How do hamsters breed offspring? Reproduction of Syrian hamsters at home

For some reason, most owners, especially children, want to breed hamsters at home. Girls have a desire to give their beloved hamster the opportunity to become a mother. Teenagers are experimenting - some are interested in the mating process, others really want to give hamsters to friends who are not ready for this. And some people think that since a female, it means she should give birth. This is a deep delusion.

My task is to answer questions about hamster breeding.

Hamster girl dreams of becoming a mother?

Of course not. Hamsters are solitary, territorial animals. Love for oneself like them is unusual. If the female produces offspring, she will do everything to protect, feed and warm him. But this is not because he loves babies very much, but under the influence of natural instincts. Imagine if the female sees that the offspring is in danger - she will eat it!

A month later, the instincts disappear from the mother along with milk. And then her own children are enemies for her, who want to take away her territory. That is why, after a month, children are separated from their mother - their independent life begins.

Unlike humans, hamsters do not experience any positive emotions from pregnancy and the birth of cubs. On the contrary, the birth of domestic hamsters ruins their health.

Is breeding necessary for hamsters?

No! Rumors about the need for childbirth let the sellers of pet stores. It is beneficial for them to buy not one, but two or more hamsters. And this is very wrong and even cruel.

Firstly, a couple cannot live together. And reproduction is optional for them, and for some it is categorically dangerous. Even once in a lifetime.

There is no need to try on human measurements for hamsters: they live well without pregnancy and childbirth.

Estrus in hamster females is very frequent - every four days, but they do not experience any discomfort without pregnancy.

Why not force them to give birth?

Hamsters are prolific, but this does not mean that they are hardy and can give birth as much as you want. On the contrary, there are serious facts against motherhood.

• If the female is small (Syrian less than 120 g, dwarf less than 40 g) - she may not give birth, especially from a large male.
• For female dwarf and Syrian hamsters reproduction is too risky, if they are overweight (obese) - they may not be born.
• If the female is too young, at an age that cannot be pregnant (up to 4 months), she may not have enough milk for numerous offspring, and she dies.
• In hamsters, by 10 months, the pelvic bones ossify, and after 10 months, all females, even large and healthy ones, remain at risk of dying in childbirth.
• After a year, females lose the ability to give birth to healthy offspring (born non-viable) and feed them (babies die due to lack of milk).
• Feeding takes 40% of the mother's weight away from the mother, so if she is unhealthy or weak, she may die from exhaustion or a disease that easily develops against a background of reduced immunity.

Is it possible to mate different species?

There are two very similar species of dwarf hamsters: Djungarian and Campbell's hamsters. Interspecific mating is essentially possible - hybrids are obtained, but doing this for the sake of interest and in any way is reckless and cruel to pets.

In hybrid offspring, the heads are too large to properly pass through the birth canal. The female may not be born and die.

Any other species of hamsters, and even more so Syrian with dwarf, cannot mate, attempts lead to death.

Is it easy to adopt hamsters?

Do not listen to the tales of peers and sellers that it is easy to breed hamsters. It is very difficult. And you will understand this - if, of course, you are a responsible and intelligent person:

• The number of offspring in a hamster mother reaches 10-18! This is not a couple of children who are easy to raise and immediately attach.
• Until the age of 4 weeks, babies must live with their mother so that her milk provides immunity, on which the health and life of hamsters depends. This is followed by jigging from the mother, but you can’t immediately give hamsters away, they are too small to withstand such stress without harming their health. They are seated by gender: girls and boys separately - for a week. For those who will not be taken by new owners, a separate jigging cage is needed - everyone! - do not forget - hamsters are solitary animals.
• To properly raise and feed one generation of hamsters, a large amount of money is required on the part of the owner. On average, you need to spend 5 thousand rubles, and taking into account new cells, even more. The amount depends on the number of children, their health and mother.

Can hamsters be kept together?

Already at the age of 5 weeks, young people begin to show aggression towards each other, and such singles must first be seated one at a time. Do not keep together!

