How Do You Know if Your Dwarf Hamster Is Pregnant
#1 
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Posted 24 January 2013 - 11:41 PM
Before we begin with anything, I'd like to mention that Hamster Hideout does not condone breeding by the typical hamster owner. It is a painstakingly long process of research. Adopt. Give someone a second chance at life and visit your local shelter.
Hamsters & Pregnancies Russian Campbells & Winter Whites :: 16-18 days approx. So what happens when you believe that the hamster you adopted , or got from the pet store , might be pregnant? Let's ask ourselves a few questions:
Hamsters , very similar to many other animals , have a shorter gestation period when compared to a human being. Overall, it ranges anywhere from 16-23 days on average. It is as follows ::
Syrian Hamsters :: 16-18 days approx.
Chinese Hamsters :: 21-23 days approx.
Roborovskii Hamsters :: 23-30 days approx
If I have a pair , are they the same gender? With hamsters such as a Chinese (you won't have a pair of Syrians living together; they are solitary animals) , you'll see a nice set of 'grapes' on the male. Note that Chinese hamsters are not dwarfs and shouldn't be housed together. With hamsters like the Russian Campbell or Winter White , it does evidently fall down on the spacing. The two openings will be your indicators. If they are close together , then it should be a female. If they are about half an inch or a centimeter (cm) apart , then it should be a male. Please refer to the image below for reference:
Granted , it's always best to check as soon as you bring them home. Generally when looking at the underside of hamsters , there's two aspects to it.
Has her behaviour changed? - Frequent Biting This is generally due to them being protective over the fact that they are carrying growing pups and find harm in humans.
When a female is pregnant , they generally will undergo a behaviour change. It can range from the following and more ::
- Refusing to be held
- 'Batting' of the paws
- Running away from you.
- For dwarf pairs , attacking a fellow cage mate
Has she begun hoarding/nesting? With her nesting behaviour , it is to provide a soft and warm area for her pups to remain in and often able to hide both her and her litter. This is also a protection method against predators who may be able to catch their scent and follow it. This is going to keep them hidden and safe.
A soon to be mother will begin hoarding food in the same area as her nest. This is due to the fact that when her pups arrive , she will not have to go far in order to feed herself. A mother will try not to stray far from her nest as in the wild, hamsters are prey animals and the mother is always looking out for her pups.
Has she been gaining weight these few days?
A hamster is known to show a large amount of weight gain when they are close to a due date. At this point , if you have not already , it is time to provide her with protein-rich foods to prepare her for the birthing process. When a mother is pregnant , they will often gain weight and look similar to the shape of a pear.
Are her nipples showing?
Some owners have claimed that they can see nipples forming and becoming more visible to the human eye when a hamster is pregnant. This may or may not be an effective method to determining if she is pregnant, as some hamsters have been known to have them appear as "developing" throughout their entire lifespan. It is usually a good indication if it is paired with any of the other ways to check.
Does she appear restless or unable to make a choice? - - - - - - - - - -
Some mothers to be will have a hard time deciding what they want to do next. They may be running upon their wheels for a short duration of time before coming off and deciding to go build a nest or hoard food. As we near closer to a due date , some hamsters begin to appear more restless and unable to stay still.
Granted , there may be other small details that will help determine if a hamster is pregnant , but these are known as the basic determining questions and aspects. Keep in mind that breeding is not a game and shouldn't be taken lightly. Leave breeding up to the professionals who take it on as a professional career and see it as their life choice. It is not something that be considered a hobby. Hamsters are not toys, but living creatures. Many people experience heartache due to losing hamsters early on from poor genetics , a common issue with breeding without research. If you suspect your hamster is pregnant or they have suddenly given birth , please click below and visit our Crash Course thread for more information. Also check out the Hamster Pregnancy Board for other various pinned topics which will all come to good use.
Crash course on accidental pregnancies/babies
Hamster Pregnancy Care
special thanks to HoppingHammy for her editing skills , Dusty for the lovely male and female dwarf pictures , and the members whose experiences have made this thread possible.
Edited by Mika, 25 January 2013 - 03:23 AM.
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#2 Azayles
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Posted 24 January 2013 - 11:49 PM
Brilliantly brilliantly written! Very well done, Mika, very impressive 
If you need pictures of a male Chinese to use as an example of the grapes, you're more than welcome to use one of mine, for example:
First time out his Detolf! by Azayles, on Flickr
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#3 KittyHamster
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Posted 25 January 2013 - 07:35 PM
Oh dear god Azayles! It is a child friendly site! ;) Hilarious! My cat looks very jealous....
Good job Mika! Very nice topic!
