I think Chinese are solitary?

[Bunsey]

i've never had a male but i am 100% convinced that the females are solitary. they act like syrian hamsters in that they are very protective of their territory, see their space as their own and are very particular about it. i can't see either of my ladies wanting a cage mate. i think they would hate that. their cages are their palaces and don't want anyone messing with them. it's hard to say exactly how they're clearly solitary, but i can just tell. chinese act like syrians, not like dwarves.

[Matty Day]

i have 2 females and they get on fine i think it depends of charcter however mine are only 7 weeks old yet.

a questoin for some one im thinking of breeding and have a male lined up would it be safe to introduce them now. and is it ok to breed in a trio. or is a pair better? or should i just for get it ?

[Christine Yule]

Originally Posted by Matty Day

i have 2 females and they get on fine i think it depends of charcter however mine are only 7 weeks old yet.

a questoin for some one im thinking of breeding and have a male lined up would it be safe to introduce them now. and is it ok to breed in a trio. or is a pair better? or should i just for get it ?

Hi Matt,

Breeding any kind of hamster is huge undertaking. There are many things that need to be considered before you decide to do it. Things like possible Vet bills, suitable cages for pups, finding good homes, and all the things you need to know to make sure the mom and pups are safely bred.

I hope you research this thoroughly. You can find good information on this forum and the Hamster Forum. (I think that is what it is called)

[souffle]

Your females are way too young yet Matt. You need to take account of lots of things before you breed hamsters especially Chinese which can be hard to home as they are not as popular as the other types. The females need to be at least 4 months before you put a male in. I have given you a contact in your other post.
If I were you I would forget it for now until you have more experience. Do you know the genetic background of the females so you are sure the do not carry any heredititory diseases etc?

[babyboos]

I used to colony breed Chinese but I have found modern Chinese are less and less tolerant of their own kind - maybe something to do with inbreeding? I am not positive but they are certainly far more aggressive than they used to be. I would buy a spare cage (second hand if need be) or have a underbed storage container in a safe place just in case they do get more territorial as they mature - 2 males usually live better together than males, but sisters can live together somtimes - however - add a male and it will end in tears and you will almost definitely require 3 cages, one each. If I were to breed Chinese now I would be tempted to do it the Syrian method. These guys are sadly prone to be unexpectedly pretty viscious and can fatally wound a cagemate in seconds, so do keep a close eye on them.

[lau200]

i have only had the two chinese so far, one of each gender. Chan, my male who died in march was famous in our house for being vicious! he was really good with people, would let anyone hold him and never bit me ever....but with other animals was a different story! when he was younger someone let him get a little too close to my campbells Viktor (who passed away in April) and he bit him on the foot. until the day he died, almost 3 years later, Viktor still had a red mark on his foot to mark the bite wound! Chan is also famous for swiping at my sister's (large) pet rat and he also went for my chinchilla! he was extremerly territorial and Su-Lin, my female is showing signs of being the same. if she sees Silas my gerbil, who's tank is close by she climbs up the bars showing her teeth! but again she seems to like humans! i do find them similar to syrians in that respect as Bunsey said