how do i know if my hamster has given birth?

Question
QUESTION: i have a male and female Syrian hamster. they both live in one cage , but get along very well. i started to notice signs of the female's pregnancy about two days ago, building huge nests, big tummy, and prominent nipples. she has also begun to fight a lot with the male and that is what worries me.

another thing, how do i know that she has given birth? when does she give birth, around what time? will i be able to see the babies clearly or will she hide them in her nest? will there be blood in the cage? pls answer my questions and give me some other advice as well ... thnku soooo much

azraa

ANSWER: Azraa,

Two Syrian hamsters should not be kept in the same cage!!

Please separate them immediately!!

Syrian hamsters are solitary by nature and should only be kept on their own.  If they kept together after they reach maturity they will end up killing each other!!

The fact that they are not yet fighting tells me that she is still way to young to be bred!!  She should not be allowed to mate at this young age - she could have any number of complications with the birth and then the babies might not survive or they might get abandoned by the mother or the mother may kill them all because she is far to young to cope with the responsibilities of looking after a litte of babies - she is still a baby herself!!

Also, where did you get the hamsters from?  If you got them from the same place at the same time then they are probably brother and sister - so they should never be allowed to breed anyway!  Also, you should never breed pet shop hamsters - they could already be inbred from related parents and they could have any number of health conditions which they could pass on to their babies!  You should only breed from hamsters which have come from responsible breeders - not from petshops!

Certain colours of Syrian hamsters cannot be bred together and if they are then you will end up with babies with serious defects, such as toothless and eyeless babies!!

You should have thought about all of this and researched everything fully before you even thought about breeding hamsters!!

I really hope that your hamster is not pregnant!  but if she is then you will only notice on the day she gives birth and you will be able to hear the babies chirping.

No matter what happens, please, please, please, take the male away from her NOW and put him in a cage on his own.

Please let me know what happens.

Tammy

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

QUESTION: hey, i did not buy them from a pet shop. one of my friends , who has been breeding hamsters for over two years gave them to me. she said they would get along well. the are not brother and sister ... the female is 5 months old and the male is 4 and a half ... and thanks for the advice ... ill keep them in separate cages. i know that the female is in about her tenth day now ... i want to know how long the gestation period lasts and around what time does the birth take place ... i really need your help as this is my first time and my friend is out of town so i haven't anyone to ask

thanks

ANSWER: Hi Azraa,

I wouldnt trust everything your "friend" tells you - if she has been breeding Syrians for the last two years then the first thing she would have learned is that they are solitary and should never be kept in the same cage!  I feel really sorry for the hamsters she breeds if she doesnt even know the basics about Syrians!

I am guessing that the hamsters she originally got to breed from were from a pet shop so the hamsters you have may still have many health problems and they shouldnt be bred from!  And i wouldnt believe her that the hamsters are not related!

I have never bred Syrian hamsters but I will try to give you as much info as i possibly can to help your hamster through this - but please promise me that you will not let these two hamsters breed again??

Your hamster is still quite young to be having her first litter so there could be any number of problems during the birth - you really need to make sure that a local vet is willing to come out to you at any time of the day or night incase there is complications with the birth - you could end up losing the mother and the babies!!

Syrian hamsters usually give birth between 16 and 18 days after conception, and they can have up to 20 babies!  Please make sure you have enough cages to keep all of these babies separate once they get to between 6 and 8 weeks old - if you havent found new homes for them by then!

Birth can take place at anytime of the day or night - it depends on the hamster.

You should not disturb her at all for the first 3 weeks - if she feels stresses or disturbs then she will either abandon the babies or kill them!  You should clean out her cage on the day before she gives birth - so on her 14th or 15th day of pregnancy will be the best time.

You will also need to feed her tiny bits of well cooked scrambled egg while she is pregnant and when she is nursing the babies - this is to give her plenty of protein - if she doesnt have enough then she might eat the babies!!

Good Luck.

Tammy

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

QUESTION: hi

my friend is very well - experienced and she knows a lot about hamsters , so lets not have any comments about her. it was my stupid decision to put them both in one cage a against her advice. that's the only mistake i've made so far. i've separated them now however. my female hamster also gave birth today morning inside the house that is in the cage . i could hear squealing. i have only seen six babies come out of the house, but i don't know if there are more. they look like tiny pink jelly beans. is that normal? if so, when will they start looking more like hamsters? and i can do a complete clean up after two weeks right? thanks for all your help, Tammy, but ill need a little more guidance.

Azraa

Answer
From what you have said before, it seems like she is only on her 13th day of pregnancy?  Could you have got the dates wrong?  If she has given birth on her 13th or 14th day of pregnancy then i would keep a close eye on her and the babies - although, there is very rarely anything that can be done for babies who are so young!

Pink Jelly beans is exactlt how they should look - they are very normal so dont worry about that.

Do not disturb the cage at all for the first 2 weeks and dont clean the cage out until the babies are 3 weeks old.

Regards,

Tammy