breeding?

Question
I've asked you a question last year when i first adopted my female teddy bear from the local animal shelter. My neighbor downstairs has the sweetest tempered golden male, and for the past few nights we've been putting them into a neutral cage to try and breed them. Now I read that it could get violent so we closely monitor their activities, but tonight got pretty violent. His male has a bloody toe and my female has blood around her eye ( the eye doesn't seem to be swelling but the wound is still pretty fresh), not to mention my neighbor got a pretty deep cut on his finger after trying to separate them.

I have 2 major questions. First, what should I do for her eye? I was just trying to wipe it with a warm damp washcloth but she was still jumpy and kept snapping at me. Also, should we give up on the mating before they end up killing each other? I got her a year ago and they said she was less than 6 months old, so I figured now is her last chance to breed. Does this aggressive behavior mean she's past her prime and we should give up?  

Answer
Hi Rachael,

First, keep wiping her eye with a warm cloth.  If the wound is around her eye, and not actually the eye itself, apply a mild antibiotic cream/gel to the wound.  Apply just a tiny bit to prevent infection.  Make sure your neighbor does this with her male hamster, as well.

As for the breeding - it's very important that your female hamster is in heat first.  A female hamster comes into heat every 4 days.  To test her, stroke her back firmly.  If she "freezes" and her tail sticks in the air, then she's in heat.  She may also emit a musky odor.  

If the female is not in heat, and you attempt mating, then aggression is likely.  Also, female hamsters generally tend to become sterile when they are 12-14 months old, so that may be the problem.  Your hamster may be too old to breed.  And, even if she were able to breed, I wouldn't recommend that you try again.  An older female hamster will have a high risk of complications in the pregnancy, especially a hamster that has never given birth before.  So, you probably should give it up.  (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly