How to Breed Robo Hamsters

Roborovski Dwarf hamsters, more commonly known as "robo hamsters," are among the most popular rodents on the pet market. Despite some early breeders' difficulties with the species, robo hamsters can actually be bred at almost any time of year in captivity, producing as many as nine pups per litter. Breeding your pet robo should be approached with care, and proper housing or future homes should be established for the pups before you begin breeding.

Things You'll Need

  • Cage or tank
  • Bedding
  • Hamster food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain a mixed sex pair of hamsters at an early age to ensure they get along. Introducing hamsters as adults can be much more difficult and often results in vicious fighting if they do not get along. Males and females can be identified by examining their vent area, where there are two separate openings. On males, these openings are a few centimeters apart; on females they are almost indistinguishably close.

    • 2

      Provide your hamster pair with a suitable habitat to help encourage breeding. A good cage for a pair of robo dwarf hamsters is a glass aquarium of at least 10 gallons, though larger enclosures will allow for more hiding places to make the female feel more secure. The cage bottom should be deeply (2 to 5 inches) lined with a commercial rodent bedding pine and cedar free.

    • 3

      Feed a high quality hamster food with plenty of fresh snacks to add variety, and make sure your hamsters always have access to fresh water.

    • 4

      Supply your breeding pair with hiding places such as boxes, paper towel tubes or commercial hamster hideouts to make sure they feel secure enough to mate.

    • 5

      Carefully watch the pair once the babies are born (23 to 30 days after mating) to be sure there is no aggression between the male and female, or the female and the young. Disturb the mother as little as possible while she cares for the young, or she may become nervous and destroy her own litter.