Before you even start to mate your pets, it is wise to consider if you can take care of the offsprings. For hamsters, the female gives birth to 3 - 7 babies on an average. You would have to consider if you have enough space and time to care for the new family members.
To mate hamsters, you would need to first introduce the male to the female. Ensure that they can reside together in the same cage peacefully before you leave them alone. Sometimes, the female can get aggressive and you will need to remove the male and introduce him in on another occasion.
Typically it takes about two weeks to a month for hamsters to start mating.
Read the next entry to find out what to do during pregnancy of hamsters and when they give birth...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Grooming Hamsters
It's good to let your hamsters look good and have a good coat of fur. Therefore, we will need to groom them so that they will shine and be attractive. These are some ways that you can adhere to when you intend to groom your hamsters.
1. Bathing powder/sand
The most basic of grooming hamsters come from bathing them with commercially widely available bathing powder. With a bathing tray and powder, the hamsters will automatically know what to do -- bathe themselves in the powder.
Bathing powder will remove the dirt from their fur and relieve their itching.
2. Brushing hamsters
You can buy hamster brushes in pet shops to brush hamsters. Brushing hamsters is good for bonding between the hamsters and the owner. Secondly, it also gives the hamsters a good coat of fur (smooth and good-looking).
An alternative brush would be used toothbrush. Clean the used toothbrush and it can readily act as a hamster brush.
Brush the fur in one direction, usually from the head to the tail direction. This way, you can make the fur grow in one direction.
3. Bathing with water
Bathing with water requires lots of caution as it could be lethal to hamsters. If you really need to clean them with water, make sure you just wipe them with a wet cloth.
Avoid allowing them to swim in water. It's true that hamsters can swim but they are not meant to perform that activity. They might choke on water without your knowing. Also if you dip them into water, their entire coat get wet. You will need to dry them if not they could develop cold or flu which will weaken them.
Do not let your hamsters to dry themselves. This can be a long process and with some breeze, they would get ill.
1. Bathing powder/sand
The most basic of grooming hamsters come from bathing them with commercially widely available bathing powder. With a bathing tray and powder, the hamsters will automatically know what to do -- bathe themselves in the powder.
Bathing powder will remove the dirt from their fur and relieve their itching.
2. Brushing hamsters
You can buy hamster brushes in pet shops to brush hamsters. Brushing hamsters is good for bonding between the hamsters and the owner. Secondly, it also gives the hamsters a good coat of fur (smooth and good-looking).
An alternative brush would be used toothbrush. Clean the used toothbrush and it can readily act as a hamster brush.
Brush the fur in one direction, usually from the head to the tail direction. This way, you can make the fur grow in one direction.
3. Bathing with water
Bathing with water requires lots of caution as it could be lethal to hamsters. If you really need to clean them with water, make sure you just wipe them with a wet cloth.
Avoid allowing them to swim in water. It's true that hamsters can swim but they are not meant to perform that activity. They might choke on water without your knowing. Also if you dip them into water, their entire coat get wet. You will need to dry them if not they could develop cold or flu which will weaken them.
Do not let your hamsters to dry themselves. This can be a long process and with some breeze, they would get ill.
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