How to Keep Syrian Hamsters From Breeding

Syrian hamsters make wonderful pets as they are small and easy to care for. Keeping an eye on the health of your hamster is essential. Remember that they become fertile at an early age so if you're not careful, you might have a litter of hamsters on your hands before you know it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Syrian hamsters
• Hamster cages
• Hamster wheel

1. Separate hamsters into different cages as early as possible. Male Syrian hamsters become fertile around 10 to 14 weeks old and female Syrian hamsters are fertile by 6 to 10 weeks old. One gestation can produce anywhere from 4 to 12 hamsters.

2. Realize that you can shorten a female hamster's life span if she has multiple gestations. Healthy Syrian hamsters are only fertile for about 12 months and usually only live 18 to 24 months. A female hamster should recuperate between pregnancies, so wait 3 to 4 months in between breeding.

3. Check your Syrian hamster regularly to see that he is gaining weight regularly and looks healthy. The average adult male Syrian hamster weighs 85 to 130 grams and the average adult female weighs 90 to 150 grams. Add a hamster wheel to his cage so he can get some exercise and stay healthy.

Tips & Warnings

• If you decide to breed your Syrian hamsters, remove the male from the cage as soon as possible. Syrian hamsters can fight and the female often attacks the male soon after mating. The estrous cycle runs every four days, so time the male hamster's presence in the cage accordingly.