How to Breed & Raise Dwarf Hamsters

According to the Animal-World website, people began keeping hamsters as pets in 1930. There are several hamster varieties, ranging in size from the 8 to 12 inch giant hamster to the dwarf hamster, which grows to be only 2 to 4 inches long. Although all hamster varieties do well with human interaction, dwarf hamsters are the breed most willing to interact with their own kind. Dwarf hamsters live up to three years and make good pets as they are willing to be handled and require only little care beyond providing food and water.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 hamster cages
  • Bedding material
  • Hamster toys
  • 2 food dishes
  • 2 water bottles
  • High-protein hamster pellets
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Instructions

  1. Breeding Dwarf Hamsters

    • 1

      Place a healthy male and female dwarf hamster together in a clean cage. Most dwarf hamster varieties reach sexual maturity when they are between 30 and 90 days old.

    • 2

      Start counting down the days to your hamster's expected delivery date. Pregnancy in dwarf hamsters is difficult to detect until the tenth day after conception, which is halfway through the average 21-day gestation period. Some hamsters give birth in as few as 16 days. Because of this, it is wise to assume your hamster is pregnant immediately after housing her with a male.

    • 3

      Provide your hamster with lots of water and high-protein food during her pregnancy.

    • 4

      Clean your hamster's cage three or four days before her expected due date. When setting the cage back up after cleaning, be sure to provide ample bedding and nesting materials such as unscented toilet paper or paper towels.

    • 5

      Stop handling your pregnant hamster and her mate around the same time that you clean the cage and provide nesting material. Aside from fresh food and water, your hamsters will want nothing from you, including a cage cleaning, until the babies have been born and are about two weeks old. Never touch baby hamsters before they are two weeks old as this may cause their mother to cannibalize them.

    • 6

      Resume a normal weekly cage cleaning schedule when the pups are two weeks old and can be handled.

    • 7

      Prepare a new cage and separate the male and female hamsters when the newborns have been weaned. Weaning usually occurs when the young are around 30 days old.

    General Hamster Care

    • 8

      House your hamsters in a cage large enough to provide a toilet area and some room to exercise. Hamster cages should be at least 2 inches wide and 15 inches long.

    • 9

      Choose cage bedding that is free of cedar and chlorophyll. Wood shavings and shredded paper work best. Towels and blankets also make poor bedding and should not be used. Bedding should be at least 2 inches thick in the bottom of the cage so that your hamster can burrow.

    • 10

      Provide your hamsters with an exercise wheel, chewing material, tubes to play in and other toys.

    • 11

      Feed hamsters high-quality pellets specifically formulated for hamsters. Your hamsters should always have access to food and fresh water. Fruits and vegetables can be given as a snack but should be offered no more than twice a week and should not be left in the cage long.

    • 12

      Keep the cage clean by replacing the bedding once a week.