Breeding F.A.Q.
Breeding F.A.Q.
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Your questions about breeding may be posted here unless noted otherwise.
Breeding F.A.Q.
Your questions about breeding may be posted here unless noted otherwise.
If you are talking about how long it takes for a hamster to mate, it shouldn't take any more than a few minutes. Gestation (The time between mating and giving birth) is about 28 days. For more information, visit our breeding page.
> Hey I was wondering if you could tell me how you are suppose to
be able to
> tell if a hamster is pregnant or not. I am not sure if our
hamster is or
not.
> Thanx
> Jane : P
Dear Jane,
First you have to think back if your hamster has been in contact
with any
male hamsters. Of course, if you just bought your hamster, then
you most
likely wouldn't know. Some good signs to tell if your hamster is
pregnant:
She is building a nest
She looks rather plump
She is eating more than usual
She squeaks when you pick her up around her belly
If your hamster does have babies, take care not to disturb the mother for a couple weeks thereafter. You wouldn't want the mother to eat her babies! You can re-fill her food supply and water as long as you don't disturb the nest. Make sure the mothers cage is in a place that won't be disturbed. If you cannot find good homes for the babies, or cannot keep them, I suggest you place an ad in the classifieds (online or no), and if that fails then try to find a pet store that would take them.
For additional help if your hamster does have babies, check out
this helpful
link:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Heartland/Park/2236/breedy.html
>My hamster just had babies and
>I was wondering when I should
>give them away. Thanks
I suggest that you give them away after they are weaned (old enough to eat by themselves, and not rely on their mothers milk at all). After they have been weaned, seperate the males from females right away. Then try to find good homes.
>I beleive that my female hamster is pregnant. Is there
> any way that I can tell for sure?
I'm sorry to say, but no. There are ways that you can create your own educated guess, though. Need some pointers? We're here to help.
If she starts making a nest with a more hostile attitude, then that nest may be intended for use of her future babies. If she starts getting plump, then well, you've got yourself a good educated guess there! ;) If she squeaks when you hold her, or bites un-characteristicly in a defensive way, then she is probably pregnant. If she eats/drinks more than usual, then she is probably gaining weight to nurse her future babies.
Those are some good tips to tell if she is pregnant. If she acts normal, and doesn't get any fatter (or for that matter..have babies) within the next 28 days, then you can declair her non-fertilized.
> Hi. My name is Susan and I'm doing a project on hamsters
is it also true that pregnant female hamsters abdomins dont pertrude in front like humans, but yet they do on their sides, so indicating pregnancy this way could be difficult to determine? Or did I here wrong? >>
A hamster goes in heat about once every two weeks. You can tell because she becomes edgy, and gives off a musky scent to attract a mate.
A hamster will do anything they want to when in heat, really. It is impossible to say that they will act a certian way, because they are individuals just like humans and what they do will vary from hamster to hamster. Some hamsters may be aggresive towards males, others will be docile. The only sure way to tell if your hamster is pregnant is if she gives birth, which is sort of silly but true. There are some signs that your hamster may be pregnant, but there is no sure way to tell really.
It is true that a hamsters bone structure is different, and because of this it can be difficult to determine if they are pregnant. Usually you can tell if they are pregnant by an unusually large belly, and if you feel it perhaps some movement of the baby hamsters within.
>Is it best to breed hamsters in the morning, afternoon, or
Soak some leafy vegetables (like spinach) in water and shred, spredding it around the cage. Baby hamsters love this! Make sure you don't do this more than once every 2-3 days, and only with a small handful to prevent wet tail
Hamsters sometimes eat their babies when they feel their habitat is not desirable, or they feel threatened. Try putting her cage on the floor, with the door open, and food inside to lure her back in. There are many methods you can use to catch her. Like stacking up books like a staircase leading to a bucket with food inside.
Kittens nursing milk would be a good subsitute to use if you need to. Or you can use powdered milk.. mix it with milk instead of water. Feed them this as often as possible, after warming it to a luke-warm temperature. Make sure the babies in a warm, dry place away from drafts or direct sunlight.
> I do not know if my hamster is pregant or not
> for my biology class. One of the components for this project is to gather as
> much information as possible about one of your animals senses. I have chooses
> to look at and talk about sight and how they react in different lighting. I
> noticed that you did have some information on your web page that will be a
> great help, but I was wondering if you any further information that I could
> use. Thanks very much for your help and time. Sincerly, Susan
Hamsters are naturally nocturnal. Although their eyes are one solid color (whether it be crimson, brown, black, etc.), with the right lighting, you can see a pupil and so tell where the hamster is looking. Hamsters all act differently to different lighting, as do humans. So there really aren't any rules to lay down. In fact, you can train a hamster to NOT be nocturnal, and so it isn't really true that all hamsters are. Hamsters see best in dim light, and so are usually most lively at that time (even though sight is not nescissarily their best sense). Pet hamsters often retreat to their nests when someone turns a light on. And they can't see well in complete darkness.
> I am going to get two hamsters and I was wondering if you
> can put two
> of different or the same sex together.
Yes, you can, easily. However, I think I should warn you, if you put a brother and sister together, if they don't kill eachother first, they will eventually mate and eventually produce inbred babies that will very likely be deformed.
> When I bought my hamster, it was one of three in a cage.
> One of the other ones could have been a male.( I bought a female). Could they
> have mated? It was only a baby hamster. It had not even reached eight weeks
> yet, so is it possible that she can have babies?
Unfortunately, yes. The hamster could be pregnant. Some warning signs would be: Getting plump, eating more, building a nest, squeaking when being held, sleeping more, etc.
