Hello, I'm thinking about breeding my Chinese hamster.. I have a few questions

[Elbatgirl]

I'm in it more for the experience, I love animals and after my mouse got pregnant and I loved raising the babies until they went to their new homes!

How would I go about finding homes for the babies? Preferably sold so I can get money back for the food and stuff.

Is there a place I can buy the supplies in packs? Like food bowls, water bottles, cages/ tanks, bedding and food?

I'd like to go and buy a girl as young as I can find with a good calm personality.. I don't plan on starting if with more than one litter right away

[souffle]

Chinese hamsters and mice are a totally different kettle of fish. Mice will tolerate human interaction with their babies however Chinese will not and it may result in the mother killing the young.
Chinese are likely the trickiest to breed and there are many health issues to consider. Buying from a pet shop you may end up with hamsters with diabetes in their genes or other problems. You must ensure you have a compatible pair and that you can safely keep all hamsters individually. If you need to sell them to pay for raising then just don't even think about it. It costs far more to raise a litter than you can ever gain from breeding and you MUST have a large vet fund in case anything goes wrong.
Vectis is very experienced in breeding Chinese and recently sadly lost a pregnant mother. Vet bills can be very high for exotics and if the animals need care you must provide it.
There is some good info here on considerations to make:
Breeding Chinese Hamsters - Vectis Hamstery and Exotics

[Elbatgirl]

Originally Posted by souffle

Chinese hamsters and mice are a totally different kettle of fish. Mice will tolerate human interaction with their babies however Chinese will not and it may result in the mother killing the young.
Chinese are likely the trickiest to breed and there are many health issues to consider. Buying from a pet shop you may end up with hamsters with diabetes in their genes or other problems. You must ensure you have a compatible pair and that you can safely keep all hamsters individually. If you need to sell them to pay for raising then just don't even think about it. It costs far more to raise a litter than you can ever gain from breeding and you MUST have a large vet fund in case anything goes wrong.
Vectis is very experienced in breeding Chinese and recently sadly lost a pregnant mother. Vet bills can be very high for exotics and if the animals need care you must provide it.
There is some good info here on considerations to make:
Breeding Chinese Hamsters - Vectis Hamstery and Exotics

I realize that they differ when it comes tO breeding them. Obviously I've read up on it and will continue doing research. And despite your eagerness to comment your opinion you didn't answer my questions. Like I said it's the EXPERIENCE I'm after and payment would be PREFERABLE. I don't mind spending the money.

[souffle]

I'm sorry you having taken offence at my comments however I can't actually see any problem with my response!
As I am not in the USA I can't really comment on supplies as I am in the UK.
With regard to finding homes this is something that is important to consider. Most people breeding will find a responsible pet shop to take their excess stock. Advertising on free sites like Craigs List and similar can be risky.
We find homes in the UK by word of mouth and through hamster clubs and sometimes with a small ad in the local shop near a school. All potential homes are closely vetted.
You need to test both parents for diabetes over a number of weeks before breeding obviously. Chinese are not everyones cup of tea (though we love them) and are harder to home than Syrians. They are more 'mouse like' and much more shy so not so good as children's pets normally.
If you want the experience, have the time, space and money and a source of healthy animals to breed from then I wish you luck.

[flogging_molly]

I have previously bred every variety of hamster except chinese, Vectis hamstery seems very knowledgeable on the chinese and should be along to answer specisics about breeding chinese.

Breeding hamsters is something that needs lots of consideration, where the babies will go, what you will do with them if they can't be homed, do you have enough space to separately house them until they are homed. It's great that you want to do it for the experience but as for getting enough money to pay for their upkeep you may well get money to put towards upkeep, housing and vet bills but if something crops up like an ill hamster etc then it's always a good idea to also have a back up fund to pay for vets or housing because for ex 2 males decide they don't want to live together....

