Find reputable hamster breeders – here’s how

To recognize a serious hamster breeder is often not easy, because many people pretend to be “breeders”, but are actually multipliers.

Nevertheless, you can quickly recognize by some factors clearly whether you have to do it with a serious breeder.

In this article you will learn what the difference is between breeders, hobby breeders and “multipliers”, how you can recognize a serious hamster breeder and why you should choose an animal from the breed.

How to find a reputable hamster breeder?

In search of a reputable hamster breeder you are offered a wide selection on the Internet.

But are there really always good breeders behind the ads?

Unfortunately this is not the case. Therefore, you should ask important questions when looking for a hamster breeder. We have compiled them for you here.

But first we will show you why a good breeder is always the best choice and what is the difference to so called hobby breeders and multipliers.
Hamster breeder, hobby breeder or multiplier: What is the difference?

Many people refer to themselves as “hobby breeders” and thus cause confusion not only among hamsters.

Therefore, this fact is most important: All breeders do this only as a hobby. No one makes a living doing this.

However, serious breeders have the appropriate knowledge regarding genetics and heredity, species-appropriate husbandry, health peculiarities and requirements.

Their goal is to produce healthy representatives of the breed and thus to preserve the breed.

Therefore, they choose breeding animals and mating very carefully.

The animals must meet the breed standards, be purebred and of course not be directly related to each other.

With hobby breeders or also multipliers it acts however around humans, who have

once wanted to have hamster babies themselves
have taken in an already pregnant female hamster
want to earn some extra money with the hamster babies

As a rule, they neither know the parentage of the parent animals nor have they dealt extensively with genetics.

Why should you buy your pet from a hamster breeder?

One of the most important reasons is that you have a better chance of getting a healthy hamster.

Breeders take care to avoid inbreeding.

Inbred hamsters can have physical or mental disabilities, are more prone to diseases and behavioral problems.

In addition, the animals from the breeder are purebred and not – as is also possible with multipliers or hobby breeders – crossbreeds or hybrids.

Size and behavior can therefore be better estimated from the outset.

But how can you recognize such a breeder? This is the topic of the next section.
Finding a reputable hamster breeder – checklist

To find a responsible, serious hamster breeder, you should ask the right questions.

We have compiled a list of these questions and other tips for you here.

1: Is the breeder a member of an association?

The 1st Hamster Association e.V. is a wonderful place to start for serious breeders. Members list their websites here and are easy to reach.

Also, if another breeder is not (yet) a member here, you should ask as well as find out the reasons.

2: Are the parents known?

A good breeder knows where the parents come from, which line they come from and of course knows the degrees of relationship.

So when you ask about the origin, the answer should not be “from the pet store”.

3: How old are the hamsters?

A breeder will not use a female for breeding that is younger than four months. Normally, he will know the date of birth of both parents.

4: First mating or repeated litter?

A breeder will document when he had which mating, how many kittens have fallen, and how many times a female has been pregnant.

He can therefore tell you exactly which litter it is and why he decided to repeat a mating, for example.

5: How are the hamsters kept?

The enclosures or hamster homes should each have an area of 50 by 100 centimeters or be distributed on different levels.

Cleanliness, furnishings and space play critical roles.

Well-maintained hamster homes and plenty of opportunities for exercise are important in any case.

6: Is there a protection contract?

Responsible breeders will draw up a protection contract.

This will contain basic information about the animal, the date and details of the seller and the buyer.

It may also state that you are not allowed to use the hamster for breeding or reproduction.

It is also possible and a sign of seriousness that the breeder takes the hamster back if you can no longer keep it.

7: Does the breeder ask you questions?

A reputable breeder is interested in where and how his animals are housed. That means he will ask you questions, too.

How big is the enclosure for the hamster? Do you have experience with hamsters? How will you feed the animal? Why do you want to get a hamster at all and why this breed?

You should always take a great interest as a good sign.

8: Will you be advised?

Just because a serious breeder cares a lot about his animals, he will ask you questions and also advise you gladly.

In addition, he will take your questions as interest and also as a good sign.

Therefore, look for an open and honest exchange and be happy about counter-questions.

Because these only mean that the breeder is not only interested in earning money.

9: Are you shown the breeding room?

A neat, clean and beautiful facade with a large enclosure and healthy animals is of course impressive.

However, there can be a lot behind it that turns out less nice.

A breeder does not have to let you into the bedroom or basement, but he should be willing to show you the breeding room.

10: Does the breeder know his animals?

If the breeder cares about his hamsters, he will know them and they him.

On the one hand he can tell you therefore often already with young animals without problems whether an animal is rather reserved or dominant and curious.

On the other hand, his hamsters are not shy of him and are obviously used to the presence of people.

Even a breeder without connection to a club can be serious and handle the hamsters responsibly.

Interested people will ask you for pictures of the future enclosure, be available for questions and of course ask some questions as well.

In addition, they will also tell you what you need to be aware of when keeping them and what you need to pay attention to.