How to Breed an Albino Hamster

Hamsters are prolific breeders, producing a litter of up to 20 young with a gestational period of only 21 days. Aside from their normal golden color, selective breeding of hamsters has resulted in other colors including blue, cinnamon, cream, piebald and white. Also resulting in white fur, albinism is a congenital trait that results in a lack of all pigmentation. Breeding two albino hamsters will result in offspring with white hair, pink eyes and translucent skin.

Things You'll Need

  • Male and female albino hamsters
  • Calendar
  • 1 roll of toilet tissue
  • Extra food
  • Extra water bottle
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Instructions

  1. Mating

    • 1

      Look for albino characteristics when selecting a breeding pair. As albinism is a recessive trait the only way to guarantee true albino offspring is if both parents are true albinos.

    • 2

      Examine the ears. Besides white fur and pink eyes, the skin on the ears of albino hamsters will be almost transparent, making the blood in the veins and vessels on the hairless insides of the ears clearly visible.

    • 3

      Select a female at least 6 months old. While female hamsters enter their first estrus cycle at approximately six weeks, it is best to give a female time to mature both physiologically and psychologically. Breeding females when they are too young often will result in the mother killing her offspring.

    • 4

      Keep the pair separated. While male hamster littermates can sometimes live peacefully together, most hamsters will fight --- sometimes to the death, if kept in the same cage after puberty. This is especially true of opposite-sex hamsters.

    • 5

      Introduce the pair in the evening, when both hamsters are active. Wear a pair of heavy leather gloves to protect your hands since you likely will need to break up a fight.

    • 6

      Place the female in the male's cage. Watch the hamsters closely. Unimpregnated female hamsters come into estrus every four days, and this is the only time she will be receptive to a male. If the female is receptive, mating will take place within a few seconds of the hamsters approaching each other. If she is not ready to mate, a scuffle will ensue. Separate the pair immediately if a fight breaks out, and return the female to her cage. If the hamsters mate, remove the female as soon as the male dismounts.

    • 7

      Repeat the introduction on successive evenings until mating occurs. Mark the date the pair mated on a calendar. Reintroduce the pair four nights after the first mating. If the first mating resulted in a successful impregnation, the female will reject the male.

    Preparing for the Litter

    • 8

      Prepare for a litter in the evening of the 17th day after mating by cleaning the female's cage.

    • 9

      Place a full roll of unscented toilet tissue in her cage. Leave the tissue spooled on the roll. The female will shred the tissue to make a birthing nest in preparation for delivery. Add enough food to last two weeks and place an extra water bottle in the cage. Place the cage in a quiet area where the mother and newborns will not be disturbed.

    • 10

      Resist the temptation to look in the nest. As contrary as it seems, if the mother feels her newborns are threatened, sometimes from just moving or opening the cage, she will kill all the babies to "protect" them.

    • 11

      Allow the babies to leave the nest and begin exploring on their own within their cage before disturbing the new family. Once the babies become fully mobile, approximately 10 days after birth, you may resume normal care, handling and feeding.