Our female pet hamster, code named Abester, has just recently produced 3 healthy litters. Initially, it was four but one got eaten by Mommy herself. Hamsters have cannibalistic nature and they usually eat their own babies when threatened. Breeding hamsters seem to be a lot complicated than I thought it would be.

There was no warning or indication. No swelling tummy or unusual odor. We knew she was pregnant but we did not know when she would give birth. Our female hamster was in a small clear plastic housing together with 3 other male companions. I was watching National Geographic. Then I heard some commotion. To my surprise, Abester has produced 4 tiny miniature hamsters scattered all over the cage. She obviously felt threatened so she was already starting to munch on one of the litters. I quickly got all the other male hamsters out of the cage.

We had to use old newspaper to cover the whole cage. We also had to refrain from cleaning the cage to avoid triggering the hamster’s cannibalistic behavior. This gave the female hamster security for her and the babies. After a few days, the remaining 3 litters have survived. They all look like just their Mommy.