breeding my hamster

Question
hi i want to breed my hamster with my friends one, i want to know what i should do for them, she is about 4 and a half months old nearly 5. i need to gather the info so i can expect what will happen and what to do after they are born thank bye! xx :D

Answer
Hi Hattie,

    First, you need to make sure the female is in season (heat), which is generally in the evening. A female will come into season every 4 days. To check to see if she is, put her on a hard flat surface, then, starting at her head, firmly stroke down her back. If she is in season she will freeze (her tummy will be pushed down and she will stick her bottom up in the air. If she does not freeze or wants to move around, then she isn't in season.
     Once you know she is in season, place the female in the males cage and they will do the rest. You need to make sure they do not fight though and if they do, then remove the female and try again later.
     Once they have mated, watch the female and check (for the next five days) to see if she comes back into season, if she don't, then she is more than likely pregnant, if she does come back into heat, then she isn't pregnant.
    If she does end up pregnant, you can expect the babies in about 16 days from the day they were mated. At about 10 days into her pregnancy, her side will poof out (look really fat around the middle). At this time you will need to start feeding her hard boiled egg and carrots (along with her hamster food) for extra protein and  continue doing this until the babies are 3 weeks old.
    A few days before the babies are due, you need to clean the cage and remove the wheel.
    When the female has the babies, it is important not to disturb her. Also do not touch the babies nor the nest until they are 2 weeks old. This is when it is safe to handle the babies and the cage can be cleaned.
    At 3 weeks of age , the babies will need to be separated from Mom and each other (boys in one cage, girls in another).
    At 5-6 weeks of age, the babies will be ready to go to their new homes.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.
    (if this is a young person, I hope you have gotten your parents ok on breeding the hamsters)

Thank you for writing!