A very pregnant hamster Since Syrians are solitary animals, breeding is more difficult than with dwarfs, who cohabitate. Hamsters can be sexually mature as early as 28 days old. However, the female should not be bred until she is between three and four months of age. (Males should be the same age before their first encounter with a female.) If she is too young the result is generally a small litter, poor quality pups and a difficult time for the female. An older female bred for the first time may experience extreme difficulties at birth, occasionally resulting in death for the mother. Females can only mate during oestrus (when in heat or in season), which occurs every four days. Putting a male and female together when the female is not in heat could result in a fight. Females have been known to seriously injure or even kill a male if there is no intervention. (If squabbling does begin, separate them immediately and try again the next evening.)
How do I Know When my Female Hamster is Ready to Breed.
Given that they will go into season once every 4 days, if you get it wrong the first time, there's always the next time. Generally, the female hamster will emit a musky odor just before she comes into season and inevitably, it's always around evening time that the 'oestrus period' (time when she's fertile and accepting of the male) starts and it lasts for anywhere between 4 and 18 hours. It is during this 'window of opportunity' that she will be receptive to the male so breeding them has to take place then. After the female hamsters finish their season, there is a thick white mucous discharge that is excreted from their vaginas. Less experienced hamster breeders will then take that as a starting point, count another 3 days after that and then try for a breeding encounter (anticipating the next oestrous cycle 4 days later). If the weather is cool (ie winter), most hamsters will not breed. The other tell-tale sign that she is in season is that when you stroke her back towards her tail, she will freeze on the spot, flatten out and lift her tail.
How to Breed.
Because hamsters are nocturnal animals, mating should be done in the early evening. (In the wild, they normally mate after sundown.) Generally speaking, a female in heat will be more active and will "freeze" (body pressed to floor and tail up) when her back is stroked. Never put the male in the female's cage - there is likely to be a fight even if she is in heat. It is best to place the male in a separate container with a small amount of bedding in the bottom and then introduce the female. If she is in heat, she will freeze, he will mount, dismount and wash himself several times. They should be allowed at least 20 minutes - unless one of them shows signs of loosing interest. (Be aware that there are probably as many different methods of breeding Syrian hamsters as there are hamster breeders, but this has have been proven to be the safest and most successful method for most breeders.)
What do I do After the Mating.
You return both hamsters to their respective cages. Female hamsters will need extra food during the pregnancy. High protein foods like tofu, boiled egg, wheat germ (to aid in birthing) can be added to the diet. She can still be handled but it's best to leave her alone when it's closer to the expected birth date. Clean out her cage at day 14 and take out the exercise wheel, provide her with extra nesting material (eg shredded paper). Then put her cage in a warm, quiet spot with as little disturbance as possible and wait...
Signs of Pregnancy.
You may not be able to tell for the first few days by appearance alone. Some owners notice that she will start to act differently, as in hoarding bedding and food; although not all hamsters build nests right away. She may also become easier to startle. In the last few days she will be quite big, and it will be very noticeable for the person who usually handles her. If your hamster is large around her abdomen, she is probably on or past her 11th day and will give birth within the week.She may also build a second nest for birthing. Her growth will increase quickly and her stomach will look lumpy.
Length of Pregnancy.
The Syrian has one of the shortest gestation periods (length of pregnancy) of all animals - between 15 and 17 days. Normally, she will begin to show signs of "bulging" on about the ninth or tenth day. By the time she is near delivery, she will look like she is carrying fully packed saddlebags! Her environment should be stress-free throughout her pregnancy and for at least the first ten days after the litter is born.
Pups.
Hamster pups (babies) The newborn pups don't have any fur, their eyes are closed, and they're still cute.They can't see, or hear, but they can already smell and move themselves around by theirfront feet. If one does stray from the nest the mother will scoop him up and return him, don't worry, hamster mom's know what they're doing. Resist the temptation to pick them up. The mom won't like this and it could even cause her to abandon, or even worse, eat the babies. Just watch them and wait around two weeks before handling them.
At two weeks the puppies will have a soft fur coat and will be running around raising havoc in the cage. Around three weeks they'll begin leaving their mother for longer periods of time to explore and look for food on their own. They'll hardly ever fight, and will begin to burrow and hoard food. 
At five to six weeks old a baby Syrian hamster is ready to go live on his own. If left with brothers and sisters a Syrian hamster will fight them viciously. So never leave them in mixed sex groups.
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