syrian hamster breeding

Question
my male long haired chocolate syrian and my female long haired cream syrian hamsters escaped from their cages. i found them under my bed together, mating. i am pretty sure she's pregnant becuase there's a discharge she's never had before. my female hamster is 6 months old and i had no intention of mating her, but i have loving homes of 12 friends that are glad to adopt the pups, if she has them. is it safe to mate the chocolate and cream colored syrian together? are there any things i should do to help her have and easier birth and help her take care of the puppies? should i have left the hamsters together? i seperated them after i found them. thanks in advance.

Answer
Hi Christina,

    Yes, it is safe to mate a chocolate and cream Syrian together. No, you didn't need to leave them together.
    There are two ways to know for sure if she is pregnant, One, check (for the next 4 days) to see it she comes back into season (heat). To do this, put her on a flat surface and stroke firmly down her back (starting at the head), if she does not freeze (pushing her tummy down and her bottom up in the air), then she is more than likely pregnant. If she does freeze, then she is not pregnant.
    The other way to tell is at about 10 days after they mated, her sides will poof out (get really big). If this happens, you can expected the pups in 6-7 days.
    If she is pregnant, you should start feeding her hard boiled egg and some diced carrots (4-5 pieces of each). This will give her the extra protein she needs to help raise her pups. Also 3 days before she is due (which is 16 days after mating), the wheel should be removed and the cage should be cleaned. Put in extra bedding and some cotton balls.
    When the pups are 2 weeks old, the cage can be cleaned again. This is when it is safe to handle the pups for a short period of time.
    At 3 weeks of age, the pups will need to be separated from their Mother and each other (boys in one cage, girls in another). And at 5-6 weeks, the pups will be ready to go to their new homes.
    If you have anymore questions, please feel free to write again.

Thank you for writing and best of luck!