an itchy Teddy bear hamster

Question
Hello, I have just recently bought a male teddy bear hamster and he was doing fine for a bout a week, after that week I had bought a second teddy bear hamster that is a female. they are doing fine together except he has become very itchy around his ears and his private parts and there are little white bumps on his privates and I do not know if it is just from his itching or  what the problem is his diet is good and he has aspen bedding. his eating habbits are the same and he can go potty fine. PLEASE help!

Thank you in advance !
Jennifer

Answer
Hi Jennifer

First of all, Syrian hamsters need to be kept in their own cages as they are solitary creatures.  When they reach around 6 weeks they will fight and sometimes this fighting can cause very serious injuries.  The female comes into season every 4 days, therefore they may have mated - so she could already be pregnant - which means you could end up with a litter in 16 -18 days time.

Regarding the male - if he is in with the female, are you sure these aren't bite marks?  Itching, especially around the head area normally indicates mites - in which case, this can be easily treated by a vet.  

If they are together and you find the female is pregnant, if you need need any advice on raising a litter, please feel free to get in touch.

Good luck with this.

Regards