Learning the details about the breeding process isn't just important for dwarf hamster breeding. Being educated about breeding can help you prevent surprise pregnancies as well as help you deal with one if it happens to occur. An interesting aspect of dwarf hamster breeding is that these details are slightly different with each species. The overall process is the same but with each species, whether it's the Campbell's, Roborovski's, Winter White, or Chinese dwarf hamster, it's slightly unique.
The first thing you'll want to know is the age at which breeding occurs. Well this may surprise you but dwarf hamsters sometimes reach sexual maturity as early as one month in age (this is the age they finish weaning!). This usually isn't the case though and the Campbell's, Winter White, and Chinese dwarf hamsters usually start to breed when they're about two to three months in age. Roborovski's on the other hand have been known to breed at four months in age to as late as eighteen months in age. One interesting thing that has been known to happen is after the pregnant mother has given birth, the mother and father sometimes mate again as soon as twenty four hours later! Other times the father and mother wait until the babies have grown before mating again.
Once you have a pregnant dwarf hamster, it's important to know how long the pregnancy will last and when you can expect the birth to happen. Pregnancies usually last an average of three weeks. This is true for all species except for the Roborovski. The Roborovski dwarf hamsters usually have pregnancies that last about a month.
The final aspect of dwarf hamster breeding that we will be going over is an interesting one, the role of the father. The father is an important part of the pregnancy process (obviously) but the father's role isn't just as a mate. After birth the father helps with the raising of the young. With the Chinese, Winter White, and Roborovski dwarf hamsters, the father is usually chased out of the nest and forced to sleep elsewhere right before birth. This is only for a few days though and although he may miss the birth of the babies he does return to help raise them. This is different with the Campbell's dwarf hamsters where the father is usually with the babies from the moment they are born. In fact, with Campbell's dwarf hamsters, the father has a very close relationship with the mother throughout the birthing process. It is believed that this is a trait that has developed due to the harsher environment the Campbell's dwarf hamsters are from. For the Campbell's hamsters, it's important for the father to remain close with the family during and after the birth process to provide much needed warmth in the cold environment they experience in the wild.
Dwarf hamster breeding is an amazing but complex process. Familiarization with this birthing process is important if one of your hamsters ever get pregnant. Basic things you should know are the breeding age of your hamsters and duration of the pregnancy. Each species is different so it is also important to know what to expect for your specific hamster.
George Grayson is an author and dwarf hamster expert. Learn more about dwarf hamster breeding by visiting http://www.dwarfhamstercare101.com
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