gerbils & hamsters

Question
i have a syrian hamster. i think one is a male & one a female.i keep mine together, & they have never fought.i've had them for 4 days, i think my female is pregnant because she is getting fat & her butt touches the ground.are these signs of pregnancy? if so what could i do to help the female out?

Answer
Hi Lindsey,

Your hamsters may not have fought yet, but they certainly will.  (The female will most likely kill the male.)  Please separate them as soon as you can - move the male to another cage so that the female, who may be pregnant, won't be disturbed.  Also, if the female is pregnant and she gives birth, she will be highly stressed with the male in the cage, and she may kill her babies.  The male would also be a threat to the babies and the mother.

Hamsters don't usually show signs of pregnancy (larger belly, hoarding food in a large nest) until just a couple of days before they're due to give birth, so it will be difficult to tell if your hamster is pregnant.  If she is, you can kind of estimate when she will give birth, since a Syrian hamster's gestation period is 16 days.  

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

Kelly