[rex123]

What are the signs of a pregnant hamster?? I got a new Hamster Chico last week from pets unlimited. Unfortunately I don't know how to tell what gender it is.

And this morning Chico's been going crazy make a nest and he's stocked up a bunch of food.

My neighbour's got a hamster from the same pet shop and there's was pregnant and had babies, is it possible mine is also??

[JudyKayTee]

Once upon a time I dated a guy with a daughter. For her birthday (with Dad's permission) I bought her a hamster with all the hamster "stuff" that goes along with it. The hamster had more toys and goodies than I did. But, anyway - the hamster was "certified" to be a male because Dad said, "No females." Well, just about overnight the hamster had other hamsters.

I don't know the pregnancy signs but I do know the father was not terribly happy with my choice of a gift.

[shazamataz]

Don't you just love responsible pet shop owners. People buy one hamster and end up walking away with half a dozen without knowing it.

What are you going to do if "he" is pregnant?

[rex123]

I really don't know I mean I bet this hamster thinking I was getting one. Do you have any suggestions on what to do with the babies.

I may know lots about dogs, but I don't know much about hamsters.

[shazamataz]

Same here, I have pet rabbits but I know nothing about breeding little fluffies...
*shouts* ALTY!! You're the little fluffy expert, help!

[rex123]

Yes please help... This is the reason I got one to avoid babies, I don't know what to do and I loe animals and don't want to do something that may cause harm to them, looks like I got a lot of research ahead, I'm not cut out for this I should have stuck with just my dog, cats and fish, who would have thought a small little hamster could be such work, but you got to love him.

[Alty]

Sad fact 1. Most hamsters in pet stores are female, very rare to find a male.

Sad fact 2. Most pet store employees have no idea how to determine the sex of a hamster, or any animal that doesn't have their genitalia outside their body (rabbits, birds, mice etc).

Third fact. Because of the lack of knowledge, hamsters at a pet store are all put into the same cage, very often there will be a male in the mix without anyone being the wiser. Hamsters reach sexual maturity at a very young age, before you know it, voilà, more hamsters.

Last fact. If I had a dime for every person I know that bought a male hamster that ended up having babies, I'd be a very rich women.

Sadly I don't know a lot about pregnancy in hamsters. I've been lucky, none of my hammies ever had babies.

Is your hammy overweight? Has he/she put on weight since you got him/her?

Is he/she eating more then normal?

Keep an eye out for odd behavior, and for babies. One good thing, the gestation period for hammy's isn't long, so you should know soon.

If she does have babies (let's face it, if babies come, we know it's a she ;)) then keep an eye out, a lot of hamster will eat their young.

Also, if she does have babies, talk to the pet store, they may be willing to take the babies off your hands once they're old enough. Heck, you could ask for your money back, seeing as they sold you a "male" hamster.

Wish I could be more help.

Good luck. :)

[JudyKayTee]

I'm probably going to be sorry I asked this but why are the majority of hamsters female?

[lilbay]

You can tell a male hammie by the width of the base of its tail. The males is wider due to its testicles being there.
Here is a picture on this site with more info to help you understand what I mean.
Hamster Sexing
I have rescued many a little one that was bred willy nilly by folks and then knew nothing about the care or by people who bred and than ended up deciding that the whole baby thing was just overwhelming.
Are they Dwarf hamsters? Or Syrian Hamsters?

For both they they will get really fat towards the back of them and it will happen all of a sudden. This however does not happen until the last part of the pregnancy She will also start eating a lot more (If it turns out she is she should have extra protein so you may want to add some just in case. Things like cheese little bit, nuts peanut butter and oats are good I used those rolled oats they have for birds I also have gotten steel-cut oats in the organic and natural food aisles of grocery stores.
If she is pregnant she will build a really large nest and hoard food Mind you hamsters do that a lot anyway but this will be a bot different in the appearance of the nest
In most cases I have seen the mom will deliver 2 to 7 days after building the nest and gaining the weight.
So basically if you do not get any babies in the nest 10 to 13 days you likely do not have a pregnant hammie.
If you do find she is squatting and running around a lot she may be delivering. She may have them in the nest she may have a few out of nest this is OK do not interfere she will go back and gather them into the nest. You do want to limit holding her she may be a bot nippy and grouchy when she is getting close to having them. So limiting holding if it turns to be the case
Be aware they grow FAST so it is a good idea to get homes lined up placing ads when born is best.
Also splitting males from females as soon as they are eating on their own is a must or you may be passing on pregnant ones as well. Many people make mistakes on sexing and end up doing just that These guys can start breeding really young so just make sure to check that picture

Here is a good site that tells all about Pregnant hamsters Just in case
pregnant

The site I linked at the top for sexing also offers great info for general care as well as a message board. Hamsterific forum


Good Luck Hope this helps

[rex123]

I actually wasn't even told the gender of my hamster.

I don't think I would want to give or sell them back to the pet store either, as some employees told a person I know that some hamsters and mice are fed to the snakes.

If possible I would like to give them to good homes.

[Alty]

I'm probably going to be sorry I asked this but why are the majority of hamsters female?

Pet stores usually don't sell males because they are more aggressive. The females are an easier sell.

Not to say that stores never sell males, but stores like Pet Smart (at least in Canada) have told me that their policy is to sell only female Syrian hamsters. The other breeds will have males in the mix.

Sad, isn't it?

[Silverfoxkit]

Hamsters like the bed down regardless of gender and they often also like to stockpile food. These behaviors don't necessarily mean that the hamsters is pregnant, however there is always the chance. It can also be hard to determine if a hamster is expecting by looking at it.

I can't really say too much other then to keep your fingers crossed. If there aren't any little ones in a few weeks then you should be clear. However if you do end up with a surprise litter then I would suggest removing the hamster and babies to a remote location with little activity and apart from basic care not messing with her too much for the first week or so. Hamster mothers can be sensitive to stress and may kill her young if she gets too anxious.

[alejandro2009]

Ok first hold your hamster on its back for you can see its belly. Usually after 4 weeks old you can see their testicles. If you do not then check it's anus ( I know sounds gross) before the anus there's suppose to be an opening if that opening is close to the anus congrats it's a female if it's a little farther apart then it's a male. If your hamsters happens to have babies try not to touch them because your scent will stay on them and the mother hamster will not recognize them and will think there not hers making her feed on them. Also, try doing the same process with the babies ( checking their gender)when they are ready to be handled because hamsters start being sexually active when they are 6 weeks old. Good luck