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| • Propagation and breeding | General info and sexing |
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General information |
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Breeding Roborovskis is not difficult. Roborovskis can be quite friendly to their own kind when introduced to each other at a young age, you can keep a pair and wait until they breed. The hamsters are best introduced to each other at a young age if you want to establish a pair.
They used to not be as prolific as other dwarf hamsters and generally produced relatively small litters of about 3 to 5. These days it is safe to say Roborovskis are up to par with other dwarfhamsters out there. The females enter the oestrus cycle every 4 days. They remain fertile for a period of 12 hours in which mating can occur. That is, if the male manages to catch the female which can prove to be quite a challenge for him.
The female can produce a litter every 4 weeks or so but seem to limit themselves to about 3-5 litters in succession.
It is believed that they are seasonal breeders and usually mate in spring and early summer. However this may be related to the increase in day length and temperature. Artificial lighting and heating could have the effect of prolongating the mating season, maybe even stretching it to the whole year round.
But even then they may limit themselves form producing too many litters in succession.
Some breeders report that Roborovski hamsters do not seem to breed until the spring following the year they were born. |
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Roborovski hamsters reach sexual maturity at around 6 to 8 weeks of age but this does not mean they are fully ready to rear a litter. Make sure they are separated by gender by then or you will have a "teen" pregnancy on your hands.
The ideal age to start breeding for the female is about 5 to 6 months of age. She is fully grown and matured by that time and will be strong enough to produce and raise a litter. While the male usualy will remain fertile throughout its life, the female often becomes sterile after 2 years of age.
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Seperate mom and dad after birth or not? |
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You can keep the male together with the female after birth as he will help actively in raising the pups. However, consider that the female becomes fertile again right after birth and might get pregnant right away. It can put quite a strain on the female having to bear and rear so many pups in succession. If you do not wish this to happen you will have to separate mum and dad right before mum gives birth.
Though in my view it is best to prevent further litters by seperating the male and female, a befriended hamster breeder told me you can also choose to leave parents and offspring together .
According to him, Roborovskis will stop procreating when their colony reaches a certain number/space ratio. For a cage with a ground surface of 80 by 40 cm the maximum would be round about 20-25 hamsters at any given moment. Due to inbreeding and hierarchy fights the number of Roborovskis in the tank should at some point stabilize. Also see my remarks about Roborovski Colonies in Behavior. |
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Determining gender |
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Determining the gender of a Roborovski can be difficult since everything about them is so small including their genitalia. Because they reach sexual maturity at 6 weeks of age, it is eminent that you determine their gender before that time. That way you will be able to separate them by gender before they start to breed.
How to hold your Roborovski when sexing:
-With Roborovskis the easiest way to cast a look between their hind legs is to put them, one by one, in a translucent plastic container. That way you can see underneath unhindered and the hamster will not try to squirm free.
-If you have a firm grip you can also hold them by the scruff of the neck and take a peek underneath. Be quick about it though as it can be quite stressful for a Roborovksi. Also your Roborovski will only tolerate this position for a few seconds, after that is 'squirm yourself free' open season. |
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