strange sound by hamster

Question
My hamster has been making strange sounds that resemble a squeak/honking noise.  Sometimes she will do it a couple times and sometimes (especially in the middle of the night) she will do it many times in a row.  I cannot tell if the noise is coming from her nose or mouth.  Does this mean she is sick?  She is a little over a year old.  

Furthermore, this is probably a silly question, but I have had many debates with others concerning my hamster's sex.  I feel positive that she is a female; however, my friends have caused me to doubt.  What is the surest way to tell?

Answer
Hey, Sarah.

The sound you described leads me to believe that she may be sneezin and/or coughing when she makes this noise.  And the reason you hear it especially in the middle of the night is because this is when she's most active.  So yes, it probably does mean she's sick.  She most likely has an allergy or might have a cold. Here's some ways to help you determine what she has:

She probably has an allergy if:
-you notice any other symptoms, such as: excessive scratching, sneezing, wheezing, skin irritation, runny eyes, and fur loss.
-you've recently introduced any new objects to her environment. This could be almost anything new to the cage or room in which she is in(new bedding, new food, any kind of spray you may be using, etc.).

If she has an allergy, she won't stop sneezing and/or coughing until whatever is causing the allergy is removed.  After that, hamsters usually make a quick recovery.
However, if at anytime, your hamster shows a severe allergic reaction, or has problems breathing.. you should take her to the vet immediately.

On the other hand, she probably has a cold, if:

-you notice any other symptoms such as: runny nose, runny eyes, lethargy.. in more severe cases: weight loss, refusal to eat and drink or trouble breathing/wheeziness.
-you or anybody else in the house has a cold or other illness.
-there have been any sudden changes in temperature.

 
If she remains active, and does not show any other symptoms or sudden changes in her behavior (most importantly, lethargy)...
What you should do is:

-Move her to a different, warm room that maintains a constant temperature.
-You can also provide her with some unshredded undyed toilet paper, so that she can keep herself warm.
-Make sure she is drinking water and eating her food.
-Whether she has a cold or an allergy, she should recover from either pretty quickly in this new environment.  However, if she's allergic to something in her cage (ie. bedding), then you will probably have to change that.  This is especially true if you're using cedar, pine, or any other bedding that releases aromatic oils.  Remember, aspen and carefresh beddding are always the best choices.

Also, if at anytime, she shows sudden changes in behavior, or her condition doesn't improve.. you should take her to the vet asap.


For your other question..
The surest way to tell a hamster's sex is by looking at it's genitals.  
Looking at the genitals, there's two openings...
The distance between these 2 openings on a male is usually 1-2 cm, but the important thing to remember is that.. the distance of this gap in females is so small that it is sometimes difficult to notice that there are 2 openings.  In other words, at a quick glance, a female might appear to have only 1 opening.
Also, the male is more elongated around the rear and more rounded than the female.  Because it can sometimes be difficult to tell a hamster's sex, and if you want to see this in more detail, check out this site:
http://www.petwebsite.com/sexing.htm


Sorry if this response was a little long, I was just trying to give you a thorough answer to your question.  Hope all of this helps, and if you have any more questions or anything... I'll be glad to help out.  
Good luck with your hamster and best wishes to both of you.