The Breeding Female

The female hamster is capable of conceiving at the very young age 5-6 week old but the female hamster should not be used for breeding from until she is about 12 week old. Breeding from her before this age may result in litters of very poor quality. She may not be mature enough to raise a litter before this age. The female has a very short breeding life and should be retired from breeding at around 12 months of age allowing her 3 to 4 litters during this time. The female should not be used for breeding after the age of 6 months; if she has not had a litter before reaching this age. The females hip's fuse together if she has not had a litter before then: This could make it very difficult for her to give birth, and may result in the loss of the female and her pup's. The male can be fertile and used for breeding from 2 months of age onwards, and for most of his life. Although at this very young age the older female is usually more tolerant of the younger males clumsy attempts.

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