Breeding features of Dzungarian hamsters

Dzungarian hamsters are very friendly, easy to tame, require little food, so they are often bred as pets. However, they have a very short lifespan, they are active in the evening and at night, require separate keeping from each other (with the exception of babies - they cannot be separated from their mother until they open their eyes). Before purchasing hamsters, it is necessary to take into account all the features of their lifestyle, so as not to regret the purchase in the future.

Breeding this kind of hamsters is quite simple - you just need to create favorable conditions, find the right moment and follow some recommendations.

Puberty in Dzungarian hamsters begins at 2 months, but it is better to wait another month, so that not only puberty begins, but the individuals have time to get stronger. Healthier offspring can be obtained from the union of a three month old male and a five month old female. Early pregnancy has an extremely negative effect on the health of the female and can cause shock with subsequent infertility.

A female ready for fertilization will often raise her tail in the evening and sprinkle with a strong-smelling substance. It is at such a moment that it is most advisable to unite hamsters for mating in neutral territory. If there is no possibility of mating in a separate cage, you need to plant the female on the male's territory, but in no case vice versa.

Mating usually takes place at night, when the hamsters are most active. In a day or earlier (if a conflict has begun between individuals), they must be seated in their cells. After mating, animals should be provided with enough food and water to recuperate.

If, after 4-5 days, the female starts sprinkling with the enzyme again, the mating must be repeated.

For the purpose of frequent and regular production of healthy offspring it is most optimal to keep 1 male and 3 females.

It is best to buy future parents from different owners or in different pet stores, in order to be sure that there is no relationship between the couple. It is preferable to take Dzungarian hamsters for the purpose of further breeding from a breeder, because professionals with a good reputation always observe the correct conditions of keeping, keep strict records of offspring and give babies from different pairs.

At the time of purchase, the animals should be of a uniform color with shiny fur, clean eyes and ears, the weight of the individuals should be about 40 g, the age should be from one to two months.

Both parents must be strictly the same kind (there are very similar Campbell hamsters). Dzungarian hamsters have a well-defined black rhombus on their hair on their heads, and the whole color is bright and clear. At Campbells, the coat itself is slightly wavy, and they seem to be tousled due to this, the color is washed out.

At home, before breeding, the female and the male must be kept in different cages, since Dzungarian hamsters are very aggressive towards their relatives on their territory. At the time of mating, it is best to use the third cage and launch future parents into it at the same time.

The mating cage should be spacious, and the temperature in the room should be 20-25 degrees Celsius. In addition to the house, feeder and drinker, there should be no distracting elements (ladders, pipes, toys). It is advisable that mating takes place in a quiet, separate room, free from drafts, at a sufficient distance from heating appliances and in isolation from other pets.

It is most optimal to use a one-story cage with a simple house for breeding Dzungar individuals at home, in which a couple can retire (you can put a little chumiza in the house - a favorite delicacy of hamsters). It is better to place fruit tree shavings at the bottom of the cage with a layer of 5-7 cm.

It is possible to understand whether a female is pregnant on the 10th day after mating by simple signs (until the tenth day, the female looks as usual and nothing can be learned): her tummy will be rounded, her appetite will noticeably increase. She will rarely leave the house, the evening and night activity of the animal will decrease.

After mating, it is necessary to remove the ladders, wheel, pipes and access to the 2-3 floor of the house in order to prevent possible injuries to the female. Also, the expectant mother needs complete rest - any manifestation of stress can be perceived as a threat to the offspring, and the female will exterminate the babies.

Pregnancy in Dzungarian hamsters lasts a little, but, despite this, embryos have time to form and gain sufficient weight during intrauterine development.

Pregnancy takes place in these individuals without features, with the exception of a decrease in the activity of the female. Her pregnancy lasts from 21 to 26 days (in the absence of pathology). Before the very birth, appetite disappears.

Around the middle of pregnancy, the female begins a nesting period - arranging a house for children. You need to try not to disturb her once again, even if you are very curious to look inside (it is better to watch a video on the Internet on this topic).

On the 18th day after the onset of pregnancy, a general cleaning of the cage should be done, but try not to touch the nest house (remove the remains of feed, replace the shavings, wipe the bottom and the rods with a clean damp cloth, thoroughly wash the drinker and the feeder).

When the due date of birth is approaching, it is strictly forbidden to interfere with the process or move the cage - it is desirable that the animal be alone in the room. A normally proceeding labor in Dzungarian hamsters lasts about two hours, babies are born one at a time with an interval of about 15 minutes.

If many hamsters are born at once (10-12 individuals), you can help your mother:

• it is necessary to take the baby with a clean and warm teaspoon (you cannot touch the newborns with your hands);
• transfer to a paper towel and remove the amniotic sac;
• cut the umbilical cord with disinfected nail scissors (you should step back a few millimeters from the tummy);
• return the baby to the nest with the rest of the children.

In 30 minutes after the end of labor, the first feeding of the babies with mother's milk should come.

The female needs rest before the next pregnancy. The next mating can be carried out no earlier than a month after the previous birth, otherwise the new offspring may be weak and painful, and the female will stop getting pregnant altogether.

A cage (better a showcase) for a mother with newborn babies should measure at least 60 by 40 cm and be in a quiet, slightly darkened place. In no case should you plant a male: the mother will fight with him for her territory, the babies will prevent new mating, and the male will begin to take out his aggression on the newborns, while very often the males gnaw out the entire litter.

The cage should have a drinking bowl, as well as a feeder and a wheel for the mother to rest from motherhood and in order to avoid nervous exhaustion of the female.

Mom hides newborn babies in the nest. They are born with closed eyes, with a complete lack of hair, but already with teeth. The nursing mother constantly needs clean water in the drinking bowl (you need to replace it once a day in the afternoon).

You can bring the fugitive back with a regular teaspoon. To do this, rinse the spoon with warm water, shake it off well and gently pick up the baby, and then return it to the nest with extreme caution.

If you take a hamster with your hands, then someone else's smell will negatively affect the female, which will be a sign of a threat of invasion of the nest, and she will bite the baby... You can only touch small hamsters when they are 2 weeks old, but you need to disturb them as little as possible.

If the female abandoned the babies, it is not possible to feed them all, since they need to be looked after around the clock, maintained at a constant temperature of 25 degrees in the nest and fed to all newborns at the same time every two hours for two weeks (such babies will be weak, fearful and incapable to reproduction). Until the little ones open their eyes, cleaning in the cage is not recommended (the exception is the replacement of food and water). It is also necessary to refrain the mother from bathing in the sand until the end of feeding.

If the female begins to show aggression towards the cubs after they have opened their eyes, then they should be placed in a separate cage or box, continue feeding with baby food from jars, and given water from a pipette. If the female behaves calmly, then the babies should live with her for 21 days, after which they need to be divided according to gender and seated in two separate cages or boxes.

When babies are 2 months old, they can be distributed. Be sure to notify new owners about food for babies (brand), bedding (linden shavings are best suited), twigs for grinding teeth (thin dried currant twigs are preferable). For the best adaptation in a new place, it is recommended to give part of the bedding with the hamster, as the familiar smell will help reduce the stress of the animal when moving. The first 3 months it is undesirable to give delicacies, the exception is a boiled egg and a piece of fresh apple.

For how Dzungarian hamsters breed, see the next video.