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Breeding Information Part 2
One thing to watch out for while Syrian hamsters are mating is that the female doesn't attack the male. After a female hamster mates, there is a gestation period of 16-18 days for Syrian hamsters, 18-21 days for the Russian hamsters, 21-23 days for Chinese hamsters and 23-30 for Roborovski hamsters before the female gives birth. The male Syrian hamster will not take part in raising the young as they are kept separately.
When born baby hamsters will be hairless, have closed eyes, nurse from their mother, and move very little. If the mother-to-be is a dwarf hamster, she will sometimes drive the male away from the nest when the birth is about to occur.
When examined, female hamsters have two holes close together whereas males have anal and genital openings further apart than the female's (the member is usually withdrawn into the coat and thus appears as a hole or pink pimple). Because of their short life expectancy, hamsters mature quickly and can begin reproducing at a young age (four weeks). Both Syrian and Russian hamsters mature quickly and can begin reproducing at a young age (4-5 weeks), whereas Chinese hamsters will usually begin reproducing at 2-3 months of age, and Roborovskis at 3-4 months of age.
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