i saw on a website and it said that it is bad to breed 2 dwarf hamster siblings...i'm not sure why and if it's true, so can someone confirm this and tell me why?
i also want to know how we should feed newborn hamsters that are just a day old...and does the mother have to feed them, or do we have to give them some extra food?
do they prefer a dark environment, or bright environment?
another thing is that our own hamsters had babies and the mother doesn't seem to be taking very good care of them, is that normal?
sorry for all the questions, but the best answer will be given the points early
2006-12-02 13:57:20 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I wasn't going to answer this one but the answers provided so far are so off the mark, I felt the need to jump in and offer some help.
Casual breeders should never consider breeding direct siblings. Only professionals would consider this type of breeding which is known as line-breeding. Only if you know the genetics of your lines many generations back should you attempt this, and then it's usually breedings between mother and son, or father and daughter. If you are looking for a special trait in your lines, this breeding will bring out the best. If you are a careful breeder you will not end up with deformities, or health problems.
There is no such thing as incest in the animal kingdom. They have no concept of it. Incest is a human term, not an animal term.
You do not have to feed the babies. The mother will do that. Provide her with a good diet and the babies will start nibbling on her food as they are becoming weaned.
Check to see if the babies have a milk band. It's a white splotch under the skin on the left side of their abdomen. It means that there is milk in their tummies. Give mom hammy a little time to settle in with her babies but she should have fed them within 12 hours after birth.
Provide a natural light environment them. That is the light or the dark that comes in from outside. Don't leave light bulbs glaring and don't leave them in glaring sunlight.
Get back to me at spazrats@yahoo.ca if you need more help and I will guide you to a hamster forum or someone with more hamster knowledge then myself.
spazrats
2006-12-02 14:58:22 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You do not want to breed siblings. It passes on any genetic problems to the offsprings. And they are nocturnal creatures meaning they like to sleep in the day and are active at night. They also are mammals so the mother would nurse the babies. You do not feed at this time. Get a book of hamster breeding and care.
2006-12-02 22:00:03 · answer #2 · answered by Sparkles 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No its not good to breed sibling hamsters cause that is like dogs and cats and humans its called insest,,, and you could have some wierd looking hamsters or deformed looking ones,,, no you should just leave them alone dont touch them if you do the mother will not take care of them anymore when we had hamsters we had to move the mom first and then move the babies with gloves,,, also dont feed them anything cause the mom will feed them on her own so just leave them alone for a while untill mom weens them,, after that then you can handle them and get them used to humans but please dont mess with them cause the mother will abandon them if you do they are just like birds and rabbits,,, I have raised many litters of hamsters and i have learned not to touch them at all,,, I hope this helps and if you already have touch them and the mother abandons them then you will want to get an eye dropper and feed them every 2 hours feed them goats milk,,, keep them warm a heat lamp will work great for them,,, I hope this helps and good luck with the new hamsters,,, I hope that the mother takes care of them cause that is alot of work around the clock to feed them and keep them warm...
2006-12-02 22:09:33 · answer #3 · answered by hunter 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ya shouldn't be breedin' hamsters at all.... just log onto the Humane Society's websites and see how many homeless little hamsters there are! :( It's sad.
2006-12-02 22:00:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well like humans if you breed hamsters that are siblings the babies will have genetic problems or defects--hope this helps
2006-12-02 22:00:09 · answer #5 · answered by Mo 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oh go ahead and breed them everyone is lying to u. they just don't want you discovering a new breed. Like one with 6 legs and 3 eyes cuz you'd make a killing. you'd be a genius. do it do it do it!
2006-12-02 22:18:27 · answer #6 · answered by kimmycat 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it's incest dude... humans have laws for this for a reason.
if they have any genetic abnormalities or disease, it will show up in their children.... 3 arms, and one leg etc...
2006-12-02 22:02:09 · answer #7 · answered by professorminh 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's inbreeding and this causes problems.
2006-12-02 22:02:28 · answer #8 · answered by solara 437 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
duh! i always thought that that was common sense! Same gene pool
2006-12-03 01:21:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
wtf?
2006-12-02 22:11:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