Louis Clyde Gale

“ To anyone not aware of the frequency with which baby birds, mice, etc., fall into streams during high winds, storms, and invasions of their nests by birds and beasts of prey, let it be said that such nest losses are both common and frequently to such extent as to be rather amazing to the average person. Naturally, the presight hamster culled from the nest, whether to attain some maximum for the service of science or to assure better breeding stock prospects from the remainder of the litter, is a near perfect duplicate of a baby mouse or baby rat on a comparative age-size basis. ”

“ To those who desire to learn the true nature of the creature’s hunger, the author of this book recommends that you offer a pen of hamsters some meat, either raw or cooked, and see how they relish it. They eat meat more greedily than any other food, unless perhaps tender crisp green foods when deprived of same for long periods. Meats do well as a part of their diet, but should not be the main food on their schedule. ”

“ At birth, litters may contain 4 to 18 kittens during the mother’s best production, female kittens frequently outnumbering males. In unculled, poorly cared for litters, the mother’s pampering of male offspring usually leaves female kittens in the minority. Amateurs who let nature take its course are heard to say that hamster production shows males in the majority. Skill in culling, feeding, and other care reverses the sex ratio in well-managed weanings, and permits the owner to control the pattern for production. ”

“ Buy your breeding stock from a hamstery where honesty counts. Two or three pairs or trios, or two sets, is a good start for a beginner. A set consists of 1 male and 3 females. Some shippers offer a lower price per animal when larger numbers are purchased. For that reason, a beginner who knows where he may immediately sell some of the stock to be shipped to him may safely order more animals than he may need for starting his own hamstery. Regardless of strain names used, two or more hamsteries near each other frequently pool production to fill orders, and may exchange stock to add new blood. ”

“ One may write a laboratory or hospital not known to use hamsters, and courteously inquire: Do you use laboratory animals? Have you ever used hamsters? Then state that you would be pleased to furnish a few free of charge, upon their request, for their convenience in evaluating the hamster's worth to them in their laboratory requirements. Such a venture may bring a steady customer, and may be worth two or three hobbyists going in on together if one has too small production to undertake the matter alone. ”

“ A convenient manner of getting one's name before a large group of mall-order buyers is to contribute a brief article now and then to pet or small stock magazines. They like new writers, new names, different angles of the industry presented in each issue of their publications. Publishers know that a department becomes stale and unread after a few months of the same writer's opinions and experiences. ”

“ To maintain or improve exhibition quality, females should be 3 to 31⁄2 months of age for first matings. Handling is much the same as for standard to highly superior stock, seldom permitting weanings of more than 5 or 6 kittens per litter, 3 to 4 being preferred. Young are left with mother as long as possible. Young are sex separated upon weaning, and penned in groups until not more than 71⁄2 weeks of age, when they are moved into individual pens to avoid possible torn ears or any scars from fighting. Only the selective mating method, one female placed in male's pen, is advised. ”

“ After a few days rest, she may be mated again, which allows a litter about every 6 or 7 weeks in continuous production. After 5 or 6 litters, the mother is discarded from the breeding group and is replaced by a younger female who continues that pen’s production. Little wonder that science has a careful eye on this unique, odorless, super-prolific nugget of gold, a laboratory animal par excellence. Every new use for such laboratory animals increases demand. She does a good job of weaning up to 10, sometimes 12, standard weight (1 oz. or more at 21 days) kittens per litter ”

“ It is very faint, but continues for a few moments after the mother leaves them suddenly to greet the caretaker at the door, and it may be heard while they are engaged in suckling, especially until they have learned how to quickly grasp the mother’s mammae as soon as she hovers over them for nursing. If some record of the mating has not been made to determine the date of birth, when the caretaker notes the earliest suckling cries from a nest he should thumb tack a record card or slip of paper to the door and enter thereon his best estimate of the time of birth of that litter. ”

“ Furthermore, 24 productive females may wean from 1,000 to 1,250 young per year. Suppose you desire to sell 500 to 750 to laboratory use, 100 trios and 100 pairs for breeding stock and pets. That sells the 1,000 to 1,250. But, beginners who rush into that volume of production without looking to their markets, who expand without experience and business sense, play a losing game. Remember, that a large share of the current laboratory animal market is currently monopolized by the large commercials most anxious to sell you breeding stock. They are not creating markets for beginners. ”

