What is the Gestation Period for Teddy Bear Hamsters?

With their long, flowing fur, stubby tails and bright eyes, teddy bear hamsters find their way into the hearts of small animal lovers. The retail pet trade industry works with animal breeders to meet the demand for the rodent pets. Also known as long-haired Syrian hamsters or angora golden hamsters, the species easily reproduces, and females endure a short gestation period of just under three weeks.

  1. Preparation

    • Teddy bear hamsters reach sexual maturity at 4 to 6 months of age, according to the Doctors Foster and Smith website. Ideally, breeding of a female hamster happens in a controlled setting, with the male removed after conception. When housing male and female hamsters together, expect quarrels among the males and uncontrolled mating between males and females.

    Mating

    • A female hamster goes into heat for approximately four days. During this time, also known as an estrous cycle, a healthy teddy bear hamster can conceive. She stands still with an elongated body and erect tail, ready to accept a male. To alert the male to her preparedness, she may emit a pungent odor and a thin, white mucus from her vulva. After mating, remove the male teddy bear hamster from the cage to avoid aggressive attacks between the pair.

    Nutrition

    • During her pregnancy, feed the mother hamster extra treats to provide her body with much-needed nutrition. Extra servings of dry hamster food, carrots, sunflower seeds, nuts, bread soaked with milk and chopped hard-boiled egg will give her added protein and fat to produce healthy babies, according to Animal World Magazine's website.

    Pregnancy and Delivery

    • After a successful mating session, the female endures approximately 15 to 16 days of gestation. Twelve to 14 days into the pregnancy, clean the hamster cage in preparation for the babies. The mother hamster will signal her impending delivery by releasing a small amount of blood from her vulva. A litter of five to 10 pink-skinned hamster pups will soon share the cage with the mother hamster.

    Characteristics

    • Baby teddy hear hamsters are born hairless with their eyes and ears tightly closed. At birth the hamster pups will move their mouths vigorously to reveal a small set of teeth buds while looking for the mother's teat.

    Warning

    • A mother teddy bear hamster may move her babies around within the cage shortly after birth. If a human attempts to disrupt this process by handling the babies or cleaning the cage, the mother may cannibalize her young. She may also attempt to protect the babies by stuffing them in her cheek pouches, out of harm's way. This practice often ends in suffocation of the young. Minimal contact--limited to feeding and watering--with the hamster family gives the baby hamsters the best chance at survival.

    Timeline

    • At 10 weeks of age, baby hamsters begin to fight with their littermates. Separation of the baby females from the baby males reduces quarrels. Further separating the hamsters into individual cages will satisfy the solitary lifestyle preferred by teddy bear hamsters.