whats my male hamster doing??????

Question
QUESTION: my male hamster keeps licking my hand when i have held my female hamster they are not in the same cages and she is younger than him also when i let them near each other he licks and cleans her??????what is he doing????????
ANSWER: Hi Jodi,

Your male hamster is licking your hand because he likes the scent of your female hamster.  Any male hamster would do this, because the female hamster's scent excites him.  It's very normal :)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly

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QUESTION: thank you very much for the reply but i was just wondering if because he likes her smell if i put them in the same cage will they mate or fight?
ANSWER: Hi Jodi,

It depends - if the female hamster is in heat (which occurs every 4 days - you can test your female to see if she's in heat by stroking her back; if she freezes up and her tail sticks in the air, then she's in heat), they will mate.

However, if your female hamster is not in heat, they will fight.  Also, if you put the male hamster in the female hamster's cage, they would fight.  To mate, you would have to place the female hamster in the male hamster's cage.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly

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QUESTION: thanks for the reply i know i keep asking questions its just i am curious to find out how to mate them i have stroked her back like you said and she didnt put her tail up although she smells really badly????? :)

Answer
Hi Jodi,

Before you begin mating, I want you to understand that hamsters have an average litter of about 7 babies.  So, that means you would need 7 cages, or you would need to find 7 new homes for the babies.  Mating is a large undertaking.

If you still want to mate your hamsters, you'll need to wait until the hamster is in heat.  Right now, it sounds like your hamster is not in heat.  Test her again tomorrow, and the next day, and she may be in heat then.

When your hamster is in heat, place her in the male's cage.  Let them mate for about 15 minutes, or until they lose interest.  If they start fighting, take the female out of the male's cage, and wait a while before you start mating them again.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly