How to Tell if a Hamster is Pregnant

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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Then, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian in a clinic for over a decade.

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Perhaps you’ve noticed that your hamster has been behaving strangely lately. One of the reasons behind this behavior change is that the hamster is pregnant. By knowing what signs to watch for and how to hold your hamster, you can determine if your hamster is pregnant and ensure the safety of the new litter of babies.

Table of Contents

Identify a pregnant hamster

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Determine the sex of the hamster. Obviously, only female hamsters get pregnant. Most people know the sex of their hamster, but in case you don’t, see How to Sex a Hamster for more information on how to determine if your hamster is female.

Grasp the hamster’s nape (grasp the skin above the hamster’s shoulder but not clamp it) and gently turn the hamster over to check its sex. Male hamsters will have protruding testicles around their tails that make their rump bulge, while female hamsters do not have this feature, instead having more protruding pairs of nipples under the abdomen.
If you’ve always thought your hamster was female based on its name when you bought it, maybe you should double check.
Note that if you think your hamster is pregnant because of its bloated belly, then the hamster is probably in a period where you should avoid touching it, because holding a hamster in the late stages of pregnancy will make it worse. stress.

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Think about if your female hamster has ever been around a male hamster. The average gestation period for a hamster is 15-21 days, so your hamster must have been mating with a male hamster for the past 3 weeks to get pregnant. ^{[1] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon} If a female hamster hasn’t seen a male hamster in more than 4 weeks, she can’t get pregnant.

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Consider the age of the hamster. Hamsters can start breeding at 6-7 weeks old. ^{[2] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon} The only way to rule out pregnancy due to sexual immaturity is if it is not yet 6 weeks old.

This also means that you need to carefully separate the hamsters when they are close to 6 weeks old, as hamsters reach this age to start mating. Male hamsters also need to be separated from their mothers.

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Exclude diseases. The presence of a large belly alone is not enough to determine if a hamster is pregnant. A swollen belly can actually be a sign of another disease or condition. Illnesses that can make hamsters look pregnant include: ^{[3] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine. Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon}

Uterine cyst, a uterine infection that causes the uterus to swell with pus.
Enlargement of internal organs such as the liver or spleen can also be a sign of cancer
Heart disease, a disease that can lead to fluid accumulation in the abdomen
Intestinal problems that cause bloating due to poor digestion
You may notice other signs that your hamster is sick, including increased thirst (the water tank drains faster than usual), loss of appetite (note if you don’t have to give extra food), and muscle fat loss. body (usually in the flank region).

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Observe the hamster’s bulging belly. This may be the first feature that helps you to realize that the hamster is pregnant, but if it is not, watch to see if the hamster’s belly starts to expand. If the hamster is still eating and acting as usual and has had a chance to mate, this is most likely a sign that the hamster is pregnant.

Note that usually a hamster doesn’t “show” it’s pregnant until the end of the third trimester (more than 10 days), so when you notice the hamster’s belly is getting bigger it could be less than a week. and it will give birth. ^{[4] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon}
In addition to an enlarged belly, the hamster’s nipples will also become larger. However, the nipples of small hamsters are not very noticeable, so don’t worry if you can’t find them under the fluff. ^{[5] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: The Pergamon} Hamster can be uncomfortable to be picked up in late pregnancy, so don’t pick it up to find the nipple.

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Observe nesting behavior. Female hamsters often make nests towards the end of their pregnancy, so a hamster gathering material and bringing it to a quiet corner of the cage could be a sign that she is about to give birth. ^{[6] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon}

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Watch for food hoarding behavior. Pregnant hamsters may begin to eat less than usual and also hide more food, which can be hidden in its nest. Of course, you can’t tell for sure that your hamster is pregnant based on this behavior alone, but this is also an additional sign.

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Watch for signs that your hamster is about to give birth. In the late stages of pregnancy, hamsters can become more fussy. Signs your hamster is about to give birth include: fidgeting and constantly switching from eating to grooming to nesting and may hiss when you get close.

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Take your hamster to the vet. If you don’t watch for all of the above signs, your veterinarian can help you determine if your hamster is pregnant. However, doctors often warn that even a skilled animal handler picking up a hamster can be stressful for a hamster and cause the mother to abandon her babies or eat them.

If your hamster’s belly is distended for more than 7-10 days without giving birth (or if there are no other behavioral features of pregnancy associated with it), take your hamster to the vet, as it could be a symptom of pregnancy. an illness other than pregnancy.

Ensure the safety of the baby hamsters

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Do not touch the mother hamster’s belly to touch its babies. Pregnant hamsters are extremely sensitive to disturbance, and if stressed, they will most likely harm their offspring after birth. You will certainly stress the mother hamster if you touch her belly, thus endangering the health of the baby hamsters.

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Feed the mother hamster nutritious food throughout the pregnancy. You should pay more attention to the mother hamster’s diet to ensure the health of the litter. Feed the mother hamster her usual diet, as sudden changes can upset the hamster’s stomach. However, the ideal hamster’s diet is pellets for mice, as hamsters don’t know how to choose healthy (but not as tasty) foods.

A very small amount of milk or cheese will provide calcium for the baby hamsters in the womb and also help the mother hamster to produce more milk after giving birth. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
You can feed your hamster moderate amounts of hard-boiled eggs, nuts, barley, and oats as an additional source of protein. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
The vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables like broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, apples, grapes, bananas and strawberries can be good for a pregnant hamster. However, you should only feed a very small amount to avoid gastrointestinal problems. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Leave the mother hamster alone starting around day 13 after mating. Pregnant hamsters like to be left alone for at least 2 days before giving birth. This means that until the 13th day after the hamster mates, you should not interfere with the hamster’s cage or nest. You also need to be very careful when putting food in the cage; Otherwise, the mother hamster may eat her pups after giving birth. ^{[10] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon}

You probably don’t know when your hamster mates, so you can just assume that the time the hamster “shows” signs of pregnancy is the 10th day after it mates. ^{[11] X Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine Research Resources . Laber-Laird. Publisher: Pergamon}

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Separate the remaining hamsters into another cage. In addition to stress, having other hamsters in the cage can also cause the mother hamster to eat her babies. To ensure the safety of the baby hamster litter, you should separate the other hamsters into separate cages as soon as you know for sure that the mother hamster is pregnant.

If caged hamsters start fighting rather than getting along as usual, this could be a sign that one of them may be pregnant, especially if other symptoms are present. go with.

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Do not hold the baby hamster for the first two weeks. In the next 2 weeks after birth, the mother hamster will recognize her babies by their smell. If you hold a baby hamster in your hand, even by accident, the mother hamster will attack her baby. About 2 weeks after birth, baby hamsters are probably safe when you pick them up.

This also includes you inadvertently spreading your smell into the coop. Do not clean the barn during this time.

Warning

Do not grip the hamster’s nape tightly, or you can make the hamster’s eyes pop.

Steps

Identify a pregnant hamster

Ensure the safety of the baby hamsters

Warning

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