Trying to breed Syrians

Question
I have just purchased a new male syrian to breed with my current female syrian for a local petshop all going well!

They both have different cages but are kept side by side is this ok to do?

I have introduced them on neutral ground the first early evening and they began to fight immediatley so i seperated them.

They began to sniff through the cage at ach other a while later so i tried them again and the female attacked the mae again straight away.

I know to seperate and try again the next evening but im afraid that they will seriously injure one another if i keep putting them together. Will they definalty stop fighting when the female is ovulating? or is it a risk i take?

Im just really afraid of either getting hurt and it not going to plan, i will try them together again tonight though.

Any tips on breeding will be appreciated, thanks in advance!
Leigh x

Answer
Hi Leigh,

Before you begin breeding your hamsters, I strongly urge you to consider a couple of things:
First, will you have a home for each one of these hamsters?  (An average litter for a Syrian hamster is 8, but they can have many more babies.)  Remember, Syrian hamsters are solitary and cannot live together - they will always fight.  Therefore, if you plan to keep them, each hamster will need his or her own cage.  If you plan to give them away, make sure that you'll have a home for each one *before* you begin breeding.  Don't count on a pet shop, as pet shops have their own breeders.
Second, if you are breeding because you want more hamsters for yourself, think about the many hamsters in shelters and pet shops that desperately need a home.

If you still want to breed your hamsters -
To reduce stress on both hamsters, place the cages in opposite ends of the room.  Placing the cages close together will only frustrate the hamsters.  (So close yet so far away.)

I notice that you said you introduced them in a neutral cage.  That's the best environment for breeding.  However, if the cage has tubes or any attachments, remove them first so that you're left with just the cage.  Place the male in the cage first, then the female.  Some squeaking is natural, but high-pitches squealing means that someone, most likely the male, has been bitten and is in pain.  You'll need to separate the hamsters if this happens.

Keep the hamsters together for 15 minutes, max (or until they have lost interest in breeding).  Also, keep in mind that female Syrians come into heat every 4 days.  When you put them together, be absolutely certain that your female is in heat.  She will give off a musky odor.  Also, when you stroke her back, she will "freeze" and be very still.  This is when you want to mate your hamsters.  (If you put your hamsters together when the female is not in heat, then they will almost certainly fight.)

Please make sure that you're fully prepared for the new arrivals.  Here's a link to a site which provides very helpful information:

http://www.petwebsite.com/breeds.htm

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

Kelly