> I have been trying to breed, and will be successful very
> soon my female will be in heat again on thurs
> day. Should she be handled during her pregnancy? what will she use for
> nesting? and is it safe to hold
> her when she is taking care of her babies? My male is more aggressive than
> she is is that normal? he, is
> usually very passive except when she is in his cage. I have tried neutral
> territory but they are
> more interested in us and their toys and treats.
>
> I have a childrens swimming pool set up in a spare room on my house with
> tunnels and wheels jingle balls etc
> How old should the babies have access to this play area? My 2 hamsters spend
> at least an hour each night playing
> playing, they seem to ignore each, other in there. are they spending too
> much time together? they are very vocal
> towards each other when they are not together. It almost seems like they
> look, forward yo their play time Are all
> hammys vocal?
No, a hamster should not be handled during pregnacy.
She will use whatever soft material possible for a nest, most likely bedding piled up. Offering pieces of kleenex will help her make a comfortable nest.
It is not safe to hold her or her babies while she is "taking care of them". Hamsters are known not to make the best parents, and are very protective over their young. They also are very protective, and the slightest disturbance of their nest or babies can set them off ignoring their own children, or worse, eating them.
You should not keep a male and female hamster in the same cage, actually, you shouldn't keep more than one hamster in the same cage unless they are tottally dependant upon one another (ex: a baby who cannot eat by itself would be dependant upon its mother)
Males are not generally more aggressive than females. An individual hamsters personality' can vary as much as a humans. That is why it is not fair to simply say "yes" or "no".
For breeding, I suggest breifly putting the female in the males cage for the time it will take them to mate, and then putting the female back in her own cage. If they do not feel comfortable, then a neutral place is best, like you tried. I would suggest using a box, or something similar, with no toys, food, or distractions. It might help.
Almost no hamsters are vocal, and if they are, it is usually when they are young to communicate to their mothers. After all, they don't have eyes and so must depend on hearing/smelling to determine where saftey is.
Please remember to seperate the babies after they are weaned (can eat and drink by themselves, not depend on their mothers for food).
> My hamster had babies, and it is time to separate them
> soon, but how do i know which ones are male, and which are female?
You should seperate the babies from their mothers at about 2 weeks after birth. More importantly, all the babies' eyes should be open, they should be able to move around the cage freely, and they should be able to eat/drink by themselves without help from their mothers.
> I was wondering exactly how do you make your hamsters breed and mate!!
>
>
> Thanx-a-lot
> Savannah
>
>
You can't make hamsters mate any more than you can make other humans mate. If male and female hamsters get along with eachother, they will mate. If they don't they will kill each other. Hamsters should be bred if you plan on keeping them as your pets, and you can take the responsibility of feeding/housing the hamsters until they die. Each hamster may require an individual cage, since they are not social creatures like RATS.
If you still insist on breeding hamsters, you can put a female hamster in a male hamsters cage when the female is in heat and hope they mate. If they don't, they will probably fight. Also, you should make sure the hamsters are not over a year old, or they may be too old to breed. Then seperate the female. She should give birth less than a month later, and you musn't disturb her nest after she has babies.
<
>in the evening?
I would suggest breeding in the evening for best results, since hamsters tend to be nocturnal. However individual hamsters may vary.
> What is the other substitute of water or other liquids for the baby
> hamsters if they can't drink from the water bottle ?
> How do you breed hamsters? Is it always 100% guaranteed
> that the female will kill the male and/or eat her babies? What if I can't get
> another cage for the different genders? Can I breed different species of
> hamsters?
You breed hamsters by putting the female in the male hamsters' cage when the female is in heat, and seperate them when they are done mating. It is not 100% guaranteed, as it depends on the mood and upbringing of the mother and the way she is taken care of.
Before you breed the hamsters, make sure that you have 2 extra cages to hold the baby hamsters in after seperating them by gender when they are done being weaned. Also make sure you can care for the babies, or find good homes in advance.
As for species, I would not suggest interbreeding Syrian hamsters with Common hamsters or dwarf hamsters. These are generalizations of the 3 main species of hamsters, seperated in different breeds. Common hamsters live only in they Syrain deserts and are larger in comparison to the other two (wild). Syrain hamsters are teddy-bear hamsters, short hair, long hair, whatever. Dwarf hamsters can be russian, chineese, white, silky, but are all just breeds of the same species. Like I said, I would not suggest cross-breeding these species, but cross-breeding different breeds of hamsters should be okay, as long as they're not over-age (over a year old)
>>My hamster had 8 babies about 2 weeks ago. She is very mean, and since the birth, she has eaten 5 of them. Why is that? Also, and most important, she has escaped from her home and is no where to be found. There are 3 babies left and I don`t want them to die. Is there any way that I can feed them with a dropper or something so they don`t starve? And what would I feed them? The local pet store said kitten`s nursing milk that you find in stores....but I`m not sure. Please help! >>
> she builds nests and eats Tons more then she used too
> She sleeps alot
> Is she pregnate or not?
> Sincerely
> Kelsy
Try feeling her belly and seeing if there are any little squirming motions inside! That could indicate baby hamsters. To be safe, I would suggest giving her all the food she can eat, providing a litter box (because after she has babies, you shouldn't disturb her cage until the babies are old enough to be moved into seperate cages. It is possible that she is pregnant. I would stay on the safe side, and feed her some fresh veggies & fruits (not too much though), and perhaps some bread soaked in milk to give her extra calcium. Give her kleenex and other nesting materials, don't hold her too much, and keep her cage in a dark, warm, dry place for when she is nursing/giving birth.
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