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Unplanned Breeding:
I have heard many stories of "accident" breeding. You put two hamsters together, thinking they are both female/male and don't relize they are oppisite sex. To know what sex your hamster, here are easy steps.

Male or Female?
The distance between the anus and the sexual opening is noticeably larger than the females.

Selection of Parent:
I would recommed that you get drawf hamsters or Russian or cream-colored golden hamsters if you would like to breed. I suggest that, because these hamsters are usually so pacific that the male and female can be kept together even while the babies are born and suckled. You should also get two healthy hamsters, since if they are sick, the babies would be too, and die more easily. You should also have two separate sleeping houses.

Best Age:
If they are littermates,that usually sets in relatively late. If they are not related, they should be old enough. The female should be at least two months (dwarf hamster, 4 months). I suggest these because, if the female is too young, she would probably have not enough milk to feed her babies. The male should be at least a month older then the female.

How long is the hamster pregnant for before giving birth?
A hamster is usaully pregnant for 15-21 days and have a litter of 4-7

Ready to Mate or Not?
In relatively rare cases where a pair of hamsters can be kept together all the time, babies will at some point appear quite automatically. You have nothing to do with it. However, things are different if you place two hamsters that don't know each other in the same cage. Femalehamsters that are sexually receptive are willing to mate only every fifth or sicth day. On the other days, the female bites the male or buck, to drive him awy. Its your job, therefore, to stand by, armed with gloves, when you introduce the pair. If there is trouble, you have to intervene immediately and seperate the animals before the buck sustains too many bites . Don't be disappointed if your effort fails, and try again the nxt evening. From 8-11 pm is the most promising time.
Tip>Place the female in the male's cage, not the other way around. In her accustomed environment the female would be even more aggressive and might seriously injure the buck.

What should you do during the gestation period:
-Make lots of nesting avaliabe
-be calm and gentle when handling the expectant mother
- don't let strangers near her
- avoid lound sounds
- feed a healthy diet
- change the bedding about 2 days before the due date, then leave her alone.

The Birth process:

Takes place usalley at night and does not take more than a hour

Why do Hamster Mothers somethimes eat their babies?
This happens mainly when too many of the species, inhabit a given area.To make sure this does not happen, give the hamsters lots of space.

Too frequent breeding:
There should be a pause of at least 6 weeks between each breeding.

Development of the young:
Day of birth: hairless, reddish skin, and undevoloped, weak limbs; eyes shut. Staggering, crawling movements on hind legs speard wide. Elimination of feces and urine only after abdominal massage by the mother
From 2nd day on:First pigment formation: body skin turns dark.
From 5th day on: Mother brings food back to nest. Babies start nibbling on food. Thin coat of hair forms. First grooming mtions while lying on belly.
From 10th day on: Eyes are open.Cheek pouches are filled and emptied. Sitting posture assumed for grooming, but frequent loss of balance. Independent urinating and defecating.
From 14th day on: First indpendent ventures outside the nest. Playing with siblings.
21st day: Complete independence

Breeding Data at a glance
Sexual maturity: at 5 to 6 weeks
Sexual cycle: 5 to 6 days
Litter size: drawves. 5-6
golden. 6-10
Separation from the mother> on the 21st day

There! Wow! I finally finished typing everything. I hope this helps. If you have any questions that i did not answer in this, please email me. If you have extra infomation to add to this, email me.

After all the hard work, its great to see these cute little babies!

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Page Updated Mon Jul 22, 2002 6:34pm EDT