Curious about breeding

[morg44]

I have a hamster named Dwight, he is a male Chinese Dwarf hamster. I have had him since early October 2011, but he was born sometime in July 2011. I have had him by himself the entire time, but I am interested in purchasing a female. Is this a good idea or a bad one? Dwight is very friendly towards humans, but I don't know how he interacts towards other hamsters... I don't necessarily want to "breed" them, but I would like to purchase another hamster for him to play with and interact with, the breeding would only be if it ended up happening.. I just want to know if it is even a good idea to purchase another hamster or not, because if Dwight and the other hamster do not get along, I will be very upset.. I just don't know if it's worth it. Help?

[souffle]

It is generally accepted that Chinese are pretty much solitary. A hamster Dwight's age will be mature and would not accept a playmate of either sex in my opinion. Females are particularly aggressive with males and can cause terrible injuries so introductions need done carefully and monitored.
I wouldn't worry about him being lonely because this is this species preferred lifestyle and he will be quite happy alone.
If you do intend to breed it is a good idea to research carefully suitable pairings and consider the health of the parents. Chinese can be prone to diabetes and some heart conditions in certain lines.
Welcome to the forum and looking forward to meeting him

[Vectis Hamstery]

Hello to you and your Chinesey Breeding is something you have to be prepared for if you house a male and a female together, and it's worth doing a lot of research as Souff suggested. There's information on the wiki about things to consider about breeding which is a good place to start. Female Chinese can be pretty evil to their boyfriends.

All of my Chinese live alone apart from carefully supervised pairings for mating. I have tried male pairs with limited success (one very lazy pair live together with another breeder, but all of my pairs have been separated, most with no injuries, though one pair had serious but thankfully not life-threatening wounds). To be honest the hams seem quite happy by themselves. If you have questions, either about Chinese breeding or other matters Chinesey, please ask

[morg44]

What if I do not intentionally breed the two, but I just purchase a female to live with Dwight? I don't want either of them to get hurt, but I just love him so much and would really like to purchase another! :P I wouldn't at the risk of his safety, though. I just do not have enough space to have two cages. Also, what about another male? Is there as much of a risk of injury or fighting if I had two males?

[KatiePillow]

If you put a female with a male they WILL breed, unless either is infertile.. so that's not really an option.
Whenever you buy two of any hamster you have to be willing to seperate them, most chinese couplings tend to fall out, so unless you are willing to house them seperately it's best not to risk it.

I know what you mean, I have a single female and she's lovely to watch, but they really are usually best alone.

Male pairings are less likely to fall out, but the risk is still there

[Mikayla]

Also, just thought I'd add. You are from Kansas, which is in America (Yes, I'm a genius, can you tell? ) and therefore he was probably a pet shop hamster. Chinese Hamsters are commonly found to have diabetes and him being a pet shop ham would predispose him to this. He really shouldn't be bred. There are too many what-ifs.

That's my opinion though.

I agree with what the others have said though, just thought I'd mention.

[fluffymunchkins]

If you do not have room for another cage, then you do not have room for another hamster.
Let alone a mixed sex pair that could potentially breed.
When owning pairs you should always be prepared to seperate if things do not work out.

As already said, Dwight will be fine living on his own and to get another would be risking his safety.

[SnickersTheFirst]

Chinese are pretty much solitary anyway so there's no point risking his safety and sticking another hamster with him. Also, if you do not have space for another cage then you don't have space for another hamster.

[Vectis Hamstery]

I agree with the other posters. At Dwight's age he is likely to fight with, and/or breed with, a cagemate regardless of what you intend. He doesn't need a mate or a friend to share his cage with, and if he lives alone there is no risk of him being injured through fighting. I would suggest you enjoy your lovely boy as a solitary snuggly pet.

[morg44]

Thanks guys for all your help! I'll definitely just stick to the one He's great.