If you need to seat everyone, then prepare a jigging cage for everyone. Each cage should have everything necessary for the development and health of the baby - a large wheel for running, a hanging drinker, feeders, and the size of the cage is much larger than those small cells that are sold in pet stores.

Proper feeding of hamsters and mothers is not only dry grain food and water. If you intend to feed and care for the young and mother well, get ready to spend time and money.

Taming hamsters takes even more time than feeding: from 10-14 days of age, each baby should be in your arms every day. You need to handle them very carefully, giving each at least 5-10 minutes a day so that the hamsters do not grow up aggressive or shy.

Is there a profit from reproduction?

Don't hope! There is no profit from breeding, only expenses. Unless, of course, you are a greedy cruel breeder who, for the sake of 50 rubles, will deprive hamsters of normal food and a healthy life.

It takes a lot of money to keep even small animals well, and in order to return them from sale, the price of each must be at least 500 rubles. No one will buy them for that price.

And for 50 rubles, they will buy babies from you in a pet store, then to sell them for food to snakes and fun for cats, or for the entertainment of stupid kids. And hamsters get sick in the store: they are kept large groups where they fight and starve. They are dying. Do you want it?

If you love hamsters, take care of them!

For animals, the birth of offspring is associated with a great risk to life. Even if you decide to tie your girl just once out of a desire to "look at the crumbs" - be wise and patient. Have pity on your darling. Putting her life in danger out of curiosity is cruel.

Breeding hamsters is a topic that concerns every owner of these nimble pets. Some people prefer to just love these funny animals, watch them, while others earn money by breeding hamsters at home. The information in this article will be useful for both the first and second categories of hamster owners. People who keep hamsters for themselves will learn how to properly maintain a pregnant hamster and what to do after childbirth, and people involved in breeding will thoroughly learn all the existing nuances. After all, someone has to take care of the breeding of hamsters so that they can be bought at a pet store.

Breeding hamsters at home is not an easy task. Many have heard that a hamster of any breed is very prolific. In reality, this is not entirely true, and often there is a huge variety of different kinds of nuances. Since most breeds of hamsters are single, they are strictly forbidden to be placed in one cage, otherwise conflicts that may end lethal outcome, do not avoid. It is not enough just to buy hamsters of the opposite sex, they definitely need to purchase two dwellings.

This rule applies to all but hamster breeds. These small rodents live in a large group. Breeding this breed will require a large cage, each individual must have enough personal space. If there is not enough space, rodents will fight for it. For those who have not yet been breeding and want to try their hand, this breed of hamsters is best suited.

When breeding hamsters, it must be remembered that the female after childbirth is able to become pregnant again, after a short period of time. This should not be allowed. The body of a rodent with frequent births will quickly weaken, the female feels that there is not enough milk, and can destroy part of her offspring. The female will leave only those whom she will definitely feed. To prevent re-mating, the female is separated from the total mass of hamsters.

The reasons why a female can eat her offspring, we described in.

Breeding Djungarian hamsters, as well as rodents of other species, requires more effort. You will need to purchase not one or two cells, but several. The male and female live in separate cages, and the grown brood, which has reached the age of 1-2 months, must be moved out from the female. Young growth will soon also need separate housing.

Having set out to keep hamsters for breeding, it should be clearly understood that regardless of the species, hamsters can breed 3-4 times during the year. Physiologically, they can bring offspring to a rodent more often, but it is undesirable to allow this.

There is a clear rule that must not be violated - all hamsters, except for the Roborovsky breed, must have their own cages.

Neglect of this rule can lead to constant conflicts, and sometimes the loss of one of the pets.

should be adhered to age restrictions, that is, it is possible to let the female in for fertilization to the male only when she reaches 4 months. At this age, the necessary weight of the female Syrian hamster for mating is reached. After all, if the female is too young, then she may not have time to develop maternal instinct, as a result, she, or the babies, will be born too weak, and the body of a fragile mother is greatly depleted.

But we wrote about the gestational age of a hamster.

Mating Chinese hamsters is not very easy, as the female and male have been kept together since childhood. It will not work to settle an adult, these hamsters are too aggressive towards each other.

