What's breeding cage

[Pixus]

Can someone enlighten me on what is the diff btw a breeding cage and a normal cage and how does it look like?
I'm intending to breed english hamsters, is there any thing i should look out for? r they supposed to be together 24 hrs a day?
My Syrian hamsters are very much smaller then others, is there anything wrong with their diet? i feed them dry pellets, occasional Veg (watever i can find in the fridge) sunflower seeds.... Issit becos they run too frequently on the wheel?

[Yinx]

I've seen a couple of classads from people who're selling their breeding cages/tanks. I have a gut feeling that their so-called breeding cage/tank is merely a clear, big plastic tank.

I've never bred Syrians before, but I do know that the breeding pair should only be put together when the female is on heat. To test if the female is on heat, simply stroke her rear end. If she is on heat, she will arch her rear end to indicate so.

Assuming the female is on heat, introduce the pair on *neutral* grounds. Watch out for any fights! When the mating has taken place, separate them & house them separately.

How old are your Syrian hamsters? Perhaps they're still young, hence their small size? I don't think running on the wheel will affect their growth. At the most, it'll keep them fit & 'slim'.

Here is some extra info. I found on CHS with regards to breeding Syrians :

'Although Syrian hamsters are able to breed as young as 3-6 weeks of age this should be avoided as it is detrimental to the female's health and development. Therefore breeding a female at this age or buying such a young pregnant female from a pet shop or breeder should be avoided.

The ideal age to breed a female for the first time is when she is between 4 and 6 months of age. Breeding a female younger than this can stunt her growth, result in a poor litter and often leads to cannibalism of the litter. Breeding a female for the first time after 6 months can result in complications in giving birth and so is best avoided.

The strain of rearing a litter will weaken the female and so it is recommended that 3-4 months is given for her to recover her condition fully before breeding again at 8-10 months of age. This will help to ensure the successful rearing of a second healthy litter. Generally 3-4 months between litters is sufficient time for the female to regain condition.

Females often become sterile at around 12-14 months of age and take longer to regain condition after the second litter later in life. Therefore for most females a third litter is not adviseable. However, if a female remains fertile at 12 months of age and is still in a good, healthy, robust condition a third litter may be bred from her but this should be given careful consideration.

Males can be used for breeding from as young as 5 weeks of age although they may not always be able cope with a full grown female! It is usually best to wait until a male is 2-3 months before using him for breeding. Males usually remain fertile for most of their life.'

Good luck!

[Pixus]

Yinx, can you email me at pothouse@singnet.com.sg i wan to fwd a mail to you as someone wans to sell me a hamster, i'm juz wondering if what she says is correct and whether the price she states is reasonable. thanx