" When hamsters have more hamsters.... "

If you do decide to let your hamsters mate, it is important to consider what to do with the baby hamsters because of the short pregnancy period, eager disposition to mate, and early sexual maturity of hamsters.

Breeding Facts of Dwarf Hamsters

Sexual maturity: 8th-9th week of life

Length of estrus: 4 days, every 2 weeks

Breeding starts at: 3rd-4th month

Duration of pregnancy: 19-22 days

Litter size: average of 6 youngs

Time till weaning: 17-21 days

Willing to Mate or Not?

Mating will highly occur for hamster pairs that have been kept together constantly ( since young ). It will be difficult to attempt to mate two hamsters unfamiliar to each other. Some of the tried and tested methods are as follow:

1) Females are ready to mate every 5th or 6th day so introduce both male and female into a neutral environment and observe for mounting. If fighting aggravates, separate and try this the next day ( preferably in evening ).

2) Introduce a young female ( less than 1.5 mths old ) into the cage of the male.

3) For older hamsters, switch cages between the female and male at least for a day to allow the hamsters to pick up each other's scents. Then try to house them in a neutral ground. If its not possible ( due to incessant fighting ), then replace the male into his original cage and introduce the female into his cage.