Hamster diet during pregnancy

Nutrition in breeding hamsters plays a key role. Breeding Syrian hamsters directly depends on the diet. If the female does not receive enough nutrients, then she will have weakened offspring. Food for the female should contain all the necessary vitamins. Breeders feed pregnant females, cereals, and. During the pregnancy of the female, her nutrition should be taken seriously.

Conditions of detention

For breeding, it is very important in what conditions the rodent is kept, and it is worth worrying not only about room temperature and silence. It is necessary to pay attention to the filling of the cell. The bottom area of ​​the cage should be at least 50x30 cm. This will give the rodent space. The bottom of the cage should be lined with pressed sawdust, pellets or corn litter. The litter is covered with a thickness of at least 1 cm.

It is necessary to put a house in the cage, the hamster will hide in it. Rodents use houses not only as a bedroom, but also as a pantry. The birth of offspring often occurs in it too. You can notice where he plans to give birth to cubs by following the female. She will start preparing the nest even before birth. Help in the arrangement can, and the owner. To do this, it is enough to tear an ordinary white napkin into pieces, which are left in front of the entrance to the house. The pet will definitely use them for arrangement.
Water for a pregnant hamster should be fresh and in a portable drinker. The presence of water is vital for the female during pregnancy. Regularly check rodent supplies to make sure they do not consist of perishable foods.

A pregnant pet should be provided with activity, that is, purchase special accessories for running.

Surround a pregnant female with unobtrusive care and soon you will enjoy little hamsters in your home.

Cute goofy hamsters that are so easy to care for make great pets. If you approach the process of breeding hamsters responsibly, it can become interesting and quite interesting. useful occupation, and great way supplying pets to your neighbors and children's friends. With some preparation and planning, it's easy. If you have a place to house your hamsters, here's what you should do.

Steps

Part 1

buying hamsters for breeding

Decide what kind of hamsters you want to have. Syrian hamsters make great pets, partly because they are solitary, but they can be difficult to breed. If the male and female are introduced at the wrong time, they may start to fight. Djungarian hamsters can be biting with people, but are more socialized with their congeners and are easier to breed.

• There are also Russian hamsters, as well as many other varieties. If you are purchasing hamsters from a breeder, talk about the different varieties of hamsters to see how socialized they are or vice versa to get some idea of ​​the breeding process.

1. Buy a male and a female. It is best to purchase hamsters from a breeder so that you have a large selection in color and type of hamster. It is also good to know the pedigree history of hamsters.

   • The pet store often sells related hamsters or mestizos different breeds which are undesirable to breed. Also, often in a pet store it can be difficult to determine the sex of hamsters.

2. Choose healthy hamsters. The eyes should be clean, bright, the fur smooth and shiny, and the hamsters themselves should be active and show interest in the environment.

   Purchase two large hamster cages. Plastic containers or aquariums work very well for breeding hamsters. Place each hamster in your cage and fill the bottom with sawdust or other natural bedding. Try not to use small sawdust, as it gets in the hamsters' eyes and can be bad for their respiratory system.

   • Avoid using metal cages. Hamsters, especially babies, can climb through the bars.
   • Purchase a small plastic "hamster house" for hamsters to sleep in. Fill it with the same sawdust as the bottom of the cage.
   • It would be nice to get a running wheel for hamsters. Dzungarian hamsters can use any wheel size, but Syrian hamsters - more than 20 cm. The wheel should be plastic, not metal.
   • You will also need a drinker, bowl, hamster food, treats, and anything else you might need.

3. When you bring your hamsters home, let them be alone for at least one day. Don't pet them or take them out of the cage, make sure your hamster has enough to get by without your intervention. It is best to start picking up a new hamster the day after you bring it home.

   Breeding hamsters

   1. Wait until the female is ready to breed. At the age of 28 days, hamsters become sexually mature. The female is ready to breed about every 4 days. In this case, her behavior is very similar to that of a cat: she begins to crouch to the ground and lift her tail. You may also notice that the hamster begins to smell stronger due to the release of pheromones.

