# breeding hamsters



## joe190 (Jun 28, 2008)

hey all, im looking into breeding hamsters to sell to my local pet shop and i need help persuading my mum thats its alright.
so i have a few questions i need answering:
do they smell VERY BAD?

do they often get out? (from a mouse breedig rack system?)

how many litter/ babies do they have per year?

what are the feeding cost per week?

what are the cleaning costs like per week?

how do i persuade my mum?????!!!!!!


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

first of all what type of hamster?ive bred two types (one accidently) so can prob help you 
wouldnt suggest racks for hamsters at all , specially if they are going to be pets...and specially if you take them to a pet shop you wont make much if any money on them with the amount of rearing they need.


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## Shey (Mar 24, 2008)

joe190 said:


> hey all, im looking into breeding hamsters to sell to my local pet shop and i need help persuading my mum thats its alright.
> so i have a few questions i need answering:
> do they smell VERY BAD?
> 
> ...


I used to breed dwarf hamsters when I was younger, it was so much fun playing with 6-8 babies at once :flrt: They do not smell, if cleaned on a regular basis. Mice smell terrible though. 
how many litter/ babies do they have per year? _Depends on the species but they do breed right after she delivers her babies so it's best to remove the male so she can recover for a good few months to keep everyone healthy. _

what are the feeding cost per week? _Depending how many you're breeding, buying a bulk bag of hammy food would be fairly cheap, also feed them fruits/veggies that you usually buy when grocery shopping. You should always keep a cage or two on hand so when the babies are weaned you can seperate them by gender. _

what are the cleaning costs like per week? _Depends on the bedding you use, Aspen is a good choice because it doesn't cause respiratory infections like cedar and pine. But costs a few dollars more_

how do i persuade my mum?????!!!!!! _Just ask her!? If she says no then show her how responsible you are, if she truly doesn't want you to breed hamsters in her house then you could always wait until you move out!?_

_Good luck!_


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

just to add bulk hammy foods gone up recently what i was feeding doubled in price!


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## LyddicleaveBurrow (Aug 11, 2008)

*Breeding hamsters*

Hi,

Firstly you would need to decide on the type of hamster that you wanted to breed - Syrian, Winter White, Campbells, Chinese, Roborovski?

Whatever type you decided on you would need a cage or tank for the female, one for the male (hamsters come into season immediately after having a litter and it is not fair on them to have litter after litter - this can ultimately affect the health of the mother and the size and health of the babies), one for the female babies and one for the male babies.

It would be wise to source your breeding animals from a good breeder.
They in turn should be able to give you a lot of advice and provide ongoing advice if you ran into problems.

Food and bedding do not cost a vast amount, but it depends on the number and type of hamster that you are intending to keep. Mouse racks would not be ideal for hamster breeding. Hamsters that are regularly cleaned out don't smell.

Hamsters that are destined for the pet shop will need a lot of time spent with them to socialise them. It is not easy to make any profit on breeding animals especially little ones like hamsters - my local pet shop gives £2.50 per hamster and it often costs more than that to rear them.

Have a look on the various hamster websites and forums - they are a mine of information and please think very carefully before you breed. There can be problems with runts of the litter and you can come across birth problems and illnesses - and vets bills can be very expensive. Syrian hamsters need to be housed singly after they are about 8 weeks old - so if you found that you couldn't sell the litter you would have to keep a number of animals in seperate cages - would you have the space?

There's a lot that you would have to consider. Breeding hamsters takes up a lot of time, space and money, but is very rewarding.

All the best.: victory:

Heather.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Hi,

I have, over the years, bred a few different species of hamsters.

Currently I have syrians.
If your goal is to make money from them then forget it.
You will not make any money unless you have a warehouse to breed them in and intend to breed back to back, have hundreds of animals and keep them in unsuitable conditions.

Having said that if you intend to breed because you love hamsters and would like to better a particular line and maybe in the future show the animals you breed then go ahead.

