Dwarf Hamster Pregnancy

Question
QUESTION: I have a female hamster that mated four times.I waited 21 days for her to give birth,but today it has been 22 days and she hasnt given birth.I was wondering how long does it take for her to give birth and could she be sterile?I really want her to have babies.

ANSWER: Hi Juan

You haven't said how old this hamster is.  The fact that you have mated her four times - does this mean that she successfully produced a litter four times?   Each litter will weaken the female and therefore it is important not to keep mating her.  Hamsters have a way or reabsorbing (miscarrying) a litter if they feel they aren't strong enough to have them, if there isn't enough food or space.

As the hamster gets older she is less likely to conceive too.  Do you want to get back to me with a few more details.

Regards



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My hamster is about 5 months.She has never had a litter.I first had one male hamster in an aquarium then i decided to breed hamsters so i got a female from a friend of mine.I put her in and they never fought but as soon as i put her in i kept a close eye on her.Then in four days they started mating.They mated four times.After that i counted to 21 days but still nothing now today it is 23 days since the mating.I forgot to mention I got another female and put them all together to make a stronger chance of them breeding.They all get along and never fight there is plenty of room for them.I always make sure they have plenty of water and food but what kind of foods would increase her chance of giving birth.

Answer
Hi

This is a difficult situation - I have heard of dwarf hamsters not mating before.  Sometimes you just have to wait and be patient - this hamster is definitely the right age for mating and in reality there is no reason why she shouldn't mate.  I know someone who kept two pairs of hamsters together in the same cage.  Neither pair successfully mated, however when she separated off the cage so that each pair had their own territory, both mated and produced litters.  Females who were taken away from males very early on in their life can take a while to accept another male - it could just be this.  I think it would be worth waiting a while longer before thinking that they are unable to produce a litter.  The usual gestation period for a dwarf is 18-21 days.

I hope you have some success soon.

Regards