissy too if I had PMS every 4 days.

Bry

[sclark]

Re:Hamster Breeding??

LOL Bry...

Steve