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#4 Simi
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Posted 29 January 2013 - 11:07 AM
Another example of a Chinese's
Brilliantly brilliantly written! Very well done, Mika, very impressive
If you need pictures of a male Chinese to use as an example of the grapes, you're more than welcome to use one of mine, for example:
First time out his Detolf! by Azayles, on Flickr
They can use some of Chewy's too, for example
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#5 Pokeyyy
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 01:03 AM
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#6 R.I.PVienna
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 04:51 AM
I need help. My hamster Vienna appears to be pregnant, but I'm worried that I'm jumping to conclusions. I haven't really gotten to observe her underbelly, because she's been nippy since day one ( I got her 5 days ago) She's territorial, has built two nests, (lining them with fresh bedding everyday,) and stashed all the food in her bowl next to them. One of her nests she sleeps in, the other she fixes up at night and adds food to. When ever I hand feed her something, she stuffs in in her pouch. When ever I take her to her playpen, she races around frantically and tries to escape. In the first couple days I didn't notice much, ( I was letting her adjust,) but as I started trying to tame her, I noticed most hamsters were tamed much more quickly. Am I just being paranoid, or is she really pregnant? Thanks!
By the way, I also can't tell if her behavior has changed, since I got her five days ago. I know she was in several different boxes with other hamsters at the pet store. Also, she is a Syrian and around 2 months old. ( which has me worried, because I read that young mothers often eat their newborns.)
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#7 R.I.PVienna
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 04:57 AM
Finally, The only reason she gets up in the day is to remake her nest.
Edited by Viennafingercookies, 14 July 2013 - 04:58 AM.
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#8 jess32247
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 05:37 AM
I need help. My hamster Vienna appears to be pregnant, but I'm worried that I'm jumping to conclusions. I haven't really gotten to observe her underbelly, because she's been nippy since day one ( I got her 5 days ago) She's territorial, has built two nests, (lining them with fresh bedding everyday,) and stashed all the food in her bowl next to them. One of her nests she sleeps in, the other she fixes up at night and adds food to. When ever I hand feed her something, she stuffs in in her pouch. When ever I take her to her playpen, she races around frantically and tries to escape. In the first couple days I didn't notice much, ( I was letting her adjust,) but as I started trying to tame her, I noticed most hamsters were tamed much more quickly. Am I just being paranoid, or is she really pregnant? Thanks!
By the way, I also can't tell if her behavior has changed, since I got her five days ago. I know she was in several different boxes with other hamsters at the pet store. Also, she is a Syrian and around 2 months old. ( which has me worried, because I read that young mothers often eat their newborns.)
I don't know much about pregnancies in hamsters, but reading through the Crash Course on Accidental Pregnancies thread (<-- click) will hopefully prepare you if she is pregnant. Searching through the pinned threads in the Hamster Pregnancy Care (<-- click) will hopefully also help you out.
However, I will suggest you leave her alone in a dark/quite room for a little longer as it sounds like she hasn't adjusted to her new home yet. She sounds very stressed at the moment, and with a possible pregnancy, you have to keep things smooth for her. Some hamsters adjust to new surrounds and are tamed quicker then others- each are different in there own way. 
Edited by jess32247, 14 July 2013 - 05:37 AM.
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#9 Ping
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 05:49 AM
To back up what Jess has said.... 5 days is a really short time for her so she won't have adjusted to her surroundings yet. This could explain her stressed behaviour and the multiple nests and the pouching of food. If she doesn't feel safe she will want to take her food and store it somewhere safe.
I advise you wait a while and let her settle in. Observe her and look for widening around her hips (sort of like a pear shape), but try not to stress her out by insisting that she comes out to play.
If she is pregnant you'll know in a week or so as she will show it quite clearly 
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#10 R.I.PVienna
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 05:59 AM
Thanks guys. She does have that pear shape... But I won't worry too much yet. I'll just give her more time. Any other opinions?
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#11 Ping
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 06:15 AM
If she DOES have a litter, don't disturb them, even to clean the cage. The links provided earlier should help with the extra nutrition you would need, but mainly (and the mistake a lot of people make, which might lead her to culling the pups) dont disturb them!
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#12 R.I.PVienna
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 06:44 AM
Thanks a lot everyone!! I think I'll just give her some alone time and keep checking for signs. Thanks again.
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#13 R.I.PVienna
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 07:08 AM
How do you post pics on this? If I could figure it out I get some of her.
Edited by Viennafingercookies, 14 July 2013 - 07:08 AM.
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#14 Pokeyyy
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 07:10 AM
amazing diagrams and well done mika
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#15 jess32247
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Posted 14 July 2013 - 07:11 AM
How do you post pics on this? If I could figure it out I get some of her.
Here's a in depth tutorial for uploading pictures (<-- click), hopefully it'll help you out. Also, starting your own topic under the pregnancy section of the forum would get you more knowledgeable answers from people with experience in accidental hamster pregnancies.
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How Do You Know if Your Dwarf Hamster Is Pregnant
Source: http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/73373-signs-of-a-pregnant-hamster/
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