What makes a breeder responsible?

[Rollin-Daisy]

What do you consider the responsibilities of a good breeder?

When I was around 12 I used to breed hamsters my first litters were inbred untill I was told what that meant and I went in search of an unrelated male for my females. The downsider was that I had all my hamsters around the same age.

My first hamster wendy gave birth moments after I got her in her new cage she was litterally giving birth as she went in! Wendy was a classic syrian colour and remained substantial sized her whole life she was 4 when she passed away. She had 2 sons one I remember was called Chewie and he was a long haired I can't quite remember his colour and his brother who's name escapes me was a long haired pearl colour he they were both handsom and really tame. Chewy and his brother lived together their whole lives without fighting.

Wendys last litter was that of 10 pups all found homes.

[laurajaey]

Someone that has homes available for them to be moved into if they aren't taken off your hands straight away. Also, someone who is prepared to nurse a sick pup throughout the day and night to make sure they're feeding etc. You just have to be caring and know which kinds of hamsters shouldn't breed together for health reasons.. You just have to think about their well being and be prepared!

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

- Someone who has done as much research as possible beforehand, spent time talking to breeders and asking questions, learned the basic genetic formats of the different colours or at least the colours they plan to breed from and the colours of their parents/g.parents.
- Someone who has obtained their hamsters from a safe source ie. an NHC breeder.
- Someone who makes sure they have a hamster with a full pedigree and gets as much information from the original breeder about those hams parents and grandparents.
- Someone who has a vet fund ready for any emergencies
- Someone who has researched what to do in the event a pup gets stuck in the birth canal and what to do if the mother has stillborns
- Someone who has researched the best cage types and has prepared great environments for mother, father and pups.
- Someone who has researched and will take out the time to prepare a wholesome, healthy, nutritious meal for each parent and pup everyday to make sure the parents stay in great condition, the mother can recover more quickly and the pups get a great start in life to grow strong bones and muscles.
- Someone who has a list of homes lined up for the potential pups before they breed the pair.
- Someone who provides all the information needed to the new owners such as which foods to feed, the cage size, how to handle, all the basics and more. I also really respect breeders who ask to see the setup and size of the cage the pup(s) will be going to live in as it shows how much they care about the little ones futures.
- Finally someone who is willing to keep every single pup from the litter if homes cant be found and keep them in suitable conditions with the species who need to be solitary having a correct sized cage each and spare cages ready for the sociable groups in case fighting breaks out and they need to be separated.

In summary someone who puts the welfare of the parents and pups before everything else is a responsible breeder

[Kissa]

Adding to what Erin said, someone who breeds to improve the species and continue good lines, rather than breeding purely because CUTE BABIES! Because yes, cute babies are cute, but there are lots of unwanted hams out there.

[Sandti]

Someone who has throughly done their research on genetics etc instead of just buying two hamsters of the opposite sex, breeding them together and calling themselves a breeder.

[tjherman]

Other, more severe examples include someone who does not knowingly and willingly breed hamsters with genetic disorders or defects.

Someone who does not seek to profit from breeding the animals.

[Mikayla]

Originally Posted by tjherman

Other, more severe examples include someone who does not knowingly and willingly breed hamsters with genetic disorders or defects.

Someone who does not seek to profit from breeding the animals.

Amen brotha!

[kyrilliondaemon]

I think Erin said it all. She said exactly what I think anyway.