Hamsters have a high reproductive capacity, so if you don’t have enough energy to take care of them, don’t blindly let hamsters breed. If you have extra time and facilities, you can try to breed hamsters yourself. If you have friends who like hamsters, you can give them as gifts.
First, buy the hamster to be cultivated
Choose the hamster you want and buy a male or female pair or several pairs. Buying a hamster from a breeder is the best option because you have more room to choose between colors and species, as well as a better understanding of how your hamster is being fed. Also be sure to be a healthy hamster, make sure their eyes are clean and bright, their fur is soft and smooth, and they look active and comfortable where they live.
Get a rat cage, water bottles, food utensils, hamster food, medicines, and anything else you might need.
- Feeding accurately
After our hamsters were brought home, they were left alone for a few days to get used to the unfamiliar environment. Don’t touch them or take them out, but make sure you have enough food at home to allow them to adjust to their new environment. It is best to start feeding them a day after you bring them to their new home.
- Waiting to grow up and mature
After that, it is well reared and then waits for its estrus, when the hamsters grow to 28 days, they will reach the stage of sexual maturity. Female rats come into heat about every four days. When a female rat is in heat, she may very much resemble a cat in heat, squatting low or even sticking to the ground and raising her tail, you may find that she has a stronger smell than usual.
Do not keep males and females together when the females are not in heat, as the two may conflict. When we plan to breed them, put the two cages next to each other for a few days so they can see and get acquainted with each other.
When the female rat is in heat, put the female rat into the male rat’s cage. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, so it is best in the evening. Put them in a new cage and wait until they get to know them and start mating. If estrus is missed, wait a few days until the female is in heat again.
how to breed hamsters
It is best not to close the cage when not in heat
Once mating is successful, separate the two. Then wait, at this time, you need to watch the process patiently. If a female rat is pregnant, she will show signs after a while, and when she is about to give birth, she will have very prominent “saddle pouches” on either side of her abdomen. We don’t have to do anything special to keep them alive, other than to feed them properly.
The female rat can become particularly restless when it is about to give birth. It circles the cage, collecting food and building materials. Parturition will then begin, and while the female is giving birth, do not attempt to interfere or assist her in any way. Production, especially for the first time, is often very difficult for female rats, and we may cause trouble if we help randomly. It is best to let it go.
We had to be very careful not to disturb the females during the birth and for the next few days. If it leaves the mice in the cage, we don’t touch them either. If you have to do this for some reason, rub the spoon in the sawdust and scoop up the pups and put them back in the nest.
Let the mother mouse breastfeed for three weeks without disturbing, and you can temporarily leave the cage uncleaned during this time. Leave the mothers, especially the pups, on their own, except be careful to top up with food and water. This is especially important for first-time mothers, who may kill or even eat their own offspring if they are in a state of anxiety. If a female rat takes mice in her mouth, don’t think she’s going to eat them. It does this when it is frightened and thinks they are in danger. The mice can then be separated from their mothers when they are a little older.