I am considering breeding my female tortoiseshell hamster, any ideas on what to breed her with and ...?

Question

what to do once the hamsters are born? Can someone tell me what I need to do and how to care for the babies?

Answer 1

I am a hamster breeder. If you have questions, or if you want me to take you through it step-by-step, you can contact me (just click on my avatar). There are too many details to put here.

Answer 2

First I would really think about if/why you want to do it. Although they are small animals, and have a relatively short lifespan- they're still living things.

Do not breed them without first knowing you can find homes for the offspring. Also remember that most pet stores have plenty of hamsters and there really isn't much of a reason to breed yours unless you're really into the hobby (I breed mice), which includes knowing a fair bit about genetics. Keep in mind too that the males must be separated from females around weaning age, and then again when they're older as they're all solitary. This would mean possibly over 13 cages if you didn't find homes for them all.

I don't want to be a wet blanket, just make sure to consider the costs and responsibility before doing so. If you do breed them, introduce them first on neutral ground- like in the bathtub (no water!) before putting them into a cage together. It has to be a clean cage, everything including dishes and wheel have to be cleaned to make it a neutral cage to avoid fighting.

I breed mice, not hamsters, so you'll have to look up things like gestation and weaning, but also make sure that you separate her from the male before birth (to avoid cannibalism but also another litter and stress) and also feed her a high-protein diet.

Answer 3

Man....how about an iguana? Now that would be interesting! Let me know how it comes out....