Start by finding out what kind of demand there is for the hamster you want to breed, are there a lot of hamster breeders in your area do they have trouble finding homes for their young? (for example here in scotland there's hardly anyone who breeds winter whites but quite a bit of demand for them)

There may be somewhere you can buy pre made packs of food, homes etc but as far as I'm aware thats a very costly thing to do, your best bet is to buy your food in bulk, second hand cages or making bin cages can be a good way of getting extra supplies for a hamstery. If its packs for potential homes you are after you are looking at probably the equivalent of $40-$60 dollars for that just to break even before you include the hamster so have a think again about whether there would a demand for that. Always supply babies with care sheets and change over food to ease the transition (this can also cost but is well worth it to establish yourself as a reputable breeder) be prepared to take back any hamsters which new owners no longer want and arrange for them to be rehomed or be able to house them with your own.

As for finding a young female thats a good idea, try your local breeders, never breed from pet shop or rescue animals, that will also give you a good opportunity to ask them the above things I mentioned about the demand for chinese hamsters and some great advice on breeding too.

[Elbatgirl]

Originally Posted by flogging_molly

I have previously bred every variety of hamster except chinese, Vectis hamstery seems very knowledgeable on the chinese and should be along to answer specisics about breeding chinese.

Breeding hamsters is something that needs lots of consideration, where the babies will go, what you will do with them if they can't be homed, do you have enough space to separately house them until they are homed. It's great that you want to do it for the experience but as for getting enough money to pay for their upkeep you may well get money to put towards upkeep, housing and vet bills but if something crops up like an ill hamster etc then it's always a good idea to also have a back up fund to pay for vets or housing because for ex 2 males decide they don't want to live together....

Start by finding out what kind of demand there is for the hamster you want to breed, are there a lot of hamster breeders in your area do they have trouble finding homes for their young? (for example here in scotland there's hardly anyone who breeds winter whites but quite a bit of demand for them)

There may be somewhere you can buy pre made packs of food, homes etc but as far as I'm aware thats a very costly thing to do, your best bet is to buy your food in bulk, second hand cages or making bin cages can be a good way of getting extra supplies for a hamstery. If its packs for potential homes you are after you are looking at probably the equivalent of $40-$60 dollars for that just to break even before you include the hamster so have a think again about whether there would a demand for that. Always supply babies with care sheets and change over food to ease the transition (this can also cost but is well worth it to establish yourself as a reputable breeder) be prepared to take back any hamsters which new owners no longer want and arrange for them to be rehomed or be able to house them with your own.

As for finding a young female thats a good idea, try your local breeders, never breed from pet shop or rescue animals, that will also give you a good opportunity to ask them the above things I mentioned about the demand for chinese hamsters and some great advice on breeding too.

Right now I'm finding at least 10 people to have a home for them just in case some of them fall through for any reason. I'm not concerned about the money would just like to get some of the money back, if not that's okay too. I have enough cages but I'd rather clean my male hamsters tanks and have that as her home for the babies so it's safer. I'm doing loads of research on them and I always have a friend who worked at a pet shop that would breed their animals in case I need help with anything! Thank you for the reply

[Elbatgirl]

Originally Posted by souffle

I'm sorry you having taken offence at my comments however I can't actually see any problem with my response!
As I am not in the USA I can't really comment on supplies as I am in the UK.
With regard to finding homes this is something that is important to consider. Most people breeding will find a responsible pet shop to take their excess stock. Advertising on free sites like Craigs List and similar can be risky.
We find homes in the UK by word of mouth and through hamster clubs and sometimes with a small ad in the local shop near a school. All potential homes are closely vetted.
You need to test both parents for diabetes over a number of weeks before breeding obviously. Chinese are not everyones cup of tea (though we love them) and are harder to home than Syrians. They are more 'mouse like' and much more shy so not so good as children's pets normally.
If you want the experience, have the time, space and money and a source of healthy animals to breed from then I wish you luck.

