A female can be fertile every 4 days, so if you have put a female in heat and a male in the same cage, you are probably looking to know how long you have before the arrival of the babies, also called the gestation period. But how does reproduction work in hamsters?
First of all, know that breeding hamsters is simple and quick. But keep in mind the flip side: you will need to ensure you have the necessary materials to support the many little ones that will be born. Moreover, to have viable and healthy babies, it will be necessary to avoid certain types of mixing between populations.
How long is a female hamster pregnant?
Depending on the species of your little companion, refer to the table below. This is the gestation time, in other words, the time that will elapse between the mating of your hamsters and the birth of the babies.
| Species | Gestation Time |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | 18 to 22 days |
| Syrian / Golden Hamster | 15 to 16 days |
| Roborovski Hamster | 20 to 22 days |
| Campbell Hamster | 18 to 25 days |
| Chinese Hamster | 20 to 21 days |
During this gestation period, you can give your female a protein supplement if you wish. This is not mandatory. It is also during this time that the female will prepare her nest to welcome her future little ones: give her some cotton balls that she will arrange as she sees fit, pushing them into a corner, usually out of sight, to isolate herself.
Physically, the female will of course gain weight, and you may see her nipples swell with milk in preparation for the nursing phase.
How long is the female hamster in heat?
During breeding periods (see below), a female hamster is in heat every 4 days. During this period, the female is in the ovulation phase, meaning she is only fertile for a few hours.
The breeding period of hamsters
In the wild, each hamster species has its own cycle and breeding period. In other words, there are specific times during the year when females are fertile.
| Species | Breeding Period |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | April to September |
| Syrian / Golden Hamster | April to September |
| Roborovski Hamster | April to September |
| Campbell Hamster | |
| Chinese Hamster | February to October |
The periods above reflect what happens in nature: we see that during the winter period, hamsters do not reproduce. In captivity or under breeding conditions, this cycle is not necessarily respected.
However, ideally, and to follow the natural rhythm, unless you are a professional breeder, it is best to respect this cycle and these breeding periods for the good health of your hamsters, especially the females. If they have too many babies too often outside of these favorable periods, they will become exhausted and die faster. Unless you are a seasoned hamster enthusiast, we recommend avoiding breeding your hamsters as much as possible.
How to tell if my hamster is pregnant?
Read this article to help you know if your hamster is pregnant. To summarize, know that in the first few days, unless you have seen the mating act, you may not suspect anything. Later on, the female’s belly will begin to grow and round out, and you will notice the appearance of nipples.
My hamster is giving birth: what to do?
Nothing! Let nature take its course, do not touch the babies or the mother. Put the male in another cage if you haven’t done so already. The female will give birth to several baby hamsters that you should not touch during the first 15 days of their lives; otherwise, the mother might kill and eat them if she smells your human scent on their skin. So, be as discreet as possible.
At birth, the mother hamster will cut the umbilical cord of her babies herself: generally, if they are viable, make a little noise, and are healthy, she will let them live. Conversely, if the female detects a problem with a newborn, she will also eat it.
The only thing you can do to help your hamster is to leave her alone, in a room without too much noise, and not crowd the cage (even if it’s fascinating!), and to feed her accordingly.
Once the delivery is completed, your female will protect her little ones during their first days and nurse them. Do not attempt to feed the baby hamsters!
I then recommend reading this article to learn more about the development of baby hamsters in their first days.
Weaning of baby hamsters
When they grow “up”, meaning they can take care of themselves, the female hamster will stop feeding her babies who are now capable of eating alone. In the wild, she will tend to distance herself from her little ones to find another place. In captivity, it is up to you to separate the mother from her babies to prevent them from fighting or her from attacking them.
This period of separation between the mother and the babies is called weaning. It depends on the species of your hamster:
| Species | Weaning |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | between 18 and 28 days after birth |
| Syrian / Golden Hamster | between 21 and 35 days after birth |
| Roborovski Hamster | between 20 and 25 days after birth |
| Campbell Hamster | between 18 and 28 days after birth |
| Chinese Hamster | between 21 and 25 days after birth |
At the end of this period, you must put the mother and her babies in different cages.
At what age can a hamster have babies?
This refers to sexual maturity, which is the period during which males and females are of age to reproduce. Two main criteria: the age of the hamster and its species.
| Female Hamster | Sexual Maturity |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | between the 40th and 45th day |
| Syrian / Golden Hamster | between the 56th and 84th day |
| Roborovski Hamster | after the 135th day |
| Campbell Hamster | between the 45th and 65th day |
| Chinese Hamster | between the 35th and 90th day |
| Male Hamster | Sexual Maturity |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | between the 45th and 65th day |
| Syrian / Golden Hamster | between the 45th and 65th day |
| Roborovski Hamster | after the 135th day |
| Campbell Hamster | between the 45th and 65th day |
| Chinese Hamster | between the 40th and 100th day |
Even though it is theoretically possible (and will happen if you leave male and female hamsters in the same cage), do not allow your female to have more than one litter per year, in order to keep her healthy. Too frequent breeding will exhaust her and shorten her lifespan.
Hamster breeding rules
We advise against embarking on breeding hamsters. Do not try to make them have babies as the rules are quite restrictive, and it is better to leave this activity to professionals.
If you still wish to pursue this activity, here are some rules that must be followed strictly:
- Avoid inbreeding and crossing two white hamsters, two light gray hamsters, two hamsters with white bellies, two dalmatian hamsters, or two satin hamsters.
- Do not cross two hamsters of different species (e.g., a Chinese hamster should not mate with a Russian hamster). This never occurs in nature, so there is no reason it should happen in captivity.
- Do not cross hamsters from the same lineage.