Breeding Roborovski's??

[SnuggleHam]

I am really interested in breeding my little robos, I got a good look at them from under the tank while they were digging and both parts look the same and I believe they are female as the "parts" and close together and theor nipples show easily.



I’m wondering though, since they are communal, do males need to be introduced to the females at once while they are all young? Is it possible to introduce one or two males into a colony of females or will they fight?



In this case should I just introduce one male and female together? Iv read some stuff but this part seems unclear? In one book I have it says to introduce the male and once mating occurs remove the male the exception being the communal species the male can be left in?

[babyboos]

I would tend to try pair breeding before colony breeding to be honest Candace. Of course it is up to you but here is one suggested plan... :P



If you are serious about breeding then get two males (preferably older than the females) and introduce them using which ever method you prefer - split cage etc. into two seperate enclosures, and see how it goes from there. Others may suggest different, this is just what my experiences have taught me. Younger males can hopefully be used if you get them quite soon.



Of course this would mean you have two breeding pairs so maybe you are best to get another female (from the original litter if possible) and a new older, unrelated male, and thereby have a pair of same sex hamsters and your breeding pair...



And then at the end of the day you may end up with a huge fight on your hands and need seperate enclosures for one, or worst case, all of them...



I was a little worried to hear of the goings on with your little girls. Keep a close eye on their back-ends as this is where damage seems to first show up when they fall out. Removing them from their small petshop enclosure, and the supressing presence of their other litter mates, and giving them such a lovely big tank will unfortunately also mean their little personalities get a chance to develop, and like all true siblings they don't always get on when this happens... Try giving them two of everything - two houses, wheels, food bowls, water bottles etc. and see how they go.

[SnuggleHam]

Thanks for the reply Babyboos,



I recently found someone in New Hampshire US that has a pair of robos that she is hoping will soon have a littler with the coming of spring and Id like to get one from her when they are ready to leave home.



As I said in another post I think they may both be males, but from reading what you had to say about sexing I’m still not really sure. The two of them sometimes sleep in the igloo together and other times I find one sleeping away from the nest. They get along fine when they are both awake and running around the tank, it seems they just get moody about who’s sleeping where.



I did buy another place for one to sleep in, a little wooden house incase it gets kicked out, and Iv seen a ham in there now and again sleeping.



Do you think if I did take good pictures you may be able to tell their gender?

[babyboos]

Possibly although I would be worried about stressing them out trying to get the photographs - I think I rememeber you saying you saw nipples before so I would say they are definitely female as males don't have nipples, instead they have a scent gland in the middle of their tummies, and if you press ever so lightly on the genital area the penis should either grow or little tresticles can usually be discerned.