It's fine I know it's not a joke I'm doing research on it, I have the space and the money and I'm currently finding homes and extra homes in case those don't work out. I've found a pet store that breeds them and agreed to hold one for me until she is about 4 months and they also said they will make sure she's healthy beforehand. (My friend used to work there so I trust the manager)

[Vectis Hamstery]

Chinese hamsters are a lovely species, and while breeding them can bring a lot of joy in improving the species and helping others find healthy tame pets, it also carries with it a lot of difficult decisions and, at times, heartache. When thinking of intentionally breeding, you need to be prepared for losing pups, potentially losing the mums too, high vet bills, dealing with challenging people seeking hamsters (and saying no if a home isn't right, even if it means keeping the baby yourself). In my opinion, if I bring a hamster into this world on purpose, then I am responsible for it for the rest of its life - if an owner can't keep a hamster I bred then it always has a home here. No Vectis hamster should ever end up in a rescue, even if that hamster is 1 or 2 years old.

When breeding, I would agree on focussing first on health, then temperament and then improving the species in terms of body shape etc. I would suggest looking at the Chinese hamster standards even though you are not breeding to show. These standards were set out taking into account the health of the hamster, particularly in terms of the body and head shape. Even if you are breeding 'for the experience', I would suggest also aiming to improve the species - narrow mousey heads don't leave a lot of space for the brain or eyes. If a hamster is not suitable for mating, e.g. due to temperament or health, then you will need to prepare to keep them, even if they aren't adding to your line. It's frustrating but saves a lot of heartache later. As has been mentioned, I would agree with the advice to test breeding pairs for diabetes prior to mating as well as all pups before rehoming.

You mentioned a pet shop keeping a female until she is 4 months old for you. I'm not sure I understood clearly why you planned that. Personally I like to have girls with me from youngsters so I can monitor their growth, temperament and health myself as well as ensure they are fed to optimise these.

There are various ways of practically mating Chinese hamsters and I'm not sure which you intend. I pair up just for mating using a modified carrier method, but others use long term pairs (which I have done in the past) or colony breeding (which I have not done).

One of your questions was about rehoming Chinese hamsters. They can be more tricky to rehome than Syrians as they are less well-known and more mousey. I would never advertise babies free to good home, but charging for them is unlikely to recover the costs of feeding them and housing them (I measured the food for one litter of Chinese hams - they ate 300g food per day plus extras!). I find a rehoming application screens out many of the people who aren't serious. Some people advertise on free-ad sites, but you will need to word your advert to attract those who are suitable and be prepared to deal with people who may be challenging.

As you are planning a single litter of Chinese hamsters, I would not expect you to need bulk buying of supplies like cages or bottles. Chinese litters are usually 1-6 pups. Substrate intended for horses often comes in large bales and is absorbent (e.g. aubiose, megazorb). Food bowls are not essential as I scatter feed pairs/pups/mums to prevent arguing or babies getting stuck in the bowl.

Good luck.

[HollyHamster]

First of all, its very VERY important to have an in depth knowledge about Chinese hamster genetics. That means studying about phenotypes and genotypes and family lineage and such.

I am not all that familiar with Chinese hamster genetics, but I do know that any hamster you get from a pet store is most likely going to be a poor choice for breeding.

Why? Well, when breeding any diabetic prone hamster, its IMPERATIVE to choose breeding stock that is healthy and doesn't have diabetes running through their lines. Most hamsters you get in the pet stores have terrible genetics and are most likely already diabetic. Its really unfair to the future pups to breed diabetic hams to one another and continue the lines with such a disease being prominent.

I know that the temptation to see cute little babies is strong, and it might seem like a great idea to gain experience, but breeding isn't something that should be taken lightly. A lot could go wrong, including the death of the female during birth, which could have easily been avoided if she hadn't been pregnant in the first place.

Here are some links I think you should read:

Think Before You Breed!

Loss of a Mamma-ham *Warning: upsetting topic and pics*