There is a small risk in buying female hamsters. There are stories of people who bring a hammie home only to find a couple weeks later she was pregnant! You need to think about what you are going to do if that happens. Can you return mom and litter to the seller if you are not equipted to care for hamster babies? Raising a litter is a lot of time, work and money. The population of most pets is far too high. A major factor in over-population is careless owners; owners that do not spay or neuter their cats and dogs, owners who allow their hamsters to breed carelessly. That is why I do not condone breeding. There are too many animals at Humane Societies and Rescues. That being said the following is some basic information on breeding. A hamster carries her litter for about 16 to 20 days. They generally give birth to six or seven young. Wild females usually have two litters a year, but they may give birth as often as once a month in captivity. This is not healthy. You should not touch newborn hammies until their eyes are open. Babies are completely helpless and are cared for by the mother during this three week period. At that time, the babies need to be seperated from mom and put into two cages; one for the males, one for the females. |
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