hamster pregnant behaviour

Question
my two dwarf hamsters mated and i think she is pregnant now..but i'm not sure about it becos i lose track of the days since she mated and i was informed they will be in labor after 21 days since the day they mate .if a hamster is pregnant, does she sleep wif her tummy facing upwards? will she be less active? i noticed she had grown bigger and her nipples began to show.

also, my hamsters loves to lick my fingers when handled.is this a sign of affection or is there something wrong wif them?

i also have 2 syrian hamsters..the male is about 3 yrs old. he is always sleeping and his movements are slow. is he sick or is it becos he is old? i hope u can answer these qn as soon as possible so that i can separate my female hamsters from my other two new dwarf hamsters.

Answer
Dear Cat,
thank you for your question. I'm sorry it took so long, but for some reason I didn't get the notification email.

I'd say you hamster is pregnant, yes. They may get less active, although they often begin to build a huge nest. The sleeping position has nothing to do with it, hamsters just have personal preferences. Provide her with extra animal protein in form of mealworms, dog biscuits or curd now and leave her alone. Don't clean the cage until the babies have left the nest, just clean out the toilet corner. When the babies have left the nest and have opened their eyes, you can clean the cage, but leave the nest intact.

The finger licking isn't a sign of affection, you just taste good. Usually hamsters like the salty taste of human skin, although I had one dwarf who would try to store fingers of people who smoked in his cheek pouch.
The three year old Syrian hamster is getting old, it's normal that they sleep a lot and don't move much. If nothing else is wrong with him, leave him alone and give him the food and treats he likes best, he will probably go to sleep one night and won't wake up any more.

I do recommend seperating all hamsters now. It's often said that you can keep dwarf hamsters together, but they are just as solitary as Syrian hamsters. The problems usually start when the hamsters are fully grown at an age of 5-8 months, depending on the species and the individual. Then one hamster will be the dominant one and the other hamster(s) will be constantly stressed. Even if they don't fight or you don't notice any fights (they may happen late at night), it's always stressful for them. The inferior hamster may die or be hurt as a result of fights or he will just die from the stress. At least it will shorten his lifespan.
I hope I was fo some help to you
Jennifer