“ If you feed her some, even if little, every time you open her pen door, she may become far more trustful than under indifferent treatment. It is disturbance and annoyance, rather than frequent attention, that really bothers the mother hamster. She relishes considerate attention after litter is approximately 4 days old so that young have ceased clinging to her mammae (nipples) as she leaves the nest. But, alarm or disturb her suddenly, during this critical early period, so that she rushes from nest too hurriedly to disengage the suckling young and you have a dangerous moment as shown in Illus. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Males and females that are mistreated, severely injured fighting or falling, or are improperly fed, make poor breeders. The bred female fed forcing feed mixture assimilates elements that do much for the bone structure of herself and young during those important days and that reinforce her milk supply for her suckling young. As previously suggested, with large litters milk shortage may trouble her to the point of resorting to cannibalism which automatically makes her a discard. Hamsters like whole milk from either cows or goats, but it does not take the place of water. ”

“ Some dishonest shippers have sent older runts when young females were called for in an order. To the novice, a 14- to 15-week runt may at first appear to be a normal 5- or 6-week female. So, It may pay the buyer to be reasonably certain of the integrity of the source of his breeding stock. Laboratories expect good weights, and the better stock produces a better weight average of good young throughout the productive lifetime of hamsters in both sexes. If possible, it is well to buy one's first breeding stock from a producer in one's own community. ”

“ A pet shop at first slow to buy hamsters to sell as pets may gladly show a cage of them in their window or display department and take orders from their customers. Some stores take a pen of males, and another pen of females, on trial, and sell them to their pet customers. As soon as the store sees that they sell, the hamster producer has a regular dealer outlet for production. Many producers have permanent pet store outlets for their production. One need not advertise if he has local laboratory and pet store outlets and produces accordingly. ”

“ For those who already have small animal and poultry stock, and merely wish to supplement such income, hamsters may offer an attractive addition to their set-up.
Operating on a strictly honest basis, the larger the hamstery the smaller the per cent of profit on investment, due to the fact that a larger per cent of increased production must depend upon laboratory markets, the lowest priced sales. A small hobby hamstery, 6 to 8 breeding females, with production sold for breeders and pets, brings the highest per cent of profit. ”

“ After a time, a balanced daily feeding of both green and animal food may be employed, with grains added once or twice per week for variety. Whenever animals appear fed-up or any one food, change feeding schedule and their keen interest in eating is instantaneous. Rapid growth of young requires steadiness of feeding habits, and young hamsters develop at a remarkable rate. Feeding schedules will be discussed later in this chapter.
Hamsters are fond of all grains, but If fed too much field corn may eat only the germ end of the kernel. They eat almost all kinds of vegetables and fruits. ”

“ Laboratories need thousands, and this need is currently met, the larger deliveries made by larger commercial hamsteries out of their own production. Competition among larger hamasteries for both laboratory and breeding stock sales is keen. The advertising that “laboratories need thousands” is a half-truth, misleading to the novice, and may lead many to unwisely over-buy when obtaining their initial breeding stock. It is not advisable for anyone to expand production into commercial volume without first making satisfactory arrangements for marketing such volume of production. ”

“ With increasing interest on the part of educational institutions and growing acquaintance with this comparatively new animal by the laboratories, the hamster's productiveness assures a good profit for a highly pleasant home hobby at a low investment in space for housing (basement usually being satisfactory) , breeding stock, pens and feeding. Little time is required for their care. Hamsters do not require fancy or expensive housing. Pens are easily and simply made at home by the average person at all interested in pets and small stock. ”

“ However, a simple low cost but properly constructed home-made pen is all that is needed for the friendly hamster’s home in domestication. Beware the over-simple, too cheaply built all solid floor pens made to sell and replace. Pens should be built with the idea of using them for years. However, do not be discouraged if the first pens do not look professional. This is a home-hobby job. If widths of lumber do not work out just right, there is no harm in having the top extend an inch or so over the front or back, or both. ”