Page:The Golden Hamster Manual.djvu/48

 lone male’s pen, where she resides for several days. Some handlers leave her there 5 days, assuming that she passes through the mating cycle during which she is bred. Others leave her there until she begins to show size of having been successfully bred. Since the female may become combative toward the male after mating, and the male is so gentle In his manner of behavior, he may be severely damaged by her fighting him. For that reason, it is advantageous to use a male larger than the female. All considered, this is not a highly favored breeding method. Some handlers use two husky litter brother males in one breeding pen, which amounts to reinforced pair mating.

Group or Colony Mating: This time-saving method used by some large producers employs a large breeding pen 36 to 48 inches long, and 10 to 12 inches wide. Two or three males, preferably litter brothers, occupy this pen. 4 to 6 females are selected for mating, all placed in the males’ pen at one time and left there from 10 to 12 days. An experienced eye may recognize female swelling by the 8th to 9th day and each such female so observed may be removed to the pen where she is to raise her young. By the 12th day all females should be removed, and the males returned to a regular size pen where they continue to live together. Then, the colony pen is cleaned and refurnished with new nesting materials, a new set of brother males added, and after a few hours or days another lot of females introduced to the colony pen. The exact date of mating of each female is uncertain, and much female fighting occurs, in group matings. The average producer does not favor this method.

SELECTIVE MATING: This is the preferred method for two reasons. First, the owner knows what he is doing, exactly why and when. Second, he is in charge and there need be no damage to either animal selected for such mating. Place one female in a lone breeding male’s pen to mate, preferably after 6:30 p.m. due to nocturnal habits; which does not mean mating in the dark. The evening favors the mating instinct. Leave the female with the male for about 2 to 4 minutes testing period. If she appears unfriendly or desires to fight him, use the tin can at once to scoop her up and remove her to her own pen, and try her again the the following day or night, until she accepts service from the male. If she accepts service, leave them alone as long as they have that friendly interest in each other, which may last 10 to 20 minutes. Then, remove her to a freshly cleaned pen furnished with nesting materials for her future family. For best strength of a male, and the quality of litters sired by him, he should not be used more than 2 or 3 times per week. After each mating, a two-day rest period is advised for him. Optional selective method: Some prefer to mate an older female in a pen housing two litter brother males, an effective practice. Female is handled in same manner as with only one male in selective breeding.

A mated female should be given normal food and care, with special attention as to adequate nesting materials by the 12th day in gestation (profit or pregnancy), that nest may be in final arrangement by the 14th day, as she rests in the nest most of the time during the 40 hours preceding the litter’s birth. During cold weather, the prospective mother may be given shreds of discarded clothing, cloth trimmings or torn newspaper to line the nest in advance to provide —46—