How many litters in a hammies life?

Teddy_and_nelly · 03-27-2016, 03:27 AM

A question to hamster breeders / hobby breeders out there:

How many times did your female deliver litters? Ive heard from some breeders that they send their hammy into retirement after two delivered and raised litters?

How much time did you allow your female to recover after weaning her litter before she was mated once again?

How many litters does an average syrian hamster have in the wilderness in a lifetime?

Thanks already for your replies

Vectis Hamstery · 03-27-2016, 04:21 AM

Most of my girls have one litter. Some have two if there's a good reason and they were good mums the first time. Three would be the absolute upper limit for me (and not something I'd do often). I haven't yet had any reason to have three with one girl - even using different males I'd have a lot of related pups which would limit my future breeding plans, and the girl would have to be really amazing quality and a fabulous mum.

The amount of time to recover depends on how many pups my girls had and what their condition is. I've waited somewhere between 3 and 5 months, less for my Chinese ham who had only one pup and more for a Syrian girl who had 8 big greedy pups (she went to another hamstery for her second litter).

Nancy's Hamsters · 03-27-2016, 06:50 AM

Mine average 1 to 2 litters. I only raise Syrians so a lot depends on their age for the first litter too. For those females that need maturing time and have their first litter at 8 months I seldom get a 2nd litter of them. Those which have pups at a younger adult age can if I like what they produced be bred a 2nd time to a different male.

Time between litters is not a fixed amount of time as each Female differs on how quick they recover from a litter and return to a proper condition to have a 2nd litter.

Very, very rarely will I breed for a 3rd litter as it is very stressing on the females system to even have one litter let alone three.

Teddy_and_nelly · 03-27-2016, 12:10 PM

Thanks for your replies.
Two litters in a lifetime sounds very reasonable for such tiny delicate animals.
Does anyone know how many times syrian hamsters reproduce in freedom?

Mama2six · 03-27-2016, 06:43 PM

I plan on 1-3. I have not actually had a 3rd yet, because it is hard to fit in with a 2-3 month break, and if a litter doesn't take, that is pretty much limits it to 2 anyway. I do have 2 planned 3rds this spring/summer though.

I do not know how many litters they have in the wild, but I would imagine it is more than responsible hamsters attempt breeding.