Hamster pregnancy

Question
I am not sure of what type of hamsters I have.  I have two and they are about 4 to 5 months old.  One is bleeding and seems to have a swollen stomach.  Could she be pregnant?  How do I tell?

Answer
Hi Donna!

So you think your hamster is pregnant or you are expecting babies, what should you do? I have not breed or seen any pregnant hamsters and babies, so I have no first hand experience with this, but I will still try to offer some advise.

Its hard to tell if a dwarf hamster is pregnant. A few days before she gives birth, she may look bigger, but it is not that big of a difference. Some say they can see a bulge in a Syrian hamster's belly, but again, I can not back that up. Other people say that moodiness and building of nests are a few signs of pregnancy. Neither of these have been proven though. Our hamsters build nests all the time, all over, but they are not pregnant.

If you mated your hamsters, or saw your hamsters mate, the female should have babies in about 18 days if a dwarf hamster, or 16 if Syrian. This is a relatively short time, so you have to get everything ready for the babies right away. Its a good idea to give the mother some extra food and nutrients before the babies are born, so she will have enough energy to raise them. Its a good idea to also change their litter about 2 days before the due date, if you know when that is.

The average litter for a dwarf hamster is somewhere around 6, give or take a few. I have heard all sorts of averages, but that seems to be in the middle. Once the babies are born, you do not want to touch them for at least 2 weeks. If you touch the babies before that time, your scent will be on them, and the mother may abandon them or eat them. That is why you want to change the litter right before they are born, or the cage may get very smelly. At about 3 weeks of age, its a good idea to separate them by theirsex They are nearing sexual maturity at that time, and with Syrian hamsters they will start fighting.

Before all this has happened though, you should be looking for homes for your new hamster babies, unless you plan on keeping them all. You might be able to sell them to a pet shop, or put an add in the newspaper for them. You could also leave little fliers at places like Wal-mart or anywhere else there is a bulletin board. If you decide to keep all the litter for yourself, you need to keep in mind that if they are Syrian hamsters, they will all need separate cages. If you have dwarf hamsters, they can live together in a cage, but you need to make sure there is enough room, and remember to separate them by sex.

I hope this is helpful! Good Luck!
Nicole.D.