Mating hamsters

Question
hi Sheila, i have a pair of teddys, i saw them mating last tuesday after i had put them in one cage to clean the other. Is it a must that she got pregnant or not necessarily.

Cheryl

Answer
Hi Cheryl

Hamsters come into season every 4 days - if they appeared to be mating, then there is a chance she will be pregnant.  Usually on the other three days she will be very aggressive and fight a male if they go near her.  I strongly advise you don't risk putting them together for any reason other than to mate them.

The gestation period for a Syrian is 16-18 days - they often don't show until they are almost ready to give birth, then if they stretch up the bars you can see a bulge on their hips, plus their behavior changes slightly in that they get a bit frantic nest building and storing food.  If you think she is pregnant, don't over-feed her at all -just give the usual amount.  Hamsters do sometimes abort a pregnancy and re-absorb, so there is no guarantee that she is actually pregnant.  Also, you don't mention how old they are - if the female is quite old - i.e. 18 months or so, then she is less likely to conceive. But if she is in the prime of her life - i.e around 2-6 months, then she may well have.

If you find she is and want some advice on looking after the babies etc. please get back in touch and I can give you a week by week timetable of what to do.

Regards