Although it would be great to have a big hamster family, you should first find out if you are ready to face such a responsibility. Yes, baby hamsters are quite adorable but what happens next?

You might want to ask yourself these two questions:

1. What will you do with the babies?

2. Which hamsters will you pick to become the new mom-and-dads to be?

Let us start with the first question. On average, litter size is 4 to 6 but some varieties such as the Campbell Russian can give birth to 14 baby hamsters. Can you imagine taking care of more than a dozen little hamsters? You might say that you can breed them and afterwards sell them to a pet store.

Good idea? Wrong. Many stores do not want to get hamsters sold by just anybody. Since this would not work, you will end up caring for all of them yourself, unless you give them away to family and friends. Now, what if they become sick? Usually, if one hamster is sick, it easily becomes contagious and that means many of your pet hamsters will become sick too.

You will have to spend for their medication, and this will not come in cheap. An even worse scenario is if the mother will die. Who will take care of them, and nurse them? You, of course. You will basically be bottle-feeding them until they become ready to be weaned. Feeding one or two hamsters might not be so daunting, but when you are talking 6 to 12 baby hamsters, it can be a very heavy, not to mention stressful, responsibility.

Moving on to the next question, you will need to know the best parents to breed the hamsters. One consideration is the health of each. To find out, it is advisable to look into their history including that of their lineage. They should be clear of any genetic defect or any life threatening medical conditions.

This is to avoid birth defects and illnesses in the young ones. It is also worth mentioning that the color of the hamster’s fur may contribute to genetic problems and that certain colors cannot be paired off with each other to avoid birth defects. Additionally, you might want to check the temperament of prospective parents.

You do not want to breed those with a bad temperament or personality because these might be carried by their babies and you do not want a dozen grouchy and ‘bratty’ hamsters at home!