posted on May, 24 2006 @ 02:07 AM
I've got two pairs of Russian Dwarf Hamsters in separate cages. (Yes, I know you're going to say I'm a bit old for hamsters... But hey, they're
cute...
) The one pair had their first litter (of 8). My first idea was to sell them, that was until the mother killed 6 of the pups, and the
seventh died "under mysterious circumstances"... So it's not really worth my while to try and sell one hamster (the remaining pup), so I thought I
would leave her with her parents. She is now 4 weeks old.
So the question is: Is it "safe" to leave the female pup with her parents? Will her father try to mate with her when she comes to age? And if he
does, will mating be successful, and if so will the litter have genetic problems?
I know the "genetic rules" when it comes to humans, but I am clueless about hamster genetics.
Side note: I've tried moving the female pup to the other cage, but that female was too aggressive towards the newcomer, so I moved her back. Now her
mother is also becoming more and more aggressive towards the pup - as the mother seems to be pregnant again.