Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Breeding hamsters can be a fun and exciting project, whether you want to find new homes for the babies or keep them all. Hamster litters range from six to 10 babies for Syrian hamsters, and five to six for dwarf hamsters, so you could have your hands full! Proper care of your hamsters and patience will reward you with a litter of baby hamsters in no time -- or, about 16 days after your female hamster gets pregnant!
Although the name implies they are pure white hamsters, winter white dwarf hamsters can come in a number of colors, including black, sapphire, imperial, gray and pearl. The winter-white moniker is bestowed because these hamsters shed their darker outer coats during the winter and become white in color as camouflage in the snow. This type of dwarf hamster is friendly to humans, making them an often sought-after pet. If you want to breed winter white dwarf hamsters, you can do so with a little preparation.
Dwarf hamsters are a commonly bred small pet. Being so tiny in size, with large personalities and high levels of intelligence, it's easy to see why dwarf hamster owners would want to try their hand at breeding them. Luckily for the newbie animal breeder, dwarf hamsters are one of the easiest small animals to successfully breed, breeding back-to-back and having anywhere from one to 20 babies at a time.
Campbell's Russian Dwarf Hamsters are small, growing to a maximum length of four inches. They are named for W. C. Campbell, who discovered them in the early 1900s. They are found mainly in Russia, China and Mongolia. Breeding Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters is not difficult and there are only a few things to do to prepare for mating and a litter. Campbell Dwarf Hamsters mate naturally and you can put males and females together to let nature take its course.
There are five dwarf hamster species (commonly referred to as "breeds") that are popular as pets, but they do tend to look alike. Linda Price, the founder of the California Hamster Association, notes that dwarf hamsters usually fight with hamsters of other species, with the notable exception of the Russian dwarf and the winter white dwarf. These two species so closely resemble each other that before the 1990s, it was thought they were the same species. Winter whites and Russian dwarfs can interbreed, but the babies are sterile. Russian dwarfs are also called Campbells dwarfs.
There are four varieties of dwarf hamsters that are popular in the pet market--the Russian (also called Siberian or Campbell's), the winter white, the Chinese and the Roborovski. However, dwarf hamsters do not breed as easily as the largest species of pet hamster, the Syrian (or golden). All species of hamsters are prone to eating their offspring and are picky about choice of mates.
Unlike other breeds of dwarf hamsters, Chinese dwarfs hate each other's company. They need constant supervision or they will attack each other. Chinese dwarf hamsters have special needs that other dwarf hamsters don't. Unless you have experience handling and caring for at least one Chinese hamster, do not try to breed them. Hamster babies are usually called "pups."
Breeding dwarf hamsters can result in up to 20 babies. Learn more in this free video series and guide.
From Campbells to Djungarians, Roborovskiis, Siberians and Chinese, learn the different dwarf hamster breeds in this free video series and guide.
