Are you considering breeding your own hamsters? There are some things you should know before you start. Many novice breeders make some common mistakes and their hamsters suffer from it. So… what are the common mistakes that hamster breeders make and how can you avoid them?

Firstly, you should never breed a female that is less than four months old. Very young females that are bred will usually not become a good mother. If you don’t want to see a mother eating her babies, it would be best to breed older females (more than 4 months old).

Touching the babies too often is another mistake. Once the babies are born, place the cage in a place where the mother and the babies will not be disturbed. This will give ample time for the mother and her babies to bond with one another. If you keep on touching the babies, they will take on your scent and will lead to two things – the mother will abandon the litters or she will eat them!

Knowing the right combination for breeding is also very important. Never breed brothers and sisters because the babies produced will not be the best. Instead, try to breed father-daughter and mother-son. Your hamsters should be in their peak of health. If one of the hamsters is sick, don’t proceed with the breeding process because the diseases will only spread to their offspring.

On the average, the female can produce 5 to 10 litters! That’s a lot of hamsters and if you can’t care for all these babies, you need to start looking for new homes when the babies are at least a week old. You can now contact your friends or relatives to ask them if they want a baby hamster. You can also put up signage in your yard to let others know that you have hamsters for adoption.

The mother should be provided with adequate supply of food and water once she gives birth. The only time that you should disturb them is feeding time. Once you’ve fed the mother, leave them alone. When the babies are already in their second week, you can now hold them. However, you need to be extra cautious and take a close look at the reaction of their mother. When the mother is not comfortable, put the babies back in the cage. On day 21, you can now put the hamsters in separate cages – one for the females and one for the males.

The babies are ready for adoption when they reach 28 days of age! Call the owners of the babies and have them picked up. It’s really not that complicated to breed hamsters. As long as you know the common mistakes and you avoid them, you can better care for your baby hamsters and the mother too.

Avoiding these mistakes is a just the start. Gathering adequate information about breeding hamsters should be your primary task. Learn everything you can about hamster breeding and you can provide healthy litters!