How to Mate Teddy Bear Hamsters

Teddy bear hamsters are a long-haired variety of the Syrian hamster, the breed from which pet hamsters are descended. Teddies, like all hamsters, have the endearing habit of stuffing their cheeks with food and then stashing it for a rainy day; the English word "hamster" is a derivation of the German word "hamstern," meaning "to hoard." If you own teddy bear hamsters, you already know what endearing pets they can be. It is natural to want to try to breed them, and teddies will usually oblige without much trouble. Before you attempt to breed your teddy bear hamsters, however, you should be aware that in only six weeks, a hamster pup goes from being a newborn to becoming capable of impregnating a female, and this rapid life cycle means that overpopulation could quickly become a problem if you don't have places for the baby hamsters to go.

Things You'll Need

  • Two spacious hamster cages
  • High-quality hamster pellets
  • Green, leafy vegetables
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Sipper bottles
  • Bedding material
  • Unscented tissue paper
  • Nuts, carrots, wheat germ, milk and bread
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a healthy breeding pair of appropriate age and weight. The male should be 10 to 14 weeks old. The female should be at least 6 to 10 weeks and should weigh at least 3 1/2 oz.. Although females are physically capable of reproducing earlier than this, mothers that are younger than 6 weeks are more stressed by bearing young and more likely to abandon them

    • 2

      Feed the prospective parents high-quality hamster pellets, supplemented with leafy vegetables and sunflower seeds, to get them in peak condition, and offer plenty of fresh, clean water in sipper bottles. In addition to low body weight, inadequate water consumption can lead to infertility.

    • 3

      Maintain the couple in separate cages until the female is ready to breed; females can be very aggressive toward the much smaller males.

    • 4

      Watch the female for evidence that she is in heat. She will assume a breeding position, with her back dipped down and body extended. When petted on the back, she will remain motionless except for swaying her back even further down. Sometimes, a thin mucus discharge will also be evident around her vulva.

    • 5

      Place the female into the male's cage an hour before dark, and watch closely for signs of hostility. If the female shows aggression, remove her and try again the next night.

    • 6

      Remove the female from the male's cage immediately after mating--which takes approximately 20 minutes--has taken place.

    • 7

      Supplement the pregnant female's pellet diet with plenty of high-protein and fatty foods. Nuts, carrots, sunflower seeds, milk-soaked bread and wheat germ are good choices.

    • 8

      Clean the female's cage 14 days after the mating. Birth is imminent--within 24 to 48 hours--and you will want to keep intrusion to a minimum after that. Replace all bedding, and put in lots of nesting material such as unscented tissue paper or cotton.

    • 9

      Put a generous amount of food in the cage, and add another sipper bottle, hanging it very low so the pups will be able to reach it.

    • 10

      Replenish food and water as unobstrusively as you can when the blind, hairless pups arrive. Do not handle the mother or her young for any reason. Female hamsters will kill and eat their young if there is too much noise or disruption.

    • 11

      Provide moistened pellets for the pups after the first week has passed. They are still relying on their mother for milk but will begin sampling the pellets.

    • 12

      Clean the cage again at 16 days, when the pups' eyes are open.

    • 13

      Remove the weanling hamsters at 25 days, separating males from females to prevent impregnation.