 Before breeding hamsters consideration should be given as to whether the pair of hamsters that it is intended to breed are a good match to produce healthy, good natured babies and also make plans for homing the babies produced.
When considering which pair of hamsters to breed together it is important to consider their size, health and temperament as both good and bad qualities present in the parents will be passed onto the babies. It is also important to correctly identify the colours of the pair it is intended to breed together as some colours of hamster produce undesirable babies (eg eyeless hamsters) when bred together.
The average litter size for a Syrian hamster is 8 but they can have up to 26 babies although this is extremely rare. However it is not unusual for litters of 10-14 to be produced and survive.
The average litter size for Dwarf hamsters is 4-6 but they can have larger litters and the Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamsters can have up to 14 babies and litters of 8-10 are not uncommon.
It is therefore vital that consideration is given and plans made for homing the babies before making the decision to start breeding hamsters taking into account that 14-26 babies could be produced from a single mating. Many local pet shops have regular suppliers so don't rely on these to take surplus babies without speaking to them before making the decision to start breeding your hamsters.
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