Breeding question

Ericalynn429 · 01-08-2007, 01:35 PM

I have 2 Winter White female hamsters and am considering breeding but not before I am 100% knowledged so I can be a better pet owner and so I can understand everything completly during the process.

I just moved in with my boyfriend and he has a male Dwarf but not sure what exactly he is. Our hamsters look basically identical. I was wondering firstly if its possible for different breeds to mate and if so, is it a good idea? I know different breeds have different tendancies and protocols on what you should and shouldn't do during a pregnancy. As with Winter Whites, I know you would leave the male in the cage with them and also I believe that I would remove the other female from the cage when I decide to mate them, is this correct?

A big concern I have is the worry that they will mate right after the babies are born and a couple of weeks later.. I have an abundance of hamsters lol. I want what's best so I dont want to over do it!!! I know the male is supposed to remain with mom and babies so how do I prevent them from mating during this time when they need him?

Any other useful advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

SnuggleHam · 01-08-2007, 02:34 PM

I'm not particularly experienced in breeding hamsters, so I don't really want step in here and say to much on the topic, Hopefully one of the more experienced breeders on the forum will have some light to shed.

I know the interbreeding to create hybrids seems to be looked down on in the hamster enthusiast community for many valid reasons. I found a link that might be helpful to you about breeding different species...

http://www.petwebsite.com/interb.htm

But to give an quick overview of this article some of the cons of interbreeding species are..

~ Loss of babies due to size difference in the hybrids and species of mother.

~Often the hybrids produced from breeding Campbells and Winter Whites together are infertile.

~Although the two species have many similarities they do not occupy the same ranges in the wild and so no interbreeding of the two species occurs in the wild. Therefore interbreeding the two in captivity is unnatural.

In would help if we could see pictures of the male dwarf hamster you are unsure about. Im sure we would be able to tell you what species he is with a clear photo.

Another question you should ask yourself is.. why do you want to breed the hamsters? Are you doing it for the betterment of the species, to create a more healthy and resilient line, or just for the fun of trying?

I wouldn't really recommend breeding unless there is a strong goal and commitment to it. If you do you will have to be prepared for extra "unplanned" litters and have the space and extra cages available to you.

Also, keep in mind that there are lots of hamsters that are in shelters and rescue organizations in need of homes. You will need to take the time to make sure these new little pets are re-homed permanently. I'm sure you wouldn't want to add to the problem of homeless hams.

And welcome to the forum by the way!

**babyboos** · 01-08-2007, 04:58 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum
enjoy having your two girls for now and maybe see if you have a hamster club nearby where you can get to know some experienced breeders with good quality stock.

Ericalynn429 · 01-08-2007, 06:21 PM

Okay we took him down to 2 different petstores just so we could have an acurate say on what he is

They both told us he was a chinese dwarf and the 2nd place directed us so they could show us a comparison and thats what he is!

We deff have the space and already have 8 homes lined up for them. I have pre-planned this already as far as homes go thats why i was wondering if their was anyway to prevent them from mating during the time that the dad is needed.

So im assuming since they arnt the same, this would be a bad idea to breed them and to cage them together?

i will be doing some research. Hopefully ill get a response in the meantime to help me out!

souffle · 01-09-2007, 03:47 AM

If the male has a little tail that it can curl around you fingers then it is a Chinese. Male Chinese are very obviously male as they have very large and noticeable testicles. If he does not have these he is most likely a she!

You should definitely NOT attempt to breed these hamsters together.

You should also not attempt to breed hybrids. This is not good practice. It is possible to breed Campbell's and winter whites but this can result in loss of the mother due to pup size and shape and also in genetic deformities.

If you introduce a pair of females it may work out and they may live together suckling each others young etc. You must wait till the females at at least 4 months before introduction and no older than about 8-9months.

The females will mate again immediately after giving birth so within one season you can end up with many, many babies. It is also unfair on the mother to expect her to produce litter after litter. You will need to separate them before she gives birth therefore though often it is hard for the novice to tell if the female is pregnant and you may miss this and have babies and remating occur.

Often once the male is removed he will not be re-accepted back or the females may start to fight thus you need numerous cages, like minimum one each for adults in case they fight plus cages for male and female pups up to 10 weeks or so plus any you cant home.

Be sure you can afford vet bills in case things go wrong, plus the feeding and extra bedding of two or more litters. Remember they can have around 10 each so you are talking a lot of hammies. If you choose to mate only one of the females you are unlikely to be able to put her back with the other one after her litter.

It is a big undertaking and a responsibility. You must have a clear plan and know what you are doing. Where are you? If in the UK I would suggest you try to attend a show and speak to some experienced breeders and acquire some good quality, sound stock. Breeding pet shop animals is often not a good idea as you do not know their backgrounds and they could carry some hidden genetic problems. Bear in mind that it is often more difficult to home dwarf species as they are not quite as easy pets for children as syrians. Good luck and think very carefully.

Here is a link to help you identify your type
http://www.midlandhamsterclub.co.uk/

At the page bottom you will find info on the different types of hamster.

SnuggleHam · 01-09-2007, 05:45 AM

I admit I'm a bit concerned here Ericalynn.... I would really like to see a picture for myself of the two females you own and the male your boyfriend owns...this story doesn't seem to add up very well.

In your original post you said you had two WW females and that you weren't sure of the male hamster, but that it looked "basically identical" If what these pet stores say is true... a Chinese hamster and a winter white look completely different! Anyone should be able to see it.

Here are some pictures of WW.

Now here are pictures of Chinese hamsters

Its seems to me you are saying you want to breed your WW females with this Chinese male? You should absolutely not interbreed these two species. The Chinese hamster is not even technically a Dwarf Hamster, but a member of the "mouse-like" hamster genus.

I wouldn't listen to pet stores about anything, they tend to know nothing about the animals they sell. But if your male hamster looks the same as the Chinese hamster in the picture above then they were right about his species.

souffle · 01-09-2007, 08:38 AM

As Candace says Chinese are very different from Winter Whites. The big giveaway is the tail which is semi-prehensile and quite long and can curl round things. You can bearly see the tail in the other dwarf species. You would not be able to breed a chinese to a WW as they would not mate however they may fight to the death. It is not necessary to leave the male in with the female and pups as she can raise the litter quite well on her own.
The winter whites in summer coat can look quite sandy brown. Here is an Argente campbells dwarf that we have. He is quite elderly so is faded a bit now
Spud

Ericalynn429 · 01-10-2007, 08:08 PM

hmmm odd..he doesnt have a tail and doesnt look like the picture that is shown. Petsmart ( a large petsore in the US) has been irritating me with mixing up signs and genders and what not. I dont even know if i have winter white females anymore. My two resemble winter whites but one of them has a pinkish color with red eyes. SHe was in the same cage as my grey, black, and white "winter white". I dont know.

Maybe my bfs hamster is the result of a succesful hybrid mating? He rescued him and they didnt have any information on him... SO we were going by what he mostly looks like.

As far as mating them, we will not. But we would like to know what our hamsters are!!

Ill take some pics with my cell phone and unpload them on the computer. Hopefully they won't come out crappy so that i can get a better understanding of what they are

souffle · 01-11-2007, 02:03 AM

Sounds like you are being very wise in not breeding them. You are doing what is best in their interests. Try and get some pictures and we will see if we can work out the type

SnuggleHam · 01-11-2007, 05:35 AM

Yes pictures! This has become a mystery to me, I'm anxious to know just what they look like! I look forward to seeing them!