Hamster Breeding
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Hamsters
can have several litters year. In
fact a female in heat can copulate with several males and have several litters
fathered by the different males. Thus,
litters of hamsters with more than one father can contain litters with no
resemblance to each other what so ever.
To
have healthy litters it’s always advisable to avoid inbreeding.
One way is to have the pedigree of the animals studied before deciding
which animals to cross.
Animals
of distinct races do create interesting result, but one should bear in mind that
they will never be show animals.
There
are associations all over the world that hold pedigree titles and family
information over the more known family branches.
Only
animals in heat will have the desire to reproduce, and it’s the female which
decides when to breed.
Hamsters
should not have more than one group of litters per year to stay healthy.
Some breeders do let their hamsters have lots of litters, but this can have fatal consequences for the female if over exploited.
In
case one is to breed extensively, the hamster has to be very well fed.
Protein foods:
Fish
Chicken (without bones!!!)
Eggs
Milk products
Carbohydrates:
Cooked carrots
Peas
Careful
with too much protein as rodents do lack an efficient digestive system and
should therefore acquire most of their energy requirement through the seeds they
eat.
Its
wise to stay away from too much homemade foods since the animals seem to have
relatively specific needs. Thus, I
would recommend you to give your animals as much petshop food as possible.
