[Nancy's Hamsters]

My wise and very professional Mentor told this to anyone thinking about breeding hamsters in the USA.
" It cost just as much to breed cute hamsters with no pedigree and no known background who could possibly end up with major health issues and very short lived lives as it does to raise pedigreed hamsters who are just as cute but have a known history and sound health record and live far longer lives."

Though it isn't always a bad event when starting from Unknown history stock you are always risking a hidden health problem which may end your breeding program in one fell swoop. Being a responsible Hobby breeder means your major goal will be to breed quality Hamsters with great temperaments, sound health, and long lived. To meet these major few goals you almost have to breed for a hamster that could be entered in a show and have a good chance of winning.

I've lived through having a Beautiful Male whom was pet store bought and was a Satin Ghost Yellow Black. I made a novice mistake of using only him for breeding to about 10 different females. ALL my breeders with the Yellow gene were his descendants. Until I started breeding his offspring to 1/2 siblings I didn't know the original male had a serious and genetic inherited Heart defect which killed his male pups dead in their sleep when their heart literally burst and the hamster bled out in a matter of seconds at or between 6 weeks to 6 months.

I take my sales seriously and notified every buyer of this males offspring and any hamster with this male in their pedigree of the issue found. I ended up refunding several buyers who had already lost their hamster to this inherited issue, and letting others keep their hamster and notifying me when it passed away and then offering them a replacement hamster, or a refund.

That was easy what was hard is totally removing every yellow gene hamster from my breeding program and waiting and watching to see who was dead in the nest next. Then it was what do I do with the Females who don't seem effected but when bred had all their male pups dead in the nest within 6 weeks to 6 months?

I had a great friend who gave a few of the girls a nice pet home but the pain of all those beautiful pups being born with a genetic defect, which had the male come from a pedigreed breeder would not have had the problem as it would have been found before I got him.

So the moral is it cost the same to raise unknown health and longevity pups as it does Pedigreed with known history of good health and long lives and it is a whole bunch less hassles and heart aches for both buyer and breeder.