breeding teddy bear hamsters

Question
i have a teddy bear hamster that i want to breed. the one i have now is a male. should i start out with two new hamsters, or can i get a female to mate with my male? could you tell me how to make them breed?

Answer
Hi Malijh, baby hamsters are great and i love breeding them, fortunately i have a friend who owns a reputable pet store who i can get to sell them for me, so firstly please be sure you know of good homes they can go to. Breeding from your male that you have presently really depends on his age? if he is over two i would give it a miss as he could have illnesses or it could all be too stressful for him! getting hamsters to mate isnt as easy as it may seem, keep your male and female separate apart from when they are in the act of mating, they will not enjoy spending time together and it will get messy and could result in one or both of them getting hurt! make sure both of your hamsters are over 6 months old, tame and not of any relation to each other. the female has a cycle of when she is receptive to a male and will become pregnant, the best way to establish this is when you touch her, she will have a different smell and as you stroke her down her back firmly she will hold herself rigid as if being mounted by the male. if this happens your female is in season, on the same day move them both to a separate cage/tank/cardboard box if you like, one that doesnt smell of either of them, if she really is in season he should show interest almost straight away and they should "court" for a little while before he mounts her, let him do this a couple of times to check he got it right then remove them both back to their separate cages straight away. leave them in peace then for a while as they will both be very highly strung!!
if she is pregnant she should give birth in about twenty days, two weeks after mating clean her cage out,be very careful with her, no excercise ball!! provide plenty of bedding and make sure they cage will be safe and suitable for little hamsters running about, sometimes a high sided tank is good for this.  you may see spots of blood on her bedding when you think she has given birth, dont be alarmed, in the most part this is natural, dont be tempted to change the bedding or disturb the litter, this could cause her to kill the babies. let them be for at least a week, just check on her daily, feed and water her, and keep loud noise to a minimum around the cage. after two to three weeks they are handleable and after four to five they can be taken from the mother, after eight weeks they should be in separate cages as they will breed or fight!! i think thats the basics really, if you have anymore questions dont hesitate to ask! good luck, Jen