Prego

Question
My felmale hamster is pregnant she is starting to show her nipples, how do i tell when she is getting close to the birth?, i got her from the pet store so i dont really know when she was breeded.... During or after the pergnacy do i start feeding her healthy food/ such as biled eggs, ext??

Answer
Hi

Depending on what type of hamster this is - the gestation period is 16-18 days for a Syrian and 18-21 days for a dwarf - this might give you a rough idea of when the litter is due.

They normally move their nests, or are busy sorting things out, a clear sign they are getting ready for the birth. Also, their water intake increases, and a bulge appears on their hips - when they stretch up against the bars of the cage, the bulge remains.

Don't give her any extra food until after the babies are born.  Once born you can feed her human baby food - the powdered variety is best as it lasts for some time.  Mix a small amount with water and put it on a jamjarlid or small dish, and place it near the nest.  When the babies are about 7 days old you can start dropping small pieces of food into the nest - raw porridge oats, bread.  Leave some dry hamster food near the nest for the mum so she doesn't have to leave her babies too often to feed. Once the babies start leaving the nest they can eat the baby food too.

Human baby food gives all the nutrients they need - also give them the usual dry hamster food and a small amount of fresh vegetables in the evening (avoid giving lettuce as this can cause diarrhea).  You can try different 'flavors' of baby food - mine prefer the 'creamy porridge oat' variety, but you could use savory ones too.  I don't give egg at this age as it is very fatty and a lot of protein - once the babies are about 2 weeks old, I would give a tiny amount of scrambled egg or similar.

Hope this helps you.