Siberian tigers only come together to mate, and then the female is left to raise the cubs by herself.  The female lets the males know that she is ready to mate by making certain roars and leaving specific sent markings around her territory.  Mating season lasts from the beginning of December through the end of January, but tigers only mate for three to seven days before they part.  After mating the female will usually attack her partner, driving him away or cutting him. 

After a gestation period of three and a half months, a litter of about two to four cubs are born in the early spring, but usually only one or two survives.  These cubs are born blind, toothless and are about the size of a house cat.  They can eat meat at about three months old, but still drink their mother's milk until they are six months old.

During their first year, their mother will teach them how to hunt.  It is not until they are about a year and a half old before they are mostly independent of their mother.  Even so, they still stay with their mother until they are three to five years old.  They then leave their mother in search of their own territory and families.