Riven
Bad Chin
I was thinking there were a couple hamster breeders on here. I have been toying with the idea of breeding Campbell dwarf hamsters. What are some thoughts, suggestions, stuff like that.
Campbell dwarf hamster breeding
- Thread starter Riven
- Start date
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Obviously the only reason to breed is improvement of the species, and this species needs the most improvement of the five hamster species commonly kept as pets. The commercial breeding system has done a lot of damage to the species as a whole.
The challenges with this species will start with locating quality breeding animals – i.e. those with good health and temperament. The hamster community believes a hamster should be both healthy and of good temperament before breeding. Unless you have good health and temperament, you just don’t breed regardless of how the animal might place at a show (which is obviously a bit different than with chins).
And money is never a question with hamsters. You won’t make any money and will instead pay for the privilege of breeding hamsters. You must feel an intrinsic reward at bettering the species because there is not much in the way of extrinsic reward. Some of the references to hamsters just on this forum alone give you a good idea of what to expect. The only way to make money is to make the wrong decisions for the animals. Basically you become a commercial breeder and count your cages in the hundreds and more likely thousands to make money with hamsters. We don’t have anything between those breeding for money and hobby and show breeders. There are of course the backyard breeders, but they’re a different class.
Health Challenges
1. Diabetes
This species is prone to diabetes due to the actions of a show breeder who was more interested in money than the species. It is now rampant in the species, and no long-time breeder can entirely avoid it. You need to buy from a breeder who tests, admits when they have it (avoid those who claim they don’t need to test because they know they don’t have it), and will notify you after sale if it pops up in the line you bought from. Those with early onset usually don’t make it to their six month birthday. Those with late onset can often live a normal lifespan if simple dietary changes are made. There is a forum just to help owners of diabetic hamsters.
Due to diabetes, the diet for Campbells needs to be a bit different. Fresh vegetables are encouraged, but fresh or dried fruits need to be avoided. Corn, peas, and carrots need to be avoided among the vegetables. If you choose to feed grain mixes (called treat mixes by quality breeders), you need to be dedicated to pulling these pieces out of the food. Most good breeders use lab blocks from the top lab companies. Hamster people are not nearly as price sensitive on food as chin people are. For this species, the PMI Lab Diet RMH 2000 is probably best since it has no corn although some use RMH 3000 even though it has some corn.
2. Hybrids
In hamsters, the term “hybrids” does not refer to multiple mutations in a single animal. It refers to the cross breeding of the Campbells species with the Winter White species to get hybrid animals. It would be the extreme exception to find pure animals of either species in the pet store system, and there are increased health issues in the hybrids. Of course all diseases common in one species are now common in both among hybrids. You have to secure your breeding stock from people with far, far more than a five-generation pedigree to get pure animals. In reality, you’d probably have to find someone who can go back about ten years and trace their lines to show or serious hobby breeders of that time. The overwhelming majority of breeders today have pet store stock in their lines and will claim purity regardless of whether they have it or not. Most of the serious hobby and show breeders have gone out of the species due to the health and temperament issues.
Temperament
Again, a bit different from chin people, good hamster breeders don’t breed unless you have good health *and* temperament. Temperament is both genetic and environmental, and the genetic component of the equation is taken very seriously as is the environmental. We have watched commercial breeders ignore temperament for the past decade, and they have produced nasty animals that may be tame-able by a very few although taming would take most of their lifespan. As recently as ten years ago, most animals of this species were gentle animals. It's the opposite today.
Good breeders don’t handle hamsters until their eyes open, so it will be at least 10 days until you should touch them. The moms do all of the work. Fostering of newborns by humans rarely works, and even fostering by other mothers is only sometimes successful. Taming starts once they eyes open, but breeders who breed for temperament find the animals by the time they can be handled.
Show Standards
If you’ve got lines of good health and temperament (pet quality animals), you consider their strengths and weaknesses as far as the show standards. The standards are reasonably clear cut with points being assigned to the various characteristics judged. Color is different than chins. The standard represents the ideal, and as such, each color or pattern mutation is examined by a standards committee, and the ideal for that mutation is defined and the color is standardized. You will not see different color phases acceptable in the standards. Colors that are too new to be well understood by breeders and judges are placed in a different class called “unstandardized” where the color category is not judged. This would avoid problems like we had at the CA State show where the judge couldn’t even recognize a sapphire let alone judge it – and there was also a violophile entered.
If you can find a breeder who has known good health and temperament (and these will be the biggest challenge), most will already be breeding for the show standards. They’re also bound to have some lines closer to the standards than others. I’m doing a judging clinic in a few weeks in Cleveland to help get more established breeders educated on judging – and to have a good breeding program, it really helps to be capable of judging even if you aren’t certified as a judge. You’ll also find most good breeders charge a flat rate for their animals regardless of color or how close the animal is to the show standard. We’re not in it to make money anyway, and we just need to know if someone intends to breed or show the animal to steer them toward the best lines for their goals.
This is only the tip of the iceberg for raising quality Campbells hamsters. Obviously there is tons more if you’re seriously interested.
