Syrian hamster questions

[BirdyGirl7198]

Hey there, I have a couple of questions for you guys about hamsters. We have been breeding hamsters for about a year now, not perfessionally just as a hobby type of thing. I have done a bunch of research about how to go about it properly, I just have some diet questions. I have been giving my hamsters dog treats, they love it and the ingredients all seem to be fine. What is your opinion on that? Also our 2 1/2 month old hamster got out of her tank and went to great messures to get into the only other hamsters tank that didn't have a lid on it. Which just happened to be her uncle. She is due any day now and we are just hoping all goes well. She is to young to have babies and we understand that, but advice on what may happen and how to deal with it would be amazing! I also understand that the chances of the babies surviving due to inbreeding is slim. What would likely happen to the babies? Would they be deformed, I know that some of them might but what do you thing would happen?I have been looking everywhere for info on young pregnancies but I can't seem to find anything.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've bred a few hamsters but kept that to a minimum....

However, I help maintain a huge colony of various types of mice....

It takes several brother sister matings to start having issues with pup numbers. Just one breeding pair of brother and sister = no ill effect, 2 years and 6 generations of brother sister matings (for reasons of having very specificly inbred lines) results in small litters, defects never get born. I would not be worried about your hamster's babies in that respect. Rodents tend to have high tolerance for inbreeding. There are specific inbred and outbred lines of rodents.

As for being too young, we wait till 8 weeks with the female mice, however, we have had some 6 week old mice put together for breeding and the only side effect is small litters.

I wouldn't worry about your hammies bred too young or anything....

All our rodents are fed Harlan 2018 Rodent diet as a sole source of feed.

They'll be fine.

 

[annageckos]

Quote:
I agree with all this. I also feed my rats Harlan 2018 along with treats. Dog treats are fine as treats, but make sure that they have no red dye in them. The red dye is stored in the liver of rodents, I always avoid it. When I worked at a pet store we had about 20 breeding female hamsters, fed only lab blocks and they did great on them. And a little inbreeding isn't going to hurt the babies.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I fed my mice & rats dog treats. I use a homemade mix.
A little inbreedng wont hurt. I use inbreeding with my mice and get great results.

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Thank you so much for all your help! I am so relieved! I felt like such a horrible person when I found out she was pregnant. Because she is so young she may not produce enough milk. Or that's what I heard anyway. What's your thoughts on that?

 

[mammat]

Syrian hampsters are prone to diabetes so I would not give them anything other than straight feed. Nothing with a high carb content

 

[annageckos]

Quote:
Never had or heard of a young hamster or other rodent not producing enough milk. Not saying it can't happen, but is unlikely. She may have a small litter the first time. Just make sure to feed a healthy diet. Most food mixes from the pet store are crap. Like said a good lab block will work great, and most pet stores carry them. Treats of whole oats and fresh veggies are good too. A little bit of fruit once in a while is ok, but not too much because of the sugar content. Also stay away from iceberg lettuce. Dark leafy greens are very healthy. Things like kale, dandelion greens and collard greens are high in calcium.

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Quote:
Never had or heard of a young hamster or other rodent not producing enough milk. Not saying it can't happen, but is unlikely. She may have a small litter the first time. Just make sure to feed a healthy diet. Most food mixes from the pet store are crap. Like said a good lab block will work great, and most pet stores carry them. Treats of whole oats and fresh veggies are good too. A little bit of fruit once in a while is ok, but not too much because of the sugar content. Also stay away from iceberg lettuce. Dark leafy greens are very healthy. Things like kale, dandelion greens and collard greens are high in calcium.

Thanks! I just read up on one site about the possiblitiy of them not having enough milk. I hope she has a small litter but her belly is HUGE. It's about the size of our hamster that gave birth the 17 babies. Maybe it's just cause she is small? I don't know. I know not to give her iceburg lettuce but I have been giving her romain, is that okay? I am not sure what a lab block is. But I will look around. I also give her hard boiled egg, and, of course, the dog treats. Which she loves and they sound really good for her.

 

[silkiechicken]

Lab blocks are just pelleted rodent diets:
Harlan diets

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Quote:
That sounds amazing! I will be going to the pet store the next chance I get so I can buy some of that