im confused

Question

-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
about 15 days ago, my syrian hamsters mated. and i'm expecting that she is pregnant.. but i'm confused, she is not that big as i expected, she is the same size as the male.. but she eats a lot and hoarding foods. she also get cranky whenever i touch her, and she don't want to be held at all! what's going on?


follow up... she bit me and i accidentally dropped her, not that high, because she fell in a bed.. help
-----Answer-----
Hi King,

   If she has not had her babies by now, then it was probably a phantom pregnancy. That means that she will not have the babies, they will just be re-absorbed into the bloodstream causing no harm to the female.
  Also if she is pregnant, she should not be handled after the 13th day (3 days before she is to give birth. The wheel should also be removed).
  If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing!



follow up ^^
okay, i saw them mating yesterday... i just want to ask what's the cause of phantom pregnancy? and what do i do to avoid that? how about her surroundings?

Answer
Hello again King,

   No one really knows what causes a phantom pregnancy so I can't really say how you can avoid it. But I can tell you that if you think your hamster is pregnant, you should start feeding her hard boiled egg and diced carrots. This will give her the extra protein she needs to help raise her babies. Also take the wheel out, and remember not to handle her when she has 3 day left before she gives birth.
   Also make sure your hamster is not in a stressful place (where there are a lot of loud noises).

   If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing and best of luck!