Linda
The challenges with this species will start with locating quality breeding animals – i.e. those with good health and temperament. The hamster community believes a hamster should be both healthy and of good temperament before breeding. Unless you have good health and temperament, you just don’t breed regardless of how the animal might place at a show (which is obviously a bit different than with chins).
And money is never a question with hamsters. You won’t make any money and will instead pay for the privilege of breeding hamsters. You must feel an intrinsic reward at bettering the species because there is not much in the way of extrinsic reward. Some of the references to hamsters just on this forum alone give you a good idea of what to expect. The only way to make money is to make the wrong decisions for the animals. Basically you become a commercial breeder and count your cages in the hundreds and more likely thousands to make money with hamsters. We don’t have anything between those breeding for money and hobby and show breeders. There are of course the backyard breeders, but they’re a different class.
Health Challenges
1. Diabetes
This species is prone to diabetes due to the actions of a show breeder who was more interested in money than the species. It is now rampant in the species, and no long-time breeder can entirely avoid it. You need to buy from a breeder who tests, admits when they have it (avoid those who claim they don’t need to test because they know they don’t have it), and will notify you after sale if it pops up in the line you bought from. Those with early onset usually don’t make it to their six month birthday. Those with late onset can often live a normal lifespan if simple dietary changes are made. There is a forum just to help owners of diabetic hamsters.
Due to diabetes, the diet for Campbells needs to be a bit different. Fresh vegetables are encouraged, but fresh or dried fruits need to be avoided. Corn, peas, and carrots need to be avoided among the vegetables. If you choose to feed grain mixes (called treat mixes by quality breeders), you need to be dedicated to pulling these pieces out of the food. Most good breeders use lab blocks from the top lab companies. Hamster people are not nearly as price sensitive on food as chin people are. For this species, the PMI Lab Diet RMH 2000 is probably best since it has no corn although some use RMH 3000 even though it has some corn.
2. Hybrids
In hamsters, the term “hybrids” does not refer to multiple mutations in a single animal. It refers to the cross breeding of the Campbells species with the Winter White species to get hybrid animals. It would be the extreme exception to find pure animals of either species in the pet store system, and there are increased health issues in the hybrids. Of course all diseases common in one species are now common in both among hybrids. You have to secure your breeding stock from people with far, far more than a five-generation pedigree to get pure animals. In reality, you’d probably have to find someone who can go back about ten years and trace their lines to show or serious hobby breeders of that time. The overwhelming majority of breeders today have pet store stock in their lines and will claim purity regardless of whether they have it or not. Most of the serious hobby and show breeders have gone out of the species due to the health and temperament issues.
Temperament
Again, a bit different from chin people, good hamster breeders don’t breed unless you have good health *and* temperament. Temperament is both genetic and environmental, and the genetic component of the equation is taken very seriously as is the environmental. We have watched commercial breeders ignore temperament for the past decade, and they have produced nasty animals that may be tame-able by a very few although taming would take most of their lifespan. As recently as ten years ago, most animals of this species were gentle animals. It's the opposite today.
Good breeders don’t handle hamsters until their eyes open, so it will be at least 10 days until you should touch them. The moms do all of the work. Fostering of newborns by humans rarely works, and even fostering by other mothers is only sometimes successful. Taming starts once they eyes open, but breeders who breed for temperament find the animals by the time they can be handled.
Show Standards
If you’ve got lines of good health and temperament (pet quality animals), you consider their strengths and weaknesses as far as the show standards. The standards are reasonably clear cut with points being assigned to the various characteristics judged. Color is different than chins. The standard represents the ideal, and as such, each color or pattern mutation is examined by a standards committee, and the ideal for that mutation is defined and the color is standardized. You will not see different color phases acceptable in the standards. Colors that are too new to be well understood by breeders and judges are placed in a different class called “unstandardized” where the color category is not judged. This would avoid problems like we had at the CA State show where the judge couldn’t even recognize a sapphire let alone judge it – and there was also a violophile entered.
If you can find a breeder who has known good health and temperament (and these will be the biggest challenge), most will already be breeding for the show standards. They’re also bound to have some lines closer to the standards than others. I’m doing a judging clinic in a few weeks in Cleveland to help get more established breeders educated on judging – and to have a good breeding program, it really helps to be capable of judging even if you aren’t certified as a judge. You’ll also find most good breeders charge a flat rate for their animals regardless of color or how close the animal is to the show standard. We’re not in it to make money anyway, and we just need to know if someone intends to breed or show the animal to steer them toward the best lines for their goals.
This is only the tip of the iceberg for raising quality Campbells hamsters. Obviously there is tons more if you’re seriously interested.
Linda
Riven
Bad Chin
Well it started like this... we took in a dad with a mom and babies. The dad I believe is a platinum opal, mom is agouti. Both are very friendly and the babies are doing good. We haven't had them long, and we're not set on breeding, but have thought about it. My friend used to raise gerbils as a hobby breeder, and it's nearly impossible to find gerbil breeders, there is only one in Nebraska that you can find online that has a breeding goal.
I don't make money with any of my animals... why start now?! LMAO Do you know of any shows in the midwest area? Is there a organization for breeders?
I don't make money with any of my animals... why start now?! LMAO Do you know of any shows in the midwest area? Is there a organization for breeders?