      • If the female is not ready to breed, trying to breed hamsters can be dangerous and counterproductive. The female will start to fight and may kill the male.
      • When planning to start breeding hamsters, place two cages close to each other for a few days so that the hamsters can see each other, get used to each other, and the pheromones do their job.

   2. Place the female with the male. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, so it is best to do this in the early evening. Place the hamsters in neutral territory, in a spare cage, as the female can attack the male if he is planted with her on her territory. If the hamsters start fighting, remove one of them and try again another day.

      • Continue to follow the indicated steps until they mate. If you miss the moment of the female's readiness, wait a few days until it comes again.

   3. Isolate the female after mating. While some male hamsters may take care of their offspring, others may eat them. It is better to be safe even if your hamster is very kind and caring, and put him away for the period of pregnancy and childbirth, which takes about two weeks.

      • When breeding Djungarian hamsters, the time to reach puberty and the duration of pregnancy is slightly longer. Reaching puberty in Djungarian hamster can take from 4 months to a year, and pregnancy lasts about three weeks.

   The birth of hamsters

   1. Wait. At this stage, you must be patient and watch the progress. If a female is pregnant, this will become noticeable in a few days, and by the time she is ready to give birth, her sides will stick out very clearly. You don't have to do anything special, just don't grab the female rudely, it's better to leave her alone.

      • collecting food and nesting material for their nest. When labor begins, you will notice that the uterus begins to open and little pink bodies emerge from it. They will be born one by one as she runs around the cage, and one by one she will drag them into the nest.
      • When a female is in labor, don't try to step in to help. Childbirth, especially the first childbirth, is often difficult for the female, but there is nothing you can do to help her at this stage. Just don't interfere, let nature do its thing.

   2. looking after offspring. Now and for some time afterwards, you should not disturb the female in any way. If she leaves the babies lying at the bottom of the cage, you shouldn't touch them. If for any reason you need to do this, take a spoon, rub it well on the bedding in the cage, and then pick up the baby with it and return it to the nest.

   3. Let the mother take care of the children for three weeks without disturbing her or even cleaning the cage. Leave her, the cage, and especially the babies alone, except for the careful addition of food and water. This is especially important for a female who has given birth for the first time, who is under the influence of stress, there are times when she can kill and even eat her children.

      • Do not think that a mother is going to eat her children if she puts them in her mouth. This happens when she is scared and thinks they are in danger.
      • You can notice that the female is ready to mate by running a hand over her body. If it leans towards the ground or arches slightly, it may be ready.
      • Make sure your hamsters are ready to mate before trying to breed them.
      • Don't worry if the mother kills or eats several babies in the first few weeks. This is normal behavior to weed out weak offspring that would not survive in nature.
      • Loud music can make hamsters nervous.

In the article I will consider the features of breeding hamsters, mating. I’ll tell you at what age hamsters can have offspring and how to choose a pair for breeding, maintenance and care so that they breed. I will list the main reasons why hamsters refuse to breed.

How long do Djungarian hamsters live

IN natural environment habitats, the life of jungars is very short.

Basically, animals die of disease, starvation, or become prey to predators before they even live one year. Very rarely, dzhungars manage to live up to 2 years.

Unlike their wild counterparts, domestic Djungarian hamsters live in comfortable, safe conditions. They are not disturbed by predatory animals, food is plentiful, and the temperature environment stable. Therefore, their average lifespan is 3 years.

The ability to reproduce in them arises very early and lasts up to one and a half years in females and up to 3 years in males.

Hamsters are very cute and fluffy animals that are highly prolific.

Breeding Djungarian hamsters at home

In nature, the breeding season of hamsters falls on an interval of warm time year (May - September). Domestic jungars mate year-round. Therefore, in order to avoid the unplanned appearance of offspring, heterosexual hamsters are recommended to be kept in separate cages.

Beginning of mating hamsters

Animals can bring the first offspring already at the age of three to six weeks.

