1: BREEDING SYRIAN HAMSTERS
Since Syrians are solitary animals, breeding is more difficult than with dwarfs, who cohabitate. Hamsters can be sexually mature as early as 28 days old. However, the female should not be bred until she is between three and four months of age. (Males should be the same age before their first encounter with a female.) If she is too young the result is generally a small litter, poor quality pups and a difficult time for the female. An older female bred for the first time may experience extreme difficulties at birth, occasionally resulting in death for the mother. Females can only mate during oestrus (when in heat or in season), which occurs every four days. Putting a male and female together when the female is not in heat could result in a fight. Females have been known to seriously injure or even kill a male if there is no intervention. (If squabbling does begin, separate them immediately and try again the next evening.)
2: Yes.
3: She gets fat quickly in two days, usually around the rear, she eats more and drinks more, hoards food, and makes a big nest. The easiest way to tell is if she gets fat in just a couple of days.
4-6: When you figure out she's pregnant, start feeding her food high in protein, like cheese, peanut butter, and oats. Don't overfeed, though.
I've read it's best to keep the father in the cage with the mother. My advice: take him out as soon as she starts looking fat. He will probably eat the babies, not care for them. Some fathers do help raise the babies and take care of mom, but to be on the safe side, take him out. Also, the moment after the mother gives birth, she goes into heat. The male WILL mate with her and she will become pregnant again and deliver in 18 days. That is another reason why I recommend separating him. This gives her time to rest between litters.
As soon as your mom hamster starts to look fat, you can expect babies in approximately 2-7 days, depending on how your hamster handles her pregnancy. One of my females gets fat and 2 days later has babies; the other gets fat and has hers a week later. It just depends on the hamster.
When she starts to deliver, mom will hunch over and start moving around a lot. Usually, she will have all of the babies in her nest, but she might also have them in different areas in the cage. Don't worry, though, she will gather them up and bring them back. If you get a good look, you might see her deliver one. They come out head first and feet first. It doesn't matter, so don't worry about it. Mom will take care of herself and her new litter.
My best advice to you when your hamster has babies is to leave her completely alone and keep the cage in a quiet room. Only get in her cage to give her extra food and water. Don't touch the babies for two weeks, or she might eat them. Yes, that's right, eat them! Dwarfs are cannibalistic toward their young, you know.
Clean the cage out a couple of days before she is due to give birth. Remember, you won't be able to clean it for two weeks. Baby hamsters are extremely cute, but be sure you have homes lined up for them.
7: It is part of nature that female hamsters may eat their young. If this happens to you, here are some factors that may (or may not) have caused it.
She was stressed out by loud noises or the father.
The babies were touched by a human and therefore, had another scent on them.
The babies were deformed or had genetic disorders.
The mother was a first-time, inexperienced mother.
Mothers may eat the babies for any of these reasons. I have found that the second birth is usually much larger and has a much better survival rate because the mother knew what was going on and what to do. The first litter was sort of a surprise to her and she had to learn the ropes.
Sometimes, the mother never has any trouble with the first litter. Again, it just depends on the hamster. If your mother eats her first litter, give her plenty of recovery time and try again. Unless she has problems with her health, I can guarantee more of the babies will live the second time around. It often takes a little time to get the ball rolling, but once it is done, you will have plenty of little pups.
8: One can’t just take his eyes off hamster pups, as these tiny cute little creatures will sure have your attention. The small fragile babies are born without any fur and are closely attached to their mother. Though you may have the desire to hold them, bare in mind that there is nothing you can do within two weeks period after delivery.
REMEMBER NOT TO TOUCH THE BABIES!! Your action might harm the babies and change its scent thus confuses the mother. She will think that they are not hers, abandon them and worst she might even eat the babies (it did happened to my hamsters). Not to cause any stress to the mother, avoid cleaning up the cage within this period. It is advisable to place the babies at the bottom of the cage as none of them had opened their eyes yet.
After this ‘vital’ period, you can hold them but only for a brief period as not to disturb or stress the mom or babies. You can also clean up the cage and place fresh beddings in most of it. Remove just the soiled parts in the nest area and put a good portion of the old bedding in it. Put the babies back in the nest after it is cleaned up followed by the mother.
Once the babies eyes are opened (which should occur on the 11-12 days, but some take less/more), they should figure out how the bottle works. In order for them to reach it easily, put it lower and in an area where they frequently go. If they haven’t figured out how to use the bottle and you are worried about them not drinking enough, you can give them pieces of cucumbers to prevent dehydration. Do not put water in a bowl to prevent them from falling in and drown or catch a cold.
At three weeks, you can separate the babies if you observe any fighting among them but if they seem immature, less developed and not quite independent enough to leave mom just yet, let them stay together until they are four weeks old. When they reach five weeks old, independent and have a healthy development, they can be placed in new homes and play in new surroundings and environment.
9: Syrian hamster can have uo to 2o babies in one litter, while a dwarf hamster will have around 8.
10: Sure I would love to help with any other of your rodent questions, and needs... The last part is included in (8).. Hope it helps... e-mail me if e-mail me if you need more help!