My 2 Dwarf Hamsters

Question
I got 2 Chinese dwarf hamsters and I think that the female, Brandy , is pregnant. My hamsters Brandy and Cookie(my male hamster) were put in the same cage. My mom and sister keep touching the females belly and they keep feeling something kicking. Is she pregnant??? If she is, when can I expect her to give birth and what should I do to the cage? Is the mom going to die after she gives birth? Should I separate the male and female when she gives birth??? PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!! I'M CLUELESS!!!

Answer
Hi Federica,

i really do not think you should be breeding hamsters or even thinking about breeding them actually, because you know so little about them.

Please separate the Male and Female until you know more about breeding hamsters - you need to research the subject thoroughly before you start breeding them.

Breeding should be about improving the breed so please do not breed from pet shop hamsters - you should only breed from hamsters which have come from responsible breeders, who know the backgrounds on all of their hamsters.

Also you should never breed from a brother and sister - hamsters from the same litter, or from hamsters which are closely related.

If a male and a female have been kept in the same cage together then it is likely she could be pregnant, but it is best not to try and feel her belly - she is so small that you could hurt her and you will definatley hurt the babies if there is any by trying to feel them.

Female hamsters usually give birth between 22 and 30 days after they have mated with a male - so you need to know when they mated really - this can be difficult to judge though because the female comes into heat every 3 or 4 days.

There is no way of telling if a female is pregnant really unless you know the hamster well enough to notice slight changes in its behavior and feeding habits etc.  You may notice her getting bigger on the day before she gives birth but only if she is having a big litter.

The Father should make a good parent but it is best to separate them because the female can get pregnant again on the day she gives birth!

The Mother will not die if everything goes smoothly but if anything goes wrong then you could loose the mother and all of the babies - you need to have a reliable vet ready to come to you at the slightest problem.

Even if the birth goes smoothly, there are still many things which can go wrong.  If this is the females first litter she could abandon them or even eat them - not nice to see.  If she is too young then she may be too imature to cope with the responsibility of babies and may destroy or abandon them.  If she is disturbed or feels threatened by a strange smell or sound - she will destroy them or abondon them.

These are just a few things which could happen.

Please separate them until you are ready for the reponsibility yourself and know enough about them to be able to cope with any problems which might occur.

Please do not breed without knowing what you are doing.

If you do end up with babies from when they were together you should leave the cage alone for two or three weeks after the babies have been born - except to change the food and water - do not change the cage or bedding - do not even disturb the nest!

You do not need to do anything else except give them plenty of fresh food and water, the mother will look after the babies completely.

Kind Regards,

Tammy