At this time, hamsters are just entering the phase of active growth. The internal organs and skeleton are not yet formed, and pregnancy can cause serious harm to health.

Mating at this time is fraught with:

1. The appearance of non-viable offspring.
2. Shortening life.
3. Complicated pregnancy.

Therefore, it is recommended to use for breeding females that have reached 4 months. At this age, they reach puberty, and all organ systems are already formed.
Later age can also be an obstacle to the appearance of offspring.
If up to 6 months the female has never been pregnant, then it is better not to use it in breeding - the risk of complications is too high.

There are no such restrictions for males - they can fertilize a female from 5 weeks of age and remain good producers until the end of their lives.

How to know if a female is ready to mate

Sexual intercourse in hamsters occurs only after the onset of the estrous cycle (estrus) in the female, which occurs with a frequency of once every three to five days and lasts from four hours to a day.

The first sign of the female's readiness is her changed attitude towards the male: when he approaches, she lifts her tail, spreads her paws, and arches her back.

In addition, the signs of the onset of estrus:

• anxiety;
• loss or decrease in appetite;
• the appearance of a sharp musky smell.

In most Dzungarians, the onset of estrus is indicated only by a changed attitude towards the opposite sex.

You should know that in winter, some females do not have sexual hunting.

Pair selection

Besides, great importance play the personal preferences of animals.

To get healthy viable offspring, you need to competently approach the choice of future producers:

1. Both animals must be active and healthy.
2. The weight of the female should not be less than 35-40 grams. Weight loss during bearing and feeding of cubs is up to 40% of the total weight.
3. Color and build must conform to the standard as much as possible.
4. Animals should not show signs of obesity. Too well-fed hamsters are often infertile.
5. Hamsters should not be close relatives. Inbreeding increases the chance of developing pathologies and deformities in offspring.

Often a hamster attacks a male that does not please her, even during estrus. Therefore, two to three females per male are usually prepared for breeding.

Hamsters should be introduced to neutral territory or in the home of the male.

How hamsters mate

In order for hamsters to mate, they need to prepare a separate cage. It is impossible to bring the animals in the territory where one of them lives permanently - the Dzungarians have a highly developed territorial instinct and such an attempt can end in a fight.

The cage is placed in a quiet place where nothing will distract the hamsters from the process.

In the evening, first the female is launched there, and after 10 minutes the male. If the animals like each other, then soon they will start sexual intercourse. If not, they are seated in separate cells, and the attempt is repeated later.

The mating process takes no more than half an hour. During this time, there are several sexual acts with short breaks.

What to do after mating

Immediately after mating, the animals are seated in separate cages, even if they do not show aggression towards each other.

Under the influence of pregnancy, the character and behavioral reactions of the female undergo changes, and she will constantly provoke conflicts.

Which will negatively affect the state of future offspring.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Pregnancy in Dzhungaria lasts from 16 to 20 days. The first signs appear on the 10th day after mating. From 5 to 18 cubs are born at a time.

Small pets need to be given attention, fed and cleaned up after them.

Childbirth takes place in a special nest, which the female begins to equip a couple of days before giving birth. In order for her to build a suitable place, more filler is placed in the cage, which can be used for construction.

Little hamsters are born at intervals of 10 - 15 minutes.

They are born blind, have no hair, and weigh only 3 grams.

The main reasons why hamsters may not breed

Often the mixing of two hamsters does not lead to the expected consequences. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon. The most common:

• reproductive dysfunction. It occurs due to infectious diseases, obesity, unbalanced feeding, vitamin deficiency;
• stressful state of animals;
• inappropriate age (over 1.5 years for a female).
• the absence of a leak. This phenomenon is observed in winter period when wild hamsters hibernate.

Djungarian hamsters are simply phenomenal in their ability to reproduce. Therefore, having decided to breed hamsters, you need to prepare a sales market in advance.

Hamsters must be healthy, mature and ready to breed.

In addition, it is worth considering that this activity, although quite interesting, is not very profitable. Often, breeders give jungars away for free, if only to quickly attach.

