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Old 04-02-2016, 04:22 PM  
WinnieTheHam
Autumn Hamstery
 
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Leeds, England.
Posts: 1,527
Default Re: Thinking about breeding

Yep, research is key. I don't advise to go into breeding until you're completely confident you know as much as you can, and that you're prepared. You will probably find more questions to ask along the way, which is why it's good to have a mentor as Nancy said.

You might have read this already but thought I'd post it here incase you haven't. It states some very good points - Think Before You Breed!. In my first litter, 8 out of 10 pups died just before their eyes were about to open. If that happened to you, could you cope with that? I thought I was prepared for this, as I've dealt with similar situations in the past, although not to this extent. When it came to it, it was actually quite difficult for me, even though I thought I was 100% prepared for everything. It's always a possibility, and even worse things can happen. So just bare that in mind.

Some info on breeding Syrian hamsters by NHC - https://hamsters-uk.org/content/view/76/64/

Some info on Genetics - Genetics and Inheritance

It does take some time to understand genetics. It is important though, as ghostinsnow said, there are a couple of lethal genes, and some that give slight deformities. This is why starting with simple, common colours is the best way ahead. Cream based colours are the safest. Also, there are more complicated genetics than others.
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Last edited by WinnieTheHam; 04-02-2016 at 04:32 PM.
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