breeding to show

[lucycp]

just have afew questions for people who do this.
firstly do hamsters get stressed with all the crowds at shows?

do you all drive? lol strange question but i dont so my only option is train and somehow i dont think that would work haha

what first made you want to breed/show?

would it be wise (if i went through with it) to start off small eg 1 male/1 female and see how it goes with the first litter etc... then if i decide its not for me i havent overloaded myself?

anyway sorry for the questions

[kyrilliondaemon]

I can't answer all of these because I don't breed and only enter pet class, but...

Most hams sleep all day. Some hams dislike it but those just retire after a single show or two.

I drive but I do know people who get to shows by train

We want to go to shows bcause pet class is fun and we love seeing everyone else and the hams and stuff - plus Scamp actually enjoys it lol, Fwirl benefits a lot from going and those are the only two we've taken so far.

Yeah, I'd start off with one litter. I know someone who had a devastating time with her first litter and has since chosen to stop breeding. Its best to be sure before having more litters really.

[vanilla-yazoo]

I enter main and pet
i often leave at 3-4 AM to bus into london, then catch the early trains out to get to shows, and often narrowly miss the 9pm benching times.

the main class hamsters are not disturbed in any way other then by the judge and stewards, so they have an easy time and sleep most of it.
pet class you are allowed to handle your hamster (most shows) up untill judging, then after it can be nice, and its lovely to meet friends hamsters, but some do get iritable (my hush puppy is NOT a happy bunny if too many people touch her, she's mummys baby)

If you have read up and know everything you need to know, choose a colour
the best start colours would be cinnamon, golden or cream, as they have long show lives, and can branch to other colours.
I do warn you, its not fun and games. Its heartbreaking, stressful, brings you to tears and smiling with joy. think very carefully before doing it.

I would recomend going to a show or two, talk to breeders, look at the main class, see what the hamsters score, get used to what the colours should look like, then pick something you feel is right on the sales table
i tend to go for those who pull the heart strings then the best looker tho XD

[souffle]

We started small and aim to remain small regardless of how well out hamsters do in shows. Our main aim is health and temperament of our hamsters and first and foremost they are pets before show animals.
Any hamster that does not seem happy in a show pen we just would retire. That would mean a hamster who bar chewed all day or was very unsettled when we got them home becoming jumpy or scared in the cage. We
do let them try the show pen at home and also the judging grid and see how they seem.
Most hamsters happily sleep all day and are not bothered in the slightest by the travel or being at the show. They are well looked after by the pen stewards.
I drive but I do not travel far for shows. Petrol is too pricey just now!
I know several people though who use trains and buses and as long as you only have a few then you will be fine carrying them. You can buy show pen carriers which are handy.
My advice would actually be to start off with only one female. Decide what you want and what colour / coat type you would like to achieve then book a female from a hamstery that you like the look of the animals they breed and ask them to reserve a female for you. You may need to wait. Once you have her then you can show her for a few months and find out her strengths and weaknesses and then ask to borrow a suitable stud male to compliment her so that hopefully the pups will be better than both parents.
When you have the litter you can keep one or two pups at the most I would say. We tend to keep males as they can be bred much longer than females. When your original female reaches retirement age then you can buy in a new female to compliment your male and breed them therefore keeping your line going via the male line and outcrossing to unrelated females.
Just because you keep one, if it is not the best you hoped for don't be tempted to breed from it. You may be able to borrow back a better brother to breed instead.
Be sure to have researched closely and be aware what you are doing and how hard it can be to rehome babies you breed. You also need to take any back that the owners cannot keep to be responsible.
Join one of the clubs and chat, chat, chat and get involved. I'm sure you will learn lots that way. Good luck and hope that helps.

[lucycp]

ah thank you all so much, that info is great. obviously i have alot to think about but you've definitely helped!

[Pearl Hamletry]

Hello All -

There isn't many shows in the United States so although I breed according to show standards I do not show. There is also the added risk of subjecting your ham to different illnesses and then bring that home to the rest of your crew.

If one does decide to show their ham(s) they should make sure to quarantine them for at least 2 weeks afterwards if they have other hamsters, just to make sure if anything is transmitted that it is only transmitted to the ham(s) that were in the show.