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Why aren't my older hamsters breeding and pups not surviving?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Small Animal | Unknown - Small Animal | Female | 1 year and 11 months old

Hi !! i have 2 syrian hamster. One is male and other is female. Both are of the same age(1.5 years). They both had bred around a year ago and gave birth to 8 pups. The next time they bred, the female hamster gave birth to around 7 pups but none of them survived because she was not feeding them. (she may have produced acidic milk.....as told by our vet.). I wanted to know the reason behind it and the way it can be resolved.Also i had a query that why they both are not breeding again.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on December 3rd, 2017

Thank you for using Pet Coach to address your questions about Shine and your male hamster. That is unusual behavior. Hamsters can produce prolifically. So only producing two litters makes me concerned that something in one of the hamster's body is not normal. Likely one of them has abnormalities in the reproductive tract making it difficult to conceive. I would agree with the other vet that something was likely wrong in the milk which is why the pups didn't make it.
Additionally, hamsters generally live 2-3 years. At their ages, fertility is going to be significantly decreased. At Shine's age, I would also be hesitant to breed her again. Pregnancy in older animals carries higher risks. I'm not sure there is anything you can do to increase fertility short of seeing a specialist for hormone supplements.
If you are looking to breed hamsters again, I would advise to get a young adult female OR get a new pair of a male and female. Younger hamsters have much better fertility rates. I hope I have answered your questions. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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