Breeding my Chinese Dwarf Hamsters

Question
I have a female and male dwarf hamster but whenever I try to breed them they just fight and become very aggressive. The female will run away but the male will chase after trying to mate and the female will get scared and refuse to participate causing the male to get angry. I am very confused and I have run out of ideas..??

Answer
Hi Khadijah

In all honesty I have never mated Chinese hamsters before and therefore may not be the best person to answer this question.  However, I have mated other types of hamsters and there are a few tips that might help you.

Firstly, hamsters come into season every 4 days.  One of these 4 days the female will be very aggressive, 2 of the days she will not be quite as aggressive and one day she will be receptive.  It really is a case of trying to determine which is the correct day.

With Syrian hamsters (one that I have bred from and have the most experience) it is easy to decide which day is the day for mating - as I haven't bred Chinese I don't know if this is the case with them too, but this might be worth a try. What type of cage is the male in?  Is he in a wire cage?  If not, is it possible to put him in one?  Then place the female on the top of it - this way they can sniff each other through the bars but cannot actually touch.  After a short while scratch the female's back.  With Syrians, if the female is in season she goes quite rigid and arches her back.  If there is no response, then she isn't in season and it is a case of trying again either later that night or the following evening.  If there is a positive response, then I usually put the two hamsters together in neutral territory - often the washing up bowl!  Hamsters can be very territorial and therefore this helps eliminate that.  If she is in season she should allow the male to mount her - but it is important to watch them all the time and separate them if there is any sign of aggressiveness.  

Were you planning on keeping them together once mated, or are you thinking of mating and separating them?  If you want them to live together, then it is best to introduce them in neutral territory as above, but remember that dwarf hamsters mate again the day the female gives birth and therefore if your intention isn't to have loads of hamsters, then it is important to get him out before then. The usual gestation period is 18-21 days for a dwarf.

I don't know if this helps you.  You might find another 'expert' who has direct experience of mating Chinese who can give you more help than me.

Good luck with this.

Regards