Reproduction of Djungarian hamsters at home sometimes occurs spontaneously - if a couple is kept in the same cage. It is enough to make a mistake in at . It happens that they buy an already pregnant female. Another thing is when breeding rodents is a conscious decision. Then the approach to the issue becomes professional, and the reproduction of jungars is strictly controlled.

Prepare the room

Before mating, cages are prepared for heterosexual young animals for mating. Adult animals are kept in their own cage. It is advisable to have at least one in reserve at home if the offspring cannot be attached in time. Although Djungarian hamsters are much smaller than Syrians, the cage must be at least 50x30 cm (more possible). For the prevention of obesity, hamsters must be provided with a running wheel with a diameter of 16-18 cm. A drinking bowl is required.

In order for newborn cubs to feel comfortable, the temperature in the room is maintained at 21-25 C. The female's cage should be in a quiet place, in the shade. It is equally important to organize. Rodent breeders strive to create ideal conditions for their pets. This serves as a guarantee that the female will not bite her newborn children.

Buying hamsters

To regularly get offspring, you can keep one male and several females. Animals should not be related to each other. They are purchased from professional breeders or at the exhibition.

When buying at a pet store, it is impossible to trace the origin of rodents, then the male and female are bought in different stores.

Preference is given to animals with a friendly character and ideal external data. The female should not be too small: an individual less than 40 years old runs the risk of not giving birth. The same danger threatens an obese hamster.

Avoid not only closely related crossing, but also interspecific. Djungarian hamsters cannot be crossed with. Although these dwarf species very similar to each other and give viable offspring, there is a risk of large fetuses and complications in childbirth (death of the female). Hybrids cannot be judged on conformation at shows as they do not belong to any species. The Campbells are predisposed to diabetes, and pass the disease on to their offspring.

You will have to distinguish between dwarf hamsters on your own: sellers often call both Sungur hamsters and Campbells "Dzhungar" and Sungur hamsters. It is especially easy to confuse them in the standard color. Distinctive feature dzhungarikov - an extension of the black stripe running along the spine, a kind of rhombus on the head.

Pair selection

Dzungaria have a limited number of colors, the most common is natural. The eyes can only be black, unlike the Camps. Breeders managed to get unusual coat colors:

• tangerine (reddish, sandy);
• pearl (white with gray);
• sapphire (gray-blue).

Cubs of a rare color are very much appreciated, but when breeding djungarian hamsters with “colored” fur, you need to know the features of genetics.

You cannot breed two mandarin-colored animals, as they will pass on the lethal gene to their descendants. When mating two "pearls", some of the fruits will also not be viable, so the offspring will be few or completely absent.

The rest of the colors are well combined with each other, giving interesting variations.

Djungarian hamster: breeding

With a group content, hamsters begin to breed already at the age of 4-5 weeks, but mating of such young animals is highly undesirable. The female is bred for the first time at 4-5 months. lasts 18-22 days, after which the female feeds the cubs with milk for 3-4 weeks.
Both gestation and lactation greatly deplete the body. To preserve the health of the mother and obtain a strong offspring, the female is not fertilized for 2-3 months after birth. A hamster will bring 3-6 litters, after which it becomes dangerous to breed her: after a year, the pelvic bones become hard and the female will not be able to give birth.

Breeding hamsters dzhungarikov: arguments against

Less life expectancy

A hamster does not live long without that, and in the case of exhaustion of the body by producing offspring, it is almost half as much. If the pet does not die due to the pathology of childbirth, the breeder keeps a female older than a year old, who can no longer make a profit, until her death.

Less communication

In order not to provoke cannibalism (eating her own cubs), the female needs to provide privacy. During pregnancy, when the animal is preparing a nest, and then during lactation, it is undesirable to pick up the female or disturb it in any other way. This must be taken into account if the rodent belongs to children.

Requires time and financial investment

Dwarf hamsters will grow wild if the young are not tamed. You have to be patient and careful. It takes a lot of time, but it is also necessary to organize feeding, change the water, clean the cages. Reproduction of Djungarian hamsters

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