I have found that it costs me about £1 per animal per week to feed. Not including cages and substrate. 
I make up my own rodent feeds using different complete foods and also some oats, cereal and other additions.
I find it is best to keep them in, either, barred cages or the tall faunariums you can get. Put them in plastic storage tubs, although I know some use them, I think you're asking for trouble. When I tried them, they were RUB's so very tough plastic, the damn things chewed through in no time.

I get my cages and equipment at 'cost' price and I'm still paying nearly £10 per cage. Add to that the cost of bottles or the automatic watering system I have and it quickly gets expensive and that's before you have bought your hamsters, bedding and their food!!!!!!

I use megazorb bedding and this costs £5 per sack. It would last me maybe a month if I were using it solely for the hamsters. I only have 20 hamsters. Cleaning out every 3rd day.

Syrians, as said before need to be housed seperately after maturity, I find this to be about 12 weeks though, as they 'can' fight to the death.

They come into season every 4 days for approximately 12 hours.
The way to find out if they are in season is to put them in with a male, on nuetral territory, every night until the doe will raise her rear and allow the male to mate her. If the female isn't in season be ready with a tub or you could lose your fingers in the possible ensuing fight!!!!!!!

I bring my babies in to the house, I have a rodent shed, at 4weeks old to be hand tamed. We have never been bitten by one of the babies yet and they are always cuddly tame by the time they go to their new homes.

Also, again as said before, there can be problems with litters.
I was sold a pair of syrians, by a breeder, that I was told did not carry a particular gene. I bred them together and I got non eyed whites.

What would you do in this particluar situation?????

You would have two choices.. Cull them or keep them.

There's a lot to consider before jumping into breeding any animal.
Read everything you can and ask advice from anyone you think may be able to help you.

I'm sure no-one is trying to put you off but there really is a lot to think about first.
Maybe if you were to get a couple of does and borrow a buck from the breeder when your does are ready to breed. Breed those two does and see how you feel about looking after and caring for the hamsters and their young?????


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## cooltom28 (Mar 9, 2006)

czech republic they are around 1.9 euro for hamster, i looked at importing for the pet shops but i couldnt see it as profitable enough, he can offer around 20 different colours and breeds too

the company is owned by a belgian chap who has the farm in the czech when you want them he brings them to belgium 

there is already specilist companies supplying them such as simons rodents, essex breeding centre, buck house rabbits?

i agree if its for making money steer clear!!

non eyed white? as in they have no eyes?? weird!!!


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

yup, non eyed whites are from a deflaut in certain colour type.
Not gonna bother to repeat what other have said. ditto on the losing fingers getting a not wanting to mate female and male apart. i sat with a mug lol so i could scoop one out swift lol

Want to bring costs down on cages? get on freecycle.


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## ichis-mom (May 25, 2008)

well im looking for a black bear hamster and cant find one


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

dont listen to the hype with that one hun they call em black bears to make them sound special lol .
i had some earlier in the year breeding more cream now..may breed my black tort again at some point not sure yet ...your prob a long way away anyway


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

ichis-mom said:


> well im looking for a black bear hamster and cant find one


I get black longhaired syrians in my litters.
Bear being that they have a big head is all. They are still only 'syrian hamsters'.
As ami says it is just a way to get you pay more for the hamster.

I have satins, longhaired and satin longhaired in Copper( I think), black dom spot, light grey, cream, dove, 'old' black, Black and in banded, self and tortie.

Again you are probably way too far away.


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## ichis-mom (May 25, 2008)

yes im in the north east of scotland so kicking myself just now i could have weeks of fun choosing a hamster at your places and for sure would have a handful at the end lol iv always loved syrian hamsters never been a big fan of the others lol but i do wish someone would modify the hamster to live longer


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

saxon said:


> I get black longhaired syrians in my litters.
> Bear being that they have a big head is all. They are still only 'syrian hamsters'.
> As ami says it is just a way to get you pay more for the hamster.
> 
> ...


ooooh im glad i dont live nearer you id be overrun lol. got a longhaired mating due soon get me